Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1878-05-24
OUR RAG BAG.

in the MORNING APPEAL, the prime need was
suggested of an expression by the Republican
party of Nevada, thro' it's delegates i'll con.
ventiOn of Systematic movement toward
popular culture in such directions as have
hitherto been neglected. What was meant
was, that the "Party of Progress" should
pledge itself to the better training Of neglected
youth, the education of the poor and ignorant
among the adults of both sexes, and gen
eral elevation of private life and public SEN
timent-the publication and exaltatlon of So
ciety, in fact 1t il not Utopian nor even
impractioable to insist that our public men
shall do something beside sit in the Capitol
and pursue the mean routine of their official
duties. They owe 1t to the people, whose
head men they are, to take leading part in
the promotion of love of reading, an appre-
citation of poetry and art, an understanding of
architecture and general inclining toward
culture and refinement. The popular estimate
Of what should constitute the public servant
is too low, all over our country. Look at the
Statesmen of Britain. Gladstone finds time
70 translate Homer; Beaconsfeld stands al
most at the head of the literary men of Eng
land; Bulwer while holding a seat in the
Commons still poet, a novelist and
playwright. The bettcr half of the House of
Commons are born thrals to the highest
school of literature, and devoted and inteli-
gent admirers of art. Even the Queen has
written book; and across the channel the
ri 70
letters by writing the Lfe of Caesar A clever
writer in one of the latest periodicals very
justly says that we are in the Glacial Period
OF art-culturo, and quite as justly complains
that large proportion of our people ignore
the arts entirely -'not deliberately and con
temptously, but through indifference" Alb
solute lack of education in these higher
grades of human excellence is the cause of
this indifference, 1t is the apathy of ignor
ance, the mental paralysis Of inaCtion There |
is no brighter people than this. Nowhere, in |
the interior is the actor more sharply criticised
IN none of his fields of action is the political |
orator more severely scrutinized than here;
and books and newspapers, sermons and sing
ers find the keenest of readers and listeners
in Nevada. But art goes a begging. There
is not 80 much as one portrait of public man
in either of our Legislative Halls And what
wonderl In all the thirteen or fourteen years
of Nevada's existence as a State, no Governor
has ever made public speech, much less de-
iivered a lecture, even upon State affairs.
Messages and inaugural Addresses are the
meanest and meagerest of compositions. No
Secretary, no Controller, no Treasurer, no
Judge, no anybody who sits in the Capitol
has ever spoken word in public in behalf of
letters or music or sculpture or painting.
This is not only deplorable, but it is disheart-
ening 1t comes in some instances which
need not be specified, from total and hopeless
ignorance; but in too many instances it is
this same indifference" elsewhere alluded to.
Such efforts and considerations are simply
outside the life aud thought and purpose of
our public men. They get Office, attend to
routine, hold their patriotic selves in read
mess for a reelection and let the people find
a stimulus for books and pictures, sculpture
and the beauties of the masters of music and +
where they may. No wonder We
go to horse races, the saloon, the faro table 7
and the boxing match for our amusement.
And the arts are no more neglected than the
sciences The people have right to demand T.
Of their public servants higher standard of n
effort than this. Says Carlyle: 81 say it is t
the everlasting privilege of the foolish to be s
governed by the wise; to be guided in the ST
right by those who know it better than they. II
We merely quote the sentence, 1t is foryOu G.
% apply it, oh Constant Reader; also for you a
o say which is the governing party, those out u
If. or those in, our State offices. Sometimes
he thought has suggested itself that the ma n
ority of public men being slaves to what n
hev timidly regard as public opinion. are of
IL men, the governed and not the governing Il
lass in the community. But let's smoke EN- al
mt and make EN- talk to us, telling us what !,
hey know of art and letters and the things G
ghich constitute taste and culture. Says Sir n
Richard Steele: ''There can be no greater f.
injury to human society than that good tai P
nts among men should be held honorable to Fl
hose who are endowed with them without h,
ny regard how they are applied. "..... "But
hose men only are truly great who place
heir ambition rather in acquiring to them o.
elves the conscience of worthy enterprises, III