The Mineral argus. [volume] (Maiden, Mont.) 1883-1886, 1885-09-10

family that we do with our domestic ami
mails. The question now comes up how
are we going to improve this select human
stock that is left. and what are the defects
in our present system? Looking back over
the history of past nations we generally
find them living plain, simple life, with
few wants i'm their infancy and growing
more extravagant as they grow strong:
finally luxurious, efieminate and weak,
giving way to younger simpler and strong
er people. We have already passed this
period of infancy. We are now st,ong.
proud. naughty and extravagani; We are
approaching the eileminate. Shall We rap
| idly run our course and die, or shall we
pause, take a retrospect of the past and
| improve by its teachings? There has pro-
| baby never been a period in mans history
| when the elements of happiness were SO
bountifully scattered over the face OF the
| earth; when knowledge was SO UNIVERSAL
when the elements of nature under the
guidance of human thought were doihg so
much for the human family, easing it of so
many burdens, or furnishing it with SO
many comforts. The sovereigns of America
are better fed, better clad, better housed
! than many of the ancient soycreigns OF
Europe. The sages Of the present know
more thln the gods of antiquity. They
knew nothing of steam or electricity.
Modern Knowledge outstrips the ancient
| about AS far as the modern locomotive
ou.strps the gentle ass that Christ rode in
to Jerusalem. But there is a question
whether all Our modern improvements in
science, manufactures and ma chinery have
added much to the general happiness oi the
| human family. Steam has added iinmen-
| sely to the powers of production, but our
wants have correspondingly increased.
Fifty years ago our boys helped their faith
ers on The farm, leading plain, simple
life, to reap and thresl. and now these are
done by machinery and the boys are sent to
school to come home useless. spindle
shanked dudes. Fifty years ago our daugh-
tiers were taught to milk, to spin, to cook.
Now they are sent to school and come
home curly browed ladies ready to sit aud
see their mothers work. And it is a ques-
ton as to whether the great meatal activity
of the present day does not stimulate all
faculties alike, the bad as well as the good.
/ There certainly never was time. o.
country, in which there was more crime.
| We claim To be a Christian people, to he
holier and better than all other nations,
/ yet our tayes are burdensome, our prisons
are full and neither person or property
safe. What is TO be done? We must live
! better lives. No government or people can
i be better than the members that compose
it. IL we want to insert anii-gamblin.
! clauses inio our constitution we must first
insert them into our own constitutions.
Ii We advocate temperance we must stop
drinking. If we want our children to stay
at home nights we must set them the ex-
ample, we must stay at home ourselves.
We depend too much on legislation ~
make us rich and churches 10 make us
good. Goodness must commence at home
in the individual, must commence with
ourselves. Ii every member of the BODY
polii ic is good man or woman we will
have a good people, "A good naiion, and we
will be putting off ,be time when these
other pioneer fellows will be following Us.
Let our women do all they can TO make
our homes happy, to make them pleasant;
then let our men stay away from saloons,
club reoms and gambling houses and stay
at hotae with their wives and children
their household gods; they will then be
setting am example 10 their children. !
l,; FL l, has oil I.- al
day over hot stoye, expecting to have
the company of her husband and children
during the evening when she sees him close
the door behind him 10 spend his hours
she knows not where, often elliag deli
beraie lie; and | ply the poor wretch WHO
cannot find his greatest happiness in lie
bosom, of his family; he is unworthy To
have one. Our schools also want rClorm-
ing. We teach the intellect more than ihe
morals-have too many studies. oar eiH-
cation is too superficial, too much flr show.
The press, 100, is Il great educator. 'fhe
chickering's aud petty qsarrels "f orr NJ
age papers are read b.; our children, and
add hide 10 tine stability OF our insiiiu-
ton. or to the medication of hi-Aer ant.
nobler life.
l. for one, would like, by precept and eX-
ample, to try and lit coming generations
oui of the old ruts of se,ishncss and vice
in,o a higher and bohler life. tina, they
may be better fathers and better mothers,
tei,er sons and better daughters, and better
able 80 transmit our institutions sill far
ther improved to our posterity, 80 that
when the time comes-and come it will
when the genius of liberty shall be driven
rom cur seaboards anu valleys. she may
here, among oar mountain tasine.-l,, pro-
. ttcted by our descendants. fad shelter aHd
a home, a beacon light and rallying point
foe future generations.
Y. Beiller gave the following 5r.eI
2.