Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-05-03
NOT FREE NOR EQUAL

NOT FREE NOR EQUAL
The declaration that all men are
created free and equal is one Of the
most gigantic gags ever given adult
children to play with. They are not
created free. and they are not created
equal There is not a person who is
free from tints or taints of some kind.
Who comes into the world free from
prenatal influences? Whose keel is not
laid slanting a little to the right or to
the left? Who is not handicapped
with some cast-off egg-shell Of bigOtry,
prejudice or ignorance? Not one Of
all the children of men come into
this world free. Not one who can in
life do as pleases himself alone and
succeed. Not one who is not link Of
the great chain of humanity, and who
therefore is not free, except to strive
continually to better himself as a
man. They are not equal. Collect all
the men in a county:
One there is who is greater than any
other.
One who is better.
One who is meaner.
One who is more unreliable
One who is more treaCherous.
One who is more dishonest.
One who has the least control Of
himself.
One who is the most helpless.
One who is the most brutal.
One who is Of the least use to him
self, his family or to society.
If I'll men are equal, there can be no
difference between them. But they
are not equal Never have been and
never will be.
One boy not yet ten years of age,
kicks the dust Of the fire place from
his feet, and makes a break for the
world. He starts out without nickel.
He blacks boots, rides horses, does eT-
rands, sells papers, squeezes his little
body into the big procession, and
moves along till at last he is a man:
has means, honestly, patiently ac-
quired, and is more than the equal of
an army of pithless coots who started
out with silver spoons, silk stockings
and lean on dad.
One young man strikes a new town
or city without a dollar. He puts a
| clean face and cheerful cOuntenancC
to the front, steps briskly, makes &C
quaintances, prospects for place anC
then for a better one, till in little
while he finds one where he can get {
foothold. Then instead of hanging
himself up like a dead jack rabbit OF
the horn of a saddle to be carried, HI
grabs broom and sweeps out; seize
a hammer, draws out old nails anC
saves them; hunts up odds and end
and puts them in their proper places
reaches out to increase the business o
the man or firm he is with, and in
short time is as necessary to his EN-
ployer as a wet nurse is TO a mothe
who has no milk.
L. His fellow clerk never sees anythin
except the ankle Of girl crossing tn
, streets. He waits to be shown wha
to do. He watches the clock for StOI
, ping time. He hangs on to the bus
ness as does little pig to full tea
till it is emptied, then let's go. l
= three years one clerk is a partner an
: the other tramp-and yet old leather
headed statesmen stand up under tn
} flappings of the stars and stripes on tn
T. glorious Fourth of July and solemn
= swear that under the beneficent fOlC
= of the great American Constitution a
e men are created free and equal!
, And the angel of Common Sen:
e who sits in the tree top, looks up
+ the spirit of Wisdom just above bin
S wnks, points with his thumb to Il
/ speaker, whispers "poppycock," al
f then drops in upon another conve
y ton.
d One more holds himself back |
d crawls into a surtout Of modesty al
e goes to the rear, wondering why Il
n head Of the procession does not pit
:. him up. He waits to be asked. He
Is good fellow, but as lacking in vi
h and a disposition to "git up and GIT
Al an ordinary ofllce-seeker is lacking
l. a disposition to prayer and an obser
t. ance of all the commandments.
,e cannot eat nut till it is cracked
Is him; see position till he is throw