Blount County democrat. [volume] (Maryville, Tenn.) 1879-1883, 1882-12-14

Is the world growing worse and
'going TO the bad p
We daily hear of the most airocious
and horrible crimes being committed
in various portions Of our country
revolving crimes against nature, cold
hloodcd aid unjuslifiable homicides,
strange and perfectly unaccountable
suicides, shocking and startling freaks
ofinsanity, dcpravcd aud cruel acts of
human hycnas, corrupt and dishonest
practices Of politicians, and the most
dangerous and Injurious schcming Of
1analics-and the whole human race
seems TO be increasing in wickedness
and depraVity to an extent entirely
at variance with Our boastcd ciyillza-
tion and progress.
Some writers and speakers say that
The people and the tiiiies are no worse
than in former years, but that the
means for obtaining information Of
tine current events 0fthe DAY, and the
'avidity with which this news is sought
by the reading pnbic (now number
ing thousands where they once We're
only hundreds, and the great Increase
of population, fluffy accounts for and
explains the apparent illGrease of
crime OF course AL the foregoing
effects must be taken into consdera-
tiom, but are not the causes Which
created the existing state of affairs.
Those who read intclligently and
think profoundly can not fail To per-
'ccivc, aud will frankly admit. that
vice, crime aud d"pravity exist, flour
ish and increase in proportion to the
advancement and progress ofthe arts
'and sciences, and that these evil ten
dencics have invariably attended the
march Of civilization and cnlightrm-
mcnt in all ages; aud it always will
bc so until the dawn of tie millennium,
The result of plain and tiyetl natural
laws. Progression with Il correspond
ING amount of retrOgressi0m has char
Acterlzed the ages of the past, and his
tory repeats itself.
The infant, free from accountable
ty, and the child, without guile, are
more pure, more easily controlled and
influenced than mature and aged per-
sons, who possess, though, one hun
drcd times more sense and knowledge
and are better able to understand and
appreciate the reasons for acting in
accordance with those laws and the
observing Of those rules of conduct
which alone are conducive to health,
happiness and success in this life and
the assurance of a glorious immortali-
ty beyond the grave. Just SO with
people and nations; as they grow
in age and draw nearer to the
acme of human perfection and great
ness, in the same proportion will vice,
crime and misery increase. sometimes
prcp;oIderafe, thntil, as past history
teaches us, the crisis is reached, the
very foundations of social and poIiti-
cal structures be undermined and the
people fall from their pinnacle of
greatness to the very lowest depths of
degradation and barbGriSm.
The thirst for political power, the
greed of gain, the love Of luxury and
cxtravagant display, combined with
refined but etleminatc and sensual
tastes, are almost impeTceptaGly but
surely corruptimg the people of this
Republic, as they have other nations
in tho past; and this retrogression
will eventually bring decay and ruin
unless arrested by revolution or a
gradual and general reformation.
Formality, hypocracy, pomp and
ceremony, and Innovations convenient
and pleasant to an elastic conscience
and 'to suit the tines" are insidu-
ously creeping into the Church; the
press is subsidized, or sought to be
"muzzlcdp where II ittcanrot be bought,
for the purpose of binding the MASSES !;
social life is hollow mockery, full of
deceit pitfalls and shares fsP sthe