The Labor enquirer., 1886-10-09
SELF SACRIFICE.

In the service of mankind to be
A Guardian god below still to employ
The minds brave ardOr in heroic aims,
Such as may raise us DER the grovellng heru'
And make us shine forever-that IS lie.
Thomson.
There are men whose minds are made
of such pure material that tha angel OF
purity seems to have chosen them to go
forth into he world aud by their pres
ence regenerate 1t by the nobility OF
their actions and the GOODNESS of their
motives teach men that this life should
be filled with the sunshine of human
happiness and not with the walls and
means of human beings, writhing in the
pain of wounds inflicted by their fellow
men.
Self-sacrifcng men who see injustice,
and seeing it are unhappy if not attack
ing it, are never placed up N the heroic
page of history until their names are on
their gravestones. And who are self
sacrificing men? Are they men who
head the desperate charge on wars CORY
ground? Are thev tn, men who brave
the everlasting SHOWS to search for an
opea sea in the frozen desolAtiOn of the
north Are they the men who leave
happy civilized homes and seek the
home of the barbarian in the jungIes OF
Africa? Are t'ey the men who watch
on the rock-bound co !st to give assist
anCe and brave the treaCherous waves in
their fury as they roll landTard noun
tain high2 No; none Of these are self
sacrificing in the essential meaning Of
the term. Neither of them expects to
be unrewarled, if not with gold, then
with the pIaudits and laurel wreaths
awaiting those who capture city or
bibleize the dark continent.
Then who are self.sacrifcing men ?
The truly selfsacrifcing men are those
who aim for an ideal far removed above
and beyond their present sur rOundings
men who seek to carry the light of truth
and Justice INTO the dark continent peo-
peeled by the groveling herd who wear
chains which fasten them to lives of in,
tellectual darkness men who discover
atruth and dare to raise its standard
an bear alOft its principles though all
the world denOunCe, vihfy and condemn
them; men who enter into a campaign
against an enemy entrenChed in his own
country, overwhelmingly superior IN
numbers; with the ability to make every
engagement forlorn hope for the brave
few who lack every requisite but an in
domltable courage born of love for their
cause and he hope of its ultima tri-
umph
He who knows that certain line Of
action on his part will bring him moth
ing but poverty, unpopularity and dan,
ger, yet, prompted by what his heart
tells him is>right, marks out and follows
that line of action-he, say, is deserv,
ing the name Of one who is self-sacri-
fCing.
The cause that has men of this kind
doing battle for it is one that is founded
on the bedrock of eternal truth, aud the
cause that cannot find men that will un-
4dergo social ostracsm and the terrors OF
Die scafold therefor, is of no benefit to
mankind.
Are there any men in the cause OF
labor worthy name of seifsacrlfcng
men? Thank God, there are. One
AmeriC 4n prison to-day contains seven
men whose self-sacrifce in the grand
cause of humanity will, when calmer
councils prevail entitle them the John
Browns of the antl-w Age-slavery move
ment. The blind hate and reason-de-
suoving prejudice which have placed
them under the shadow Of the gallowS,
even now admit they were condemned
only for the principles they preached.
10 arrive at Just estimate of their wor-
thiness to be classed as self-sacrifcing
men, We must find the motive under
living their principles and actions. Was
that motive one Of ltaggrandlzement,
seeking for personal gain or sordld
emoluments? The answer to this q uery
should enable all fair minded men to ar
rive at a just conclusion as to their wor-
thiness or unwOrtNinesss of being classed
as men who have made personal sacri-
fee in noble cause.
During the best years of their lives
they have stood up in season and out of
season and charged that injustice was
done the poor, the helpless, the toilworn
millions. Was there sordid motive in
this? Could they expect aught in re-
turn but 10 be marked by all.powerful
Shvlock as target for his deadly en-.
nifty?
in season and out of season they
preached that Shylockism must go and
Universal Brotherhood come to take its