The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-05-05

Some Curiosities OF Civilization.
when we say thst the race is getting
better, if slowly climbing the golden
Istairs Of progress and is nov within hear
ing distance Of the ideal government and
society, what do we mesnf
We don't mean that every man and
woman is better than any man and wo-
man of the past, but that incentives are
strongerthan formerly, and that # men
are NOT better than their ancestorssit is
their own fault and not the fault of the
time in which they live.
Civilization always has been and
always will be a very interesting con-
glomeration of the best and the worst.
Bnt there il. this difference between the
past and the present-thst whileSin bar
|6aric days the bulk Of the population
were on q low plane and only few of
Fthe more gifted were on high plane, in
these days the situation is reversed and
the bulk of the people are on q high
plane, while ragged remnant still live
the life of the sayages. ~
The contrasts sShich. our civilization
affords, therefores are worthy of .a'mo-
ment's observation. Some Of them are
50 startling thrilling that We wonder how
how such diabolisna and such heroism
can exist side by side.
One woman, for instance, educated in
all the re6nements of polite life, the hap.
|Epy possessor Of rank and fortune trices
up her infant who has disturbed her by
it's cries to q ring in the wall and leaves
BIT there until the little one on being
taken down ia found to be dead. The
story Is incredible but true. That mother
in costly silks and jewels is lower down
than the zp;u of Central Africa who has
| get 10 hear she step of the advance guard
civilization. = !. :,
Another woman who has the eatree to
the beat society, but who feels the pangs
(which accompany slender income, de-
libarately converts herself, into thief
and steals the diamonds, which. belong to
her most intimate friend, is arraigned
like q common pickpocket and sentenced
| TO i term Of imprisonment at hard labor.
The world is going to the bad7 1t is
Gliding down hill into the abyss of moral
chaos? These incidents and the mary
scandals in high life show that the whole
|istructures Of society is rottenf Not:auite.
:Let us look at the other side: = ~
Bridget Tanning, servant in small
family, hears the cry, Of s'dre:ln Self
preservation will prompt her to lookafter
her own safety slone3 Not 8 bit of it.
There Is q child in the apastment, not
her own. either. The cracking flames
sareso close that death stares her in the
face, but lshe does not falter. She fastens
q clothes line, then takes the baby in her
arms, winds the cord about: her leg to
keep litfrom slipp-. md though it cuts
ID to theibone reaches. ! adjoining roof,
forty feet below, ii safety. Her fellow
servant; Sarah Uurran, with equal hero
ism, throws 8 mattress from The window
|to bfesk tie fallof child and cook, then
finds keraelfs hemmed In, andais only
saved By the daring of the iremen.
Once meye. A relentless mob ii, the
West, enraged at the crimes committed
|bY.a negro; skipned him. aItsvassan in
!. incident which would have graced the.
annals ofour Indians in the last century,
Ian act 50 appalling that even the believer
in progress sighs, and the pessimist
thinks his case Is proved and that the
world issuetsmerely going but has already
gone.t the bad. Ifyou add to sll this
that murders are continuous. that MUIR
derous cranks are rampant, that the
whole fabric of the Law seems to be con-
structed for the purpose of protecting
criminals, the outlook seems rather dis
couraging.
But there is good cheer in the fact that
every age 1.-The battle. field for opposing
elements. The contest is fierce, bloody
and determined Evil ina sthoussnd
shapes hurlsaits sarmy against the good.
The good. sometime wayers, but soon.
marshals its forces and drives them
against che enemy With the irresistible
energy Of thunderbolt. Tbs rattle of
spea.s, the flashing Of swords, the impact
sof collision blind the eyes and deafen the
ears.
If We look back for q century We dis
cover that the enemy's ranks are being
slowly thinned, and his onsets are made
with less and less courage. Here and
there he wins, ,sbut it is on the skirmish
line. The fortune Of war is against him,
for the sum total ofehonor, integrity,
happiness, Is v and order, philanthropy,
charity and all the influences which 90
to. make nations, prosperous and con.
tented has been amazingly enlarged,
Rhilelpubflc opinion frowns more lower.
ingly on every form Of criminality. NAL
fessance isfshor.er lived than, formerly
and justice is gathering courage to open
prison doors for the law breakers.
Il is ahard struggle, but in the long
| run evil goes to the wall. Carlyle once
summed up our personal duty in single
sentence by saying, snake yourself q
t.good man and you'll be sure.there's one
rascal less in the world."-Ns,o York
Herala.l; s.s
Heaven Begun.
sssEt "a
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