Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1890-01-07
ror M osfori p,w.rsi.
Is soclE1X GROWING WORSE

rrcentIy Published W the INmocfAt stiil,
I must diner FROM th. conclusion that
evil Z. Increasing more rapidly than
gcci-that so,'iety Ia general !. growing
worse Instead of better. II u quite th-
fashion with many pcopleto talk ss ifail
the virtues were gone With the past, aud
hcrol.u,, morality aud sweet charity had
small plac. ls the prcsent. To sustain
thl. po.liion. thcy draw up an array ~
statistics. which only fall Ia con,incc, be-
cause Il 4. q well established fact, the
capacity of hgarcs Ia tell the truth de-
pends uI.on ilhr way they are called Into
line. for instance. the failure II pro-
hibiilcn, the dcclinc II public morals, or
the maladmlnlsiratlon oi q great polli'cal
party !. readily proved by statistic. until
ovsrihDwn by an opposite colnmn,
showing concln.lycly q different coDdi.
tion II affair. Thsrr aw result. IN life
Witch cannot be expressed by rules of
arithmetic. acorling to the .radgrind
msthod, ani yst. afv I,sieut I" the mind.
II al candid observers.
n y hardly coTr~t io draw Compari-
.un. betw zen nov ani 4 ssorr ~ years
ago for the eternal lsw of progress !.
slow In it, development aud often Inter
rupiei. We should trace th. human
rae. through the age. 10 marx ll. grosth,
and tier. Ne shall ss,. that ou th" face
Of the universe has never t~en written
failure bat the march IL ever onward.
u Il true this ccniury has witnesss~i
ten many Wars hat when .rvccc VAS the
light II the world warfare was lncr..ani
during the I've hundred year. that Rome
sss a rvpabllc. th. gate. of Janus, or
dainsd to D. clo-ci Ia tlme of peace,
wctr shut hat ous- and 80 hloo,if ~ss
the history IL Eurpp- daring the past
centuries. that lhl. se-ms comparatively
the frigu II the plough.hirr.
~ II. :. 4. has sc,n fr-nch nghiiug
German. ani Souih and North afraycd
Ia hattie. DC has also SEEN S1,Uo,tso ."rf.
liberated by a Ir.nstruk. Ia Russia, the
slave. frv-l Ia i,ngil, gr,at political
difference. ssttl~l by rvf.t-.s Ia thl.
country aud intsrnailoaal di.putc. at
ang,,l by arbl,railon-~lihcui blood
sh-i. II h- has .c.n nlirOglycvrine anl
dynamite smong the girs otChrmlsiry,
b. ha. sewn tho.s ilrrless giant. Opening
haflof., blasting l-igrs, and tunnsllng
mountains that thr life hlo,-i IL com-
uisfc- mlght fow IN unccasing curruis,
hcsfng shh " work and fooi and cloth.
Ing fof the masses. iIc,au.s thry can D.
us.d q. q m-an. ~ destruction \. no pF'sof
th.y arr Bot biesslng to ih- world.
fof again, II hc will comIar ths almosi
ins.tlmahls lo.s II life in iho.s constant
var. uf rer.lan, .tvek. Roman, ',aul,
Goth ani Nanial, whsn .llngs anil sprars,
n,rllns aud arrows Nsrv ussi Instead ~
repeating ride ani Uatling guns. he must
sgrr~ that perfection II s~apon. aud
puNcf of explosive. dn not Induce mofv
ircqacnt cobic.is nor greater slaughter.
thc uur charsstsristlc II this agr v
iis inicnsc humanity. Ihoughoai all ouf
Christian land. haVr spruug up hospitals,
shsrv slthoat money ani Without pfir"
the I-.ot can have the i-'si sufgiral and
medical tr-itmsut; hous-s ~ refuge
all-fv .ohbing Nsg,ialsns arv taught how
o. gu and sin No more: asylums, hnurs
fut tho homel-s.. suppori~i hy private
munlhc-nc- of public fund.-. fhilst'-
thppy and legislation have gone hani
Ia haul llomiliy has ..Cur,~i rrfoun'
aiinu ~ The criminal c,-le, while il0Naul
hss cardrd hoI-r o. the dsrkc.i dung~on.
4 c-niury asv McMsser.. Ia M. History
ef the People 10 the United states Nrui-
''ili- mi.~ry II tl,- unfortunate creatures
csopsSl up in tlt~ cell. of even the humane
ly kspt pri.an. .urI,as.-. la horror any
thing ever rv,orird Ia Action. Noattrni-
snc. Nas Furnished the .lck. Noclolh-s
wrrv disihbuici "a the u,k~i. such a
thing as hci va. nply .~cn. The
death rate often .tooi a. high ~ sixty
in The hnndr,sl." And ihi. w New Eng-
hni such !. 10. .pirii II thi. generation,
hows,vr, that Il hs. vomIrlle'i Hassh,
thrrugh shame II the misery AMI In hu.
mtnity ~ th- siberian exile system, a. Va.
,iis ih- Foarih international l'rison ,ou-
grvss o. meet at - i'rtef.bufg In ls.1anl
tlis gu,emmsn, has offered prize ~ iUo
franc. ani gold medal for the t'~.i
essay on ''the faft Taken 10y john Hos.
ari IN the History oi rfi.on Reform
4 fee YEAR ago thu Insane Scr~ trciiei
V siih the almost cruelty, but l'in~l taught
mlinr.. Was q disease Ca D. allrNiaic'io or
rurr,i ani marx The rlangr'
Tho standard by which to measure
.orial progress 4. not the number of
chufyhrs, or pr'aeher. 90 Churyh mrtn-
brr., bui Nlrthrf thr spirit of ahumtnlf-
ing Chfi.i l. breathing lnio ths hearts 81
thr people = thv civilized World deeper
sympathy, wissr h.lpfulns.s, and q
tusf Concspiiou ~ What sunobls. llir Va
every relation. ani that thi. spirit ha.
changed the world al must allow. The
p,or have better wages, letter dsslllugs,
l-.. fever. thsn hfty year. ago. >-an-
dals of mines and faCtofis. have b~sn
Investigated sni EMPLOYER. are bound Ia
care fof the lives and limb. of the en-
ploSsr.. Gladstone, that impartial Judge
~ m. movement. ~ the times, says,
''Nhrrr half a c-niury ago ten children
-irsps,i .0ul aud .cnss Ia city slime. there
u not one nov" IT,. than thrv~ score
YEAR. sgo inirmperanc- Na. 80 unisrrsal,
even herr Ia New Englani, a. a. b. sn ac-
c.pte,l coniltion of life-noN to t- drunk
l. to - guilty of q disgraccful action.
lu a w.ll known town Ia Oxford County,
nv father, Who has just passed his eighth
9Th birthday. tell. me, h- we'll remember.
IN horse load. ~ rum drawn from Port
land a. little village beyond hi. house.
To-day that community I. prO-pcrOu.
aud Intelligent, ani the man Who drinks,
ashamed II being an exception, snug
glc. the liquor In oyster cans or boxes,
addressed 10 an assumed name. What
l.irue ~ Maine l.irue ~ Massachusetts,,
aud eyrn ~ New York, where the excc..-
r. of the centennial ball. that once would
have passed unnotice,i, ar, condemned.
That there arr great wrong. 1" Dc right
r,l ani great problems to b. solved mus,
hc acknow ledgc,l. The trrmcndou. con-
ceniration 10 wealth, the many forms of
socialism. paupcrl.m and crime arr Inn
portani question. la social science, ani
Shat viii bring about th. highest aver
age wealth aud morality, no on. can
readily tell. ltcannot b. religion alone,
as the ages most fcryh With religion
have been most saturated With crime.
For example Europe from the tenth To
the .lxtocnth ceniarie. rc.king with the
Crusade., the lnqui.iiion and barbafou.
persecution. and toriurc.. II Il evident
that religious training" Will not alone re-
form society. Industry aud economy
az, the pr,,-eminent characteristics ~ the
ChlRese. an1 Vet that nation can hardly
be- considered AZ having exhausted the
science of political economy. II canno,
b. Ignorance will bring on the mlllennl-
uui, for ireland aud i,ns.ia, two coun-
tries most heavily burden With llliterscy,
Ia the last decade, have made the world
.hudler Al th.lr afifoe.