, 1881-10-02

it heavily on all who opposed him. 1t 1t
became necessary to imprison his enemies,
lie imprisoned them; il it became necessary
to kill them, lie let the AK fall. But he dlts
not call these acts Of oppression crimes.
"I'hey charge me,n he said, with the com.
mission of great crimes: men Of my stamp
do not commit crimcs!" lie attributed his
elevation to the peculiarity of the times. Is
have always marched with the opinion OF
great masses and with events" he exclaimed
with the 1dtUctc of 4 butcher unconscious
of the blood Oh his cruel hands. Oid-tasil-
iouetl codes Of morals were for those WHO
opposed his plans, not for him. Thus Nil
poleon made god of selfishness. Is It ma
terialIy different with the modern spirit of
cotumerce-of money? It grasps for the
empire of the world, not by the slow
processes Of labor, but by the aid OF
legislation, by Intrigue, by distortlns
statutes, by combinations OF the strong
against the weak. Nor are these acts crimes
to their apprehension more than the she'd
ding Of innocent blood was Il crime to Napo~
leon. They attribute their great gains to
s'the popularity Of times"; they marc h
"with the opinion Of grent masses, and
with events.'
This Is tile misery Of the situation that the
spirit Of seItishness has become universal.
1t has silenced the moral code and put Il seal
upon the lips Of public sentiment. There is
10 longer anybody to protest, for all mal1-
kind is engaged in the strusgle-the str4g-
glc of greed to absorb without limit and
without scruple.
THUS Emerson describes Napoleon: "Ue
knew what to do, and he flew 10 his mark.
1Ie would shorten straight Lille to come to
his object. Horrible anecdotes may no. doubt
be collected from his history Of the price at
which he bought his successes; but lie must
not therefore be set down rs cruel, but rs
one who knew no impeachment to Ills will;
not boodthirsty, not cruel, but wo to what
thing OF person stood in his way! Not blool~
thirsty, but not sparing Of blood-and pitt
less. lie saw only the object: the obstacle
must give way. sSire, Gen. Clarke cannot
combine with Gen. Junot for the dreadful
fire of the Austrian battery Let him carry
the battery Sire, every regiment that
approaches the heavy artillery is sacri~
feed. Sire, what ortiers?' Forward, for
ward!'" This is the precise way in which
the ulagnates of steam and electricity capture
railway and telegraph companies; and wien
the smoke Of the battle In stocks clears away
the community fee Is the heel Of the monopo-
list OH its neck.
Tie modern world is full Of Napoleons,
and they are fast conquering mankind They
know what to do, and they ny to their mark.
They are not cruel, only pitiless-selfsh.
They are absorbing the property of the coun-
try in detail, us Napoleon destroyed the
armies Of his enemies. They recast the map
Of the world Of commerce as occasion re-
ouires, us Napoleon did. and hold courts
of those who were lately kings be-
cause independent, but who now bend the
knee because dependent.
This seltishness is not less colossal than
that Of Napoleon, an0 breeds Il selfIsl,ness
not less mean than that which distinguished
the later years Of the reign of the great
French Emperor when his sycophantic de-
pendents intrigued against him and deserted
his cause.
moral laws. The end Of ,selhshness is dis
aster, hopeless and irremediable. 1t is as
dangerous to attempt to rise above moral
laws as to fall below them; in the one case
they UNDERMINE and in the other they crush.
ss.The half is" after all, '4lMore than the
WHOLE" for the half may be retained, but the
whole is sure to slip from the fingers OF
grasplng ayarice.