Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-05
CiriIiention nne, Prohibition.

To the Editor of the Globe:
President Arthur, in his message to the
present congress, recommended that the
constitution and laws of the United States
be changed. providing for the needed civil
change has been made by the
adoption of the Pendleton bill. This calls
to mind the great fact that nations are
constantly outgrowing their constitutions.
From time to time they must be amended,
leaving behind the errors of the past, and
incorporating the new that is in harmony
with the present. Statesmen are slow to
make such changes, which is right. So
good a constitution as ours should not be
trihed with. 1t should be iealously guarded
against all rash and thoughtless invasions.
However, while the years are passing by
the great facts of civilization are slowly
crystalizing. The true statesman carefully
watches for these rare jewels, and seeks to
embody them in the constitution of the
nation.
In the city of ST. Paul, the Academy of
Science is giving a course of daily lectures.
On last Tuesday the subject discu ssed was
Crystals" In reading the report of that
discussion it seemed to me that the crys-
talization of the great facts of civilization
is somewhat analogous to the formation
of crystals in the mineral world One
point made by the speaker was, that "per-
feet crystals form only only under favor
able conditions" That is not only true in
the mineral world, but also IN the politi-
cal. The Pendleton bill is a crystal de-
posted in the gradual formation and
progression of the great body polite, but
owing to unfavorable surroundings it is not
perfect in form. 1 believe the gallant
prohibition knight, Henry w. Blair, intro
duced section 10 of said bill, which pro-
vides that persons addicted to the habitual
use of Intoxicating beverages shall be in
eligible to Office in the civil service. Be
fore the bill was finally passed the crystal
was deformed by the insertion of the
words ito excess" which nearly spoil the
face of the crystal.
Another point of similarity is, ''The Or
ganizing forces must wait until certain
conditions are present" The same is true
in national life. Another point worthy OF
mention is, THE ancients believed quartz
crystals to be water CONCEALED so hard that
it could not be melted" So in the
constitution there are the solid, en-
during quartz crystals, such as
all men should be free; the right of suf-
frage, the right of petition, the police
power of the state, ETC., etc.
One more point and I am through with
this comparison and that is ''The crystals
frequently take on the forms of higher
creations That is the mineral world in
crystaizing takes on vegetable or animal
forms as may be seen in the moss agate,or
in the frost that covers our window panes.
So the crystals of human law shadow
forth the forms of divine law.
From the nature of the social system
and the onward and upward march of
humanity it must be expected that nations
will outgrow their constitutions.
This nation outgrew its constitution on
the subject of human slavery. Anti-slav-
cry was one of the great facts of the civil
cation that progressing human thought
and endeavor crystalized; and the great
and good men of this nation brushed away
the barbaric dust of the past and set it in
our constitution, radiant star forever.
Since then, through fifteen years and more,
energetic change has been at work, and
civilization has crystalized another still
greater fact, aEti-whisky. Will our states
men give the old constitution another dust
ing? The people are bidding them
to brush away where dust is
the thickest and foulest; brush away this
filthy inheritance of all the past, and set in
the constitution this oth.r most lovely and
eternal PROHIBITION. There let it
CLEAN through all coming time with the
bright and pure effulgence of ''peace on
earth, good will to men," P.