Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-06-06
men Wanted"

Graduating address Of Chas. ". Brinkman, de-
Mvercd at the M. E. Church, Great Bend, Kansas,
May %, 1859:
The cry "Men Wanted" is not new
cry, in fact it is very old one. 1t is
the cry which BrutuS made when he
laid Caesar low. True, he did not give
the verbal utterance. but his actions
voiced it louder than If he had cried it
from the house tops Of the ancient city.
He thought Caesar ambitious to become
king of Rome, and seeing him gaining
favor by his cunning, determined to
put an end to him. Brutus wanted
men, not demagogues to rule Rome. BY
the term men we do not mean simply
a human being of the male persuasion,
nor do we mean male who is over 81
years of age; nor yet one who towers
feet in the air with an advoirdupois
of 200 pounds; nor do we mean by the
term a person dressed in fine clothes;
he may wear broad cloth and fine linen
but these are not the essential ele-
ments.
Christianity teaches us that man
may be found in rags, as we'll as in
costly raiment; in a child, as we'll as
in a sage.
We use the term men in a moral
sense, in mental sense; men who have
honor, men whose minds tower
above the mists of iniquity; men who
will speak the truth at all times and
under all circumstances.
Peter the Hermit sent up the cry
WANTED, Men, when he undertook the
determination of the infidels from the
holy lands.
Was not this the cry with which
Patric Henry made the house OF
Burgess echo and reecho? Was he not
appealing to his fellow men to pledge
themselves to stand by the right and
battle against the wrong? To-day ouI
hearts rejoice that such response was
made that right conquered and this
| free America was established on the
solid rock.
What was the cry of Sumner, Gar
rison, Lowell, and all the other great
men who we're raising their voices
against the giant evil, slavery? Was
it not call. wailing cry for honest
men who had strong minds, great
| hearts, true faith and ready hands,
When Lincoln issued the several proc
lamations calling the thousands of vol.
unteers, he wanted men who had
enough heroism, enough love of justice
enough valOr to risk their lives for the
| right.
Brutus died, Peter the Hermit turned
to dust, Lincoln long since ceased call
ing for volunteers, but the cry ''Men
Wanted" still rings in our ears. The
time of martys has passed but the cry
Men Wanted" never cease
until the sun refuses to shine and the
earth is no more.
When we see love of party becoming
stronger than love of country; when
we see numbers of trusts and comblEa-
tions on the various necessities OF life,
when we behold one man controlling
the price of an article, used as the staff
of life in millions of homes, does not
the cry-"God give US men whom the
lust of gold cannot corrupt" rise from
the lowly earth to the vaulted skies?
AS direct result of trusts, cOmblna-
lions and monopolies the United States
has more millionaire and blOated bond
holders than any other country on the
face of the earth. In what way can
we remedy these evils? Place at the
head of the nation men who are strong
enough to guide the ship of state with
firm hands through the breakers Of po-
litical strife; men who are strong
enough to defy the spoils system and
give positions of public honor and trust
to men and not to party; who Will
make civil service reality and not
by-word. Put in the halls of congress
men who live above the clouds in pub
lie thinking, who put principles before
party.
Let us have men full grown in
moral stature in our state legislature.
county Offices and at the heads OF our