The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-01-01
1890 A YEAR on EXAMINATIONS.

I'1he BElei WI pass win passing OF tue n'Bnt
day"
1890 A YEAR OP EXAMINATIONS.
Much Cause for Satisfaction Over tho Pub
lie VerdIctS OF the Year on social Goes
tionS.
Ne1p York ComaerciaI Bnl,iin.
The Chronclers of our times are like
ly to note the last year OF the ninth
decade of this century as period of i'm
portant culminations. The century
itself has been marked, above every.
thing, by the affiliations of steam and
electricity; the one as an Unreasonable
increase OF productive power aud oil
facilities for transportation and travel
the other as an agency for promoting
instantaneous communication Of intelli.
gence. The value OF the producer is no
longer determined by the mere force OF
his muscle and the quality of his skill,
but by his manipulation Of a machine
backed by an illimitable supply Of
power. This is more than a revolution
Of handicraft, it i n reconstruction oil
the whole productive force OF society,
and is attended with radical changes in
the relations OF labor to capital, in the
sharing OF the resultsof those partner
ship iactors, and in the ability alike OF
the employer and the employee to elevate
their social status and widen the scope
Of their earnings and epjoyments.
These changes in the relations OF the
classes and this elevation Of the whole
social estate among all civilized nations,
have come about through gradual re.
adjustment OF social details rather than
oy any broad violent upheaval; and that
fact is an expression of gain IN intelli'
gence and moral restiaint which gives
great promise for the future oil society.
The benefits already won are construed
as pledge Of more to come. the con-
sciousness OF power has suggested in
crease OF privilege without responsible
ty, OF liberty without Obligation. Social
philosophy has degenelRted into craze,
and its prophets have proclaimed the
dawn OF o millennium ID which all dis
tinctions based on property will disap'
pear, and every form OF class be displaced
by citizenship based upon common
equality OF work and raward, under q
government OF omnipotent paternal
powers.
It 60 happens that tho social move
ments that come with mich fever and
noise soon reach their elimination, and
find their resting place In the waste.
basket OF the worlds sober second
thought. And to US it appears that the
year OF 1900 exhibits nota little Of this
sort OF elimination.
As modern social movements have
largely originated in the elevation Of the
working classes, We find these culmina-
tons centeriDg principally among that
division Of sOCiety. BY concerted inter.
national effort, the first OF May last was
designated by the worlds labor leaders
as the day on which the crucial test OF
the power Of labor was to be applied in
the enforcement Of the eight-hour day
work. Appeal was made to every branch
OF organized labor, and no means
was neglected to insure unity oil action;
but the results were conclusive
demonstration that the conservative
common sense CT the rank and file OF
labor was overwhelmingly against the
proposals OF the leaders. Hegeand there,
few local organizations gave in their
adhesion and still observe the new rule
in an irregular way; but 1t is within the
truth to say that neither here nor in any
State OF Europe is there i've per cent OF
organized labor-to say nothing OF the
much larger mass OF unorganized-Tork.
ing under the new eight.hour system.
Here is the contamination in failure Of
one OF the misguided attempts OF enthu.
siasts to prematurely anticipate the
beneGcept tendencies Of the times
Another OF the eXpedients Of the hour
for iorcibly realizing desired advantages
has been the boycott. The common
condemnation Of public opinion has,
within the past year, gsaled the doom OF
the boycott, as a brutal violence to the
tolerant spirit Of the age.
OF socialism II cannot be said that it
has reached It's iull elimination. 1t has
struck its roots below the surface stratum
in which most OF the popular isms Of the
day flourish, and still retains a SEM
blanCe Of vigorous vitality and, in Great
Britain, apparently, IL is extending its
discipleship; but 1t is not difficult to
see, on the one hand, decline OF popu.
lar sympathy With its spiYit aud, on the
other, the beginnings OF a powerful in.
tellectual revulsion against its dogmas
among the men who make the thought
of the age and the statesmen who hold
the helm OF legislation. The present
status OF the movement, 90 expressed in
the higher organs Of current thought,
clearly indicates that while socialism
may remain for some time an element OF
popular discomfort, yet its hold upon
the controlling intellect Of the world is
rapidly waning; not however without
the prospect that, when it has been win.
moved Of its three.iourlhs OF chat, il
may leaYe behind some solid gain in
human progress.
Na;ioRalism, --the sublime lad Of shal.
low social reiormers, the fascinating
dream OF a would.be.new school OF polit.
iCal economists, the Wanted nostrum OIL
amiable social theorists who build theil
schemes on blind sympathies rather
than chanGeless natural lawsuits toe
seems to have had it's elimination. One
Of its prophets has allowed his enthusi'
asm to betray his pen into q faithful
and detailed picture OF the aims and
ends OF this latest social craze, and in
doing so has performed the sole service
that was needed to expose the system tC
, the derision Of the common sense o.
mankind. Fortunately, Looking
Backward" has been read by every
body; and the reading Of the book hal
, been the dispelling Of the most insane
though most captivating, OF the man!
u illusions Of these theoTy.hetoRged times
i Il seems TO be the misfortune Of oil at
tempts to readapt the social maOhiner!
, TO the advance Of civilization that the re
formers not only exaggerate the magni