Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-02-07
MATERIAL AMERICA.

Several of the Nations Prominent
Characteristics-Mat erial Prosperity
The Spirit of Unrest-Punishmen
of Crime Unpopular-BroadIy Sym.
pathetic.
The Rev DIR. Henry M. Storrs 1ectured
yesterday afternoon in Marquand chapel in
continuance of his course of lectures on the
American pc, pie.
He spoke of the prominence given in this
country to the material interests, facts, gains
and losses. There is a low development of
thoughts in the ideal world. We live largely
in lower world and on the plane of viii it
paya We are often reproached because of
this, and the reproach is largely true. And
it is but natural that a nation that SO recent
ly took homeless continent and had to de-
velop the material interests it needs in order
to have home should be absorbed in mate
rial pursuits to the exclusion of others. 1t is
the first thing to support life. There is no
escape from that. Naturally there follows
an intense desire throughout the nation for
great success in business in accumulating
property and wealth. I know of no period
in history more like ours than Rome
just before Christianity came. 1t
was a place of royal magnifcence.
Chariots of gold rolled along the Appian
way. The poor man, the plebeian was, fit
subject for scorn the slave fit food for the
fishes. Christianity had not then supplied
higher ambition, better incentive than the
seeking after material pleasures. No other
city ever eclipsed Rome until New York
came to its recent development. There is
more wealth along Fifth avenue than was
gathe1ed in Rome in her proudest hour of
material display. No wonder the craving
for material development should descend
down through all the ranks of life. 1t Is
corrupting the standards of honest dealing
Everything nowadays is adulterated. There
is nothing you buy that has not the touch of
unrighteous mammon. That spirit is not
confined to the cities or to mercantile life,
but is widespread everywhere. The idea is
that everyone must get ahead.
Another result of our material life is the
spirit of infinite unrest which has come over
our people in the past forty, thirty-fve OF
twenty-five years. The people of forty
years ago were not affected thus.
There was the ordinary desire to
better their condition. The nation dwelt
contentedly within legitimate lines. That is
not true to-day. No exaggeration is posi-
sible, might say, in speaking OF this
spirit of unrest this restless unrest that
eharacterizes as people beyond all others
and grows with the equal distribution of
wealth and power. am not one of those
who decry the accumulation of wealth in
few hands. Large aggregations of capital
necessary to administer the great interests
of the country. But there is danger in them.
They provoke hostile feeling and criticism.
The people look with distrust upon the great
capitalists. There are at this moment
large class of intentional demoralizers in this
country. They are charged with enthusiasm
in their work of demoralizing public opinion.
They have seriously weakened the respect for
law. They claim that they have the right to
demand a distribution of wealth. Under
their influence the punishment of crime has
become unpopular. Crime may be frowned
upon but the criminal must not be touched.
Again there is widespread infidelity in
regard to real honesty. When man who
has been in public Office where he has had
the handling of large amounts of money goes
out of Office no richer than when he went
into it the people laugh at him and call him
a fool When the American people discount
all profession of honesty and cease to believe
in public or private interior honesty the
foundations are being destroyed
This is the negative side of the picture.
Morals are the OASIS OF pleGy. Despite all
that has been said there is a moral insight
possessed by the people, just, accurate, in
cisive, which you may rely. If
man is caught in dishonesty he
goes to Canada, not caring to stay
any longer among the American people.
There is profound sense of duty, convic-
ton wrought in the fiber of the people. We
are burdened by profound sense of respon-
sibility. Foreigners tell US there is no such
thing here as Cherry England" or Happy
Italy" Dean Stanley and Herbert
Spencer have told US, each in his time, that
we are too serious, that We ought to have
more holidays. There is deep moral will
power in America that responds to appeal.
1 don't think you can find in the literature of
any other nation SO many men who have
stood at the wheel and been
burned to death that the people |
to them might be saved. It's he |
role But the profound moral will power in |
the nation is behind it all. Further, our |
people are intensely sympathetic. They hur |
ry to the rescue when the first appeal meets |
their ear. Yellow fever strikes the southern |
cities and the whole nation PUSHES to their |
support. A city burns and the people pour
out their money to stay the suffering.
Dr. Storrs spoke further on the yearning |
for brotherhood which characterizes the |
people and the characteristics in |
the preacher which the traits above described |