Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-02-03
DYNAMITE IN MODERN GIyIIIxt.
TEON.o

/ DetoN We give condensed report for
onr readers.
Mr.. Banks chose for his ts1t Daniel
z, 81, 81.
After introductory remarks in reIa.
ton TO the meknIng Of the texr the
speaker declared that the principles
and truths made known by Daniel did
not pertain 10 that age alone, but we're
Of equal interest today.
A little over a week aga We vere
startled by the intelligence that the
English Parliament House, the Tower of
London and the venerable Westminster
! Abbey we're al least partially IN ruins
from the work OF unknown assassins.
Three years ago We we're electrified in
similar manner at the assassination
of the Gar of Russia and Hourned be
side oar own murdered Garfield.
Within tbs last few years such words
/ as rioters" ''strikers,n sand lotters, -
"dynamiters," socialists" and com
munists" have become strangely fami.
liar to our ears.
Although there are local excuses given
/ for these manifestations am sure that
thoughtful men Of all nations and par
ties are coming to believe that they are
| index fingers pointing to still greater
| danger in the future and that reDedying
| these social disorders something deeper
and more thorough must be done than
| the hanging Of Guiteau OF the shoot
/ ing of a London dYnamiter. The Nj
hilist Of Russia, the socialist of Ger
many, the communist of France, the
sand lotter of California, the rioter OF
Cincinnati and the dynamiter Of Lou
don are all akin. They are the legiii-
mate product of certain great forces for
evil IN our modern civilization. Let
us examine some of these forces.
FIRsT uLTTERACY AMONG TIE AlssEs.
The governments of the world have
been crin1inally careless of the eduea-
tion Of the common people. They have
/ spent their immense revenues IN sup
| porting vast armies and nayies while
| generations were growing up largely
untauRht. Italy is crowded with beg
QaFs, and has an almost weekly riot,
and no wonder. She spends nine dol
lars for war to every eighty cents spent
for education. England stands today
in horrible expectancy, trembling be
fore her Rbostiy enemy, and is 1t alto
eether undsserved when We reflect
that she spends more than twenty two
dollars for destructive warfare for every
four dollars invested in knowledge 2
Prussia wonders that after her boasted
school system she should still be ha
rassed with socialist rioters, aud yet
Bismarck asks for thirteen dollars for
his armies TO every three dollars for ed
ucation. Francs Is always shuddsring
with fear of communistic outbreaks,
yet goes reoklessly on spending twenty
six dollars for war to every two dollars
invested in schools.
Russia inoases her rulers in bomb
proof coats Of mail, guards them with
immense armies. astonished at the
prevalence of nihilism when she is
spending twelve dollars for war to every
pitifal sixteen cents spent in educating
her ignorant millions
And here at home In our own country
the increase Of illiteracy in onr large
cities and in many Of our States is
most alarming. Not only is thare dan
ger in the IS per cent OF our colored
population Who can neither cad nor
write, bat IN many sections the increase
OF ignorant white men and women is
almost beyond belief. From 1870 to
1880 the State of Alabama made a net
gain Of il,743 white men and women
over the ages of u who could not write.
During the same period Tennessee in-
creased In the same class of citizens
l2,la6. The proud old State OF Ken
lucky, the commonwealth of Henry
Clay, In the same ten years made net
gain of lS,lT2 white men and women
not able TO write their own names.
These facts are full of warning. We
may not comfort ourselves by saying
that, after all. there is larger proper.
| ton OF edusa citizens in the proud
est pations of antiquity, thus hatteriuR
ourselves that there is no present dan
ger. In such comparison We forget
/ that the ignorant masses of ancient
nations had no such sharp-edged tools
"a are put into the hands of the igno-
rant multitudes of England and Ameri-
ea. Ignorance is comparatively harm
less when boz of yew. a flint head
arrow, birch oanee. or war boat
propelled by oars and q hand battering-
/ ram are the strongest forces az com
mand. IL IL widely different question
when the same rude band, uataueht
brain aud vicious will holds the throttle
Of the locomotive, the magazine ride.
the deadly dynamite, or the still more
| dangerous weapon, the ballot.
sEcosp--A souLEEss MATERIALIsM.
One Of the remarkable characteristics
OF the knAslan nihiiists eas been their
reckless disregard for life: and almost
without exception the ranks Of social
| lists, communists. nihilists aud dyna.
mlters are made up of those who have
acquired the ma.efialistie view Of hu-
man life.
There can be no doubt among thought
full observers that French atheism, Ger
man uAtionalism and American Inger.
sollism IL largely effective not only
| IN the production of these danger
oas classes bat also in promoting the
| alarming increase in the number Of
| snicides. The soulless animalism of
these apostles Of doabt impoverishea
tke disciple Of all high conceptions Of
/ human life. We bear many wondering
comments upon the diabolical cruelty
shown In the London explosions. where
the lives Of unofendinR women and
children were endangered. Yet IL 10 not
remarkable. Make man believe there
| is no God or mmortality-that human
life is only q soalless mechanism akin
TO the beasts. and he will cease TO regard
that life as sacred. II the lives of o
hundred women and children stand be-
/ tween him and the success OF hie de
signs. Why shoald be regard them more
than q hundred ewes with their blcat-
I inc lambs
IHTKp-.rHx LIouoA TRAFFtc.
II goes without saying that the liquor
traffic IL a dynamic force in modern
civilization. For many years the
worlds charities have been turned
toward ireland 10 save her people from
starving. To-day Irish agiiators are
defending even tae cruel work Of the
London aynAmitsss oe the ground that
ireland is lighting for bread And yet
last year starving Ireland crushed
i40. .ooa.0 600 bushels OF bread. corn and
potatoes in her distilieFies foe rum. with
which 20 waste th@ muscle Of her labor
ers and insrare the vicious passions OF
her criminals. IL the money last rear
worse than wasted in destructive intoxi-
eants had been legItimAtsly nseds the
Irish ery foF bread wo1la have been
drowned in prosperity and abaHdancs
and the Londsn dynAmiters never have
been beard Of.
This ts.ifia net only grinds the uaaxses
down 20 poverty and serxttnde. bus h n
| fiofer. iag- breaker. q lurking as'
.m.ms. 49,. A...a xs,tkGR an axarx fennsFnQ-