St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-08

liz st
|Rf7azzsEI - ##;i'|zESEzaZIIl
1t is a remarkable fact, emphasized
every summer, the topics upon which
commencement OrationS and essays are
built are, in nine cases out of ten, the
most obstruse that could be selected
from the whole range of human thought.
The reason for this is somewhat OBJ
Scure. These students are not expected,
when holding forth on the PHILOSOPHY
of Doubt" or hes"Intellectual Devel-
opment of the Nineteenth Century,"
to be vOicing their own ideas or
opinions. They are simply re-
hashiDg what several great men have
said, and it is usually a rehash which
does credit neither to the subject nor to
the person who performs the working
over process. Why do they do it? What
is to be gained by giving voice to a lot
of ideas, not an original one among
them. the meaning OF many OF which
the college orator has not even graSped?
Moreover. is not the whole commence
ment programme, so far as orations and
essays, publicly delivered, are con-
cerned, the outgrowth of the American
fondness for display and parade?
The taking of the census is progress
ing, in fact, it has progressed for a
week, and but little has been heard in
Minneapolis of objections to answering
some of the questions which originated
in the teemlng brain of Robert Porter,
the superintendent of the census. That
there has not been some kicking" on
the last four questions, at least, argues
we'll for the amiaDility of the Minneap-
oils householder. In the Eastern cities
there are those who utterly refuse to
answer some of the questions, and
so great has been the opposition in
some quarters that the point of
answering OF undergoing criminal pros
ecution has not been pressed. In New
York particularly the enumeratOrS have
been told to use their own judgment in
asking certain questions. Down in that
section of the world it is considered an
impertinence for Uncle Sam to inquire
us your house mortgaged?" Are you
suffering from some acute or chronic
disease?' Possibly this difference be-
tween the East and the West is attrib-
utable to the poverty and ''effeteness"
ofthe East, where the people ars poor,
one know that they are physical
wrecks.
1t would seem that the expounders Of
the gospel should be able to find work
A.. M nrfs,
and teaching to men the right way of
living. without picking up for discus
sion, and afterwards cOndemning, mat
tiers which are in no way connected
with religion, and which exercise not
even the most remote influence upon
morals. One of the most amusing
"breaks" witnessed for some time was
that of the Norwegian LutheranS on
Friday, in relation to life inSur-
ance. The reverend gentleman who
started the discussion held that the in
surfing of lives shows the world is coming
to depend more upon money than upon
the Lord. The reverend speaker may
be right as to what the tendency toward
life insurance proves, but the fact holds
good that many persons who have
placed their whole dependence in the
Lord have often gone supperless to bed.
while judiciOuS investment in life in
surance has been known to provide the
comforts of life to persons who, other
wise, would have been in actual want.
But, as regards the insuring of a life
proving lack of faith in Providence, the
reasoning of Rev. Mr.. Strand seems
faulty. Payments for life insurance
are the same as if deposited in savings
bank against rainy day.
1t is proposed that a statue Of E. M.
Wilson be erected in one of the public
parks. Here is an idea worthy of con-
firmation. 1t would also be highly
proper to locate the statue in Hawthorn
park, facing the late Mr. Wilson's resi-
dence. Surely ii a resident of any city
ever deserved statue from the munich
pality, E. Nj. Wilson deserves one from
Minneapolis. He was always a credit
and an honor to the city in which he
lived, and he did as much as any other
Individual toward building up and
identifying the same. If his memory
can be kept green by means OF statue
let one by all means be erected.
This is Just the season of the year
when the aspiring politician begins to
swarm. This year he possesses all the
artfulness which has heretofore char
acterized him. He is cute fellow, this
politician, He keeps out of sight and
says nothing for long time. Then.
some fine day, one of his friends bobs
up serenely and wants to know, you
know" why So-and-So would not make
a good such-and-such, an officer elected
by the people. That starts the ball
rolling, and. ere long, the name of the
politician, who has all this while been
sitting in his corner chuckling to him
self, gets into the papers. Mr.. Office
seeker watches what the papers say
about him, and he looks upon that as
reflex of public opinion, according to
which he shapes his plans. He is cley-
er rascal, but his tricks this year. so far
as seen, bear the same old trade mark.
The diocesan council of the Epis-
copal church in Minnesota, which was
in session in Minneapolis last week,
established one fact: the EpiscopalianS
do vast amount of work and say
nothing about it. The Episcopal min
listers seem to be hard headed, hard
working conscientious men, who are in
love with what they find to do and who
do it to their own satisfaction, without
exhibiting an insane desire that the
world know what they have done. The
Episcopal ministers probably do as
much for humanity as those of any de-
nomination in the world; they
are probably as Weighty men
in the community as those Of
any other denomination; yet one never
hears of them constantly through the
newspapers, Of their great achieve
ments, of their enormous salaries and
of their tempting offers-"calls" is the
generic term-from other cities. There
is none of the auction room clap-trap
about them or their work. Religion
and its teachers would be more highly
esteemed should few ministers of
rival churches learn lesson from the
Episcopal clergymen.