The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-01-10
DEVELOP MENT.
The Kew Deity of the Great Ameri-
can Nation.
intellectual Cultivation Neglected for
Physical Deve,opment---AP eo-
PIE Always "0n the Jump
"A Thoughtful Column.

disclaiming any intention OF bringing him
into publicity personally. desired to inquire
what he thought of the tendency of Ameri-
can people.
said he: a regard the present nation of
Americans as merely tine vehicle for trans
fer,ing the population and capital Of Europe
and, al the same time, satisfying our insa-
tiate passion f,r money
Said l.: 1'I0o You consider that the Ameri-
cans throw away their money!
No: considering how hard they work FOR
it ard what they spend it for, they merely
fulfill an equation. In reality, obey spend
most cf their money on schemcG TO develop
the country. The average life Of an American
is toleIably hard He has few years Of
high living, fine houses, carriages, foreign
travel, etc. but, after all, what engages his
mind is to develope something, 80 add some
thing TO his community, or railroad, or dis
taut state OF domain
Said |: ''What DO yoa think of corpora Q
Il anagement in the United Statess"
1t is very imperfect; and yet, conSde; ing
how fast tie railroad system has expanded,
wonder that ii is as houest as we find it.
Railroad properties in Earope have been very
slowly butt up, the people being
ernment insisting upon supervision,
and finally, when you get your
great corporations like the London \, North
western and the French Northern railroad to
work they are precise as an old fashioned
bank. Here we are never done with building
more railroads, and as we have had To oper-
ate through the imperfect state legislatures
some injustice has been done To stock
bpll 4ba Ii hny
powers thev were not entitled TO-
despair almost said my friend, to
ste a nation with such a magnificent mission
as ours to settle up this great continent have
any literature or fixed civilization. To use
the ordinary phrase we are always ON the
jump There seems to be an electrical CON
cenuation in the middle of the Americans
head which he cannot put at rest, his brain
becomes like one of his muscles, vol
uutary aud actiug TO his will. He can per-
form under the influence of this climate
and lis destiny more work than any created
being, but it is purely a life Of action, Of en-
terrrisc and therefore is one-sided The
consequence on the children must be bad.
Their fathers have no domestic rest, ponder
all night the operations Of next day, discuss
together some system or scheme for next days
operation. and the children become pre-
cocious, resemble their fathers in almost
everything. but do not possess their fathers
stamina. 1t is even worse with the girls
whose mhthers seem to think that they have
something to do with this development also.
The whole nation is ambitious, and every
thing that happens increases the stimula-
ton
Said I; What view do YOU take Of popr-
lar education herer
Nearly all of it is merely to make deveioy,-
ers Of the American continent The Young
armies Of scholars are marched into the rub
lie schools: taught mathematics, chemistry
etc, and then are sent out of the hack door
TO Join tie great army Of development.
Some become engineers, some machinists,
some pioneers, but all are branded devel-
opers
said l; DO you think we are a corrupt
people
NO. only as developers. When a small
nation OF men not bigger than France sent 10
work to subjugate and equauze conditions
over whola continent, scheining IN
evitahIy grows up from the hope
fulness and daring Of the people.
1t Is q mistake to suppose that any large
proportion of these schemes, railroad or
otherwise are dishonesty received They
never could be accompanied by more swiu-
dlors. The belief Of the man in this under
taking secures the customer.
Which of the people do you suppose viii
be the happiest!@
Upon nv word. said NV friend. 4 some
times think the happieSt will he the latest
-emig1 ants and their children, who may find
some country 10 be content il and keep their
former content Yet the capacity Of this
country to eneTgize immigrant population
is remarkable. Take the case Of Roeb-
ling, who built the Niagara and the
Brooklyn bridges and almost all the suSpen-
sion aqueducts and v!aducta in the country,
He was thoroughly educated at the Prussian
engineering school, and came out 10 America
to be s. hermit, resolved to have nothing
more to do with the mechanical world
He settled among the mountains, and cult
waited a little patch Of farm. One morn
ing he heard horn; it was the coming canal
and barge. They came to a place where
they wanted to cross river and knew not
how Roebling awoke from his repose.
Joined the active world again, became one
of the eminent spirits of development, and
his son, whom he named for Washington, is
now an invalid from disecSe contracted in
building bridge
Said /: What is your view about specula
ton and gamblinng!"
They are parts and parcels Of develop
rnents The material surprises and diseov
cries on this continent arouse a hope
fulness and confidence which can fin.
no form of expression but TO bet
That instinct once awakened reaches even tn
stagnaut portions OF the population Will
you find the western people betting on thei
town lots, town sites, railroads, mines cat
tie ranges, etc, in the east the1
are studying tie tape and buying pools
What is your view about religion in con
nection with our civilization
The great fact about the United State
has always been its Professionalism That ac
CELEBRATED the revolution against England, an
made the Republican form of government
The idea of the ReTuhlc among tn
saints started with John Calvin, q
Geneva. spread to Scotland under Kno,
and to England under the refugees frol
Queen Mary, was transferred 10 the Unite
States, and exists here 90, 000, 600 strong. II
influence of Professionalism is not toward Il
arts and fine letters but toward individui
tuScJ lSt anu SOAishl 4Lldt EtlttAGlACt~
DO YOU think that our young people a,
worse of for not being apprentices, servant
etc. .
How can you make them SO when a
premiership Is an obsolete thingin said II
friend. THE apprentice in old times made
whole shoe or hound whole book. Now, /
division of labor, he is given little task
which there is no mind to continue at
from year to year. Beyond the shop Ii
the great country, cheap, bouutiful, al
beckoning him to be the agent of 1t, al
bring in strangers and create a city. Tht
as to our girls, They are like women ever
where, accessory to mans enterprise
Women follow success in man Under t
influence OF development. the men are n
marrying as much as they were nor renal
ing at home as much. Naturally there
some alteration among the women"
Then you discover no moral revoluti
comingsn
"Not much. Our success has made
skeptics, land that skepticisn Shows that '
still uoCSaSS the inheraYlt srprfi,G off n very lO