Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1889-09-21
OUR DESTINY.
The Opening Lecture of the Lyceum
Season of the American Section.
BY FRANCIS sCHAIDER.
(COacluded from last aceeh).

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whole; each economic interest deter
mined and regulated by those whom it
Immediately affects, and at its source in
the trade unions by the members of
these unions. Varied as these interests
of the trades may be, and the interests
Of organizations of the professions, etc,
they may be adjusted in a congress
of these organizations by representatives
who will act under instructions, and
also under the restrictions of their elect
ors, to be recalled at any time when it
is so desired. Assure justice above all,
and there will be no difficulty in curing
selhshness. When the conditions secure
life and abundance to maintain it,
higher morality will pervade ALL and
this is a mightier influence than any
restrictive law and any institution that
we may otherwise devise. At all events,
we shall have the intelligence and mo-
rality of society embodied in law. 1t
will be utterly impossible that laws
which date from times and conditions
that have no connection with our day
and conditions shall be binding upon us.
What the experience of the past and
that of to-day proves as feasible to as
sure to the individ Ial in society a Sc
cure footing, that shall prevail. And
again. if this be socialism, who is there
that can in ethics find a justification to
oppose it! He is challenged to come
forward.
The press is a social institution;
what great factor it could be
as a diffuser of knowledge, as foun-
tain of intelligence, as a protector of
morality, as warden of Justice, as an
With a very few exceptions it is in the
service of the political pirates Of whom
have just drawn a picture, and with
them in the service Of the extortoners
of our time. They don't hesitate to VIC.
late all decency and perform most in.
famous services for spoils. They don't
hesitate to pollute what is grand, virtu-
Gus, heroic. They distort morality and
intelligence. They defame and decry it.
| They attempt to stamp as criminal what
is lofty virtue. To this awful influence
we may attribute go d part of what is
wrong with us. How UNANIMOUSLY the
aspirations of the working classes are
misrepresented How they lied when
the eight-hour movement seemed to
strike root! How bloodthirstily they
raved when the bomb exploded in Chi
cago! How they conspired during many
months, invented impossible acts of
horrors, and charged the unfortunate
victims with them, for the purpose of
nursing the prejudice of the people
against them. They prosecuted these
victims to the grave; aye, beyond it.
They are responsible for the judicial
murder. These victims did not satiate
their tiendishness. TO this very day
they prosecute all who dare to
characterize the black deed as muir
der. Now, my friends, if this be evi.
dence of civilization, permit me to ask
whether we are in advance Of the civil
ization of the cannibals? And in order
to understand this public institution as
here described, and weigh the morality
prevailing it, let me call your attention
to the description of prize fights, to
which the readers are often treated.
How they excel here in beastly express
sions to I'll the more graphically de-
scribe the beastliness. How they ell
deavor to make heroes of low brutes.
You will readily understand the awful
influence it bears upon the young.
Then behold the disgusting details of
whatever scandal that may occur.
They delight to revel in it. Behold the
sycophantic reports on the doings of So
called prominent church members. If
per chance such one is doing an act of
charity, it must be reported to the
world. Behold the reports of the frivO-
lous lives of the so-called upper tendon;
in what splendor it passes for them, and
yet 1t is vulgarity that seeks All enjoy
ment, not in the feasts alone, but more
so in the envy they think they create
by causing public reports thereof.
Behold the revolving services they are
performing for the vile political ma
chine. and if there were a greater in
tensity possible in the attributes as
falsifeIs, as slanderers, as moral mon
STEERS, as misleaders in all respects, as
| poisonous influences to affect the de-
moralization of men, in these latter ser.
vices they are doing their utmost A
principal of public school whom | had
occasion to visit because one of my boys
had story papers in his possession that
were handed to him as he came out of
school, and the contents of which were
calculated to irritate the young mind,
to cause wrong impressions, to mislead
the energy, to undermine morality, the
gentleman said to me: 1T is my obser-
walton for many years that there is a
systematic attempt to ruin our youths.
1t is very difficult, nay, impossible, to
ward off these criminal influences"
Thus criminal influences are at work, and
in places where we least suspect it.
These influences demoralize, undermine
true manhood, true womanhood. and
our highly religious society has 10 pre-
tentative for it. These influences must
lead the young, inexperienced. to evil
paths, maybe to destruction. They are
demoralizing, cause our children to be-