The Helena independent., 1892-01-24


who achieved them but might not enter in
and partale of them. II must keep the
public eye fixed in loving and awful rever-
ence upon the throne as a scored
thing, and diligently divert it
from the fact that no throne
majority of any nation; and that hence
no throne exists that has a right to exist.
and no symbol of it, flying from any tag
staff. ia righteously entitled to wear any de-
vice but the skull and crossbones of that
kindred industry which differs from royalty
only business wise-merelv as retail differs
from wholesale. 1t must keep the citizens
eye fixed in reverent docility upon that
curious invention of machine politics, an
established church, and upon that bald con-
tradiction of common Justice, a hereditary
nobility, and diligently divert it flom the
fact that the one damns him if be doesn't
wear its collar, and robs him under the
it or not. and the other gets all the honors
while he does all ths work.
The essayist thought that Mr.. Arnold,
with his trained eve and intelligent observa-
tion ought to have perceived that the very
quality which he SO regretfully missed from
our -respectf ulness, roverence-was ex-
actly the thing which would make our press
useless to us if 1t had it-rob it of the very
thing which differentiates it from all other
journalism in the world and makes it dis
tinctively and previously American, its
frank and cheerful irreverence being by
all odds the most valuable of all it's quail
ties. 'For its Observation-Disclosures by Mr..
Arnold-is to stand guard over a natiou's
liberties. not it's humbugs and shams.' He
thought that if during fifty years the in
stitutions of the old world could be ex-
posed to the fire of Haunting and scotfing
press like ours, monarchy and its attend
ant crimes would disappear from Christen-
dom. Monarchists might doubt this; then
"why not persuade the czar to give it a
trial in Russia?'
Concluding, he said:
"Well, the charge is, that our press has
but little of that old world quality, rever-
ence. Let US be csndidly grateful that it is
so. With it's limited reverence it at least
reverss the things which this nation re-
yeres as 2 rule, and that is sufficient; what %
other people eyere is fairly and properly
matter of light importance to us. Our
press does not reverence kings, it does not
reverence 40 called nobilities, it does not
reverence established ecclesiastical SLAYER
les, it does reverence laws which rob a
younger son to fatten an elder one, it does
rot reverence any fraud or sham or infamy,
howsoever old or rotten or holy. which sets
one citizen above his neighbor by accident
of birth, it does not reverence any law or
custom, howsoever old or decayed OF
sacred. which shuts against the best man in
the land the best place in the land and this
divine right to prove property and go uI
and occupy it. In the sense of the poet
Goethe-that meek idolator OF provincial
three-narat royalty and nobility-oul
press is certainly bankrupt in the thrill OF
| awe'-othorwise reverence; reverence fol
nickle plate and brummagem. Let us sin
cerely hope that this fact will remain fact
forever; for to my mind discriminating
irreverence is the creator and protector oil
| hor fhO 0fh ic
the creator. nurse and steadfast protector
of all forms of human slavery, bodily anc
mental
Tracy said to himself, almost shouted
to himself, I'm glad came to this coun
try. I was right. was right to seek out
a land whore such healthy principles ane
theories are in mems hearts and minds
Think of the innumerable slaveries i'm
posed by misplaced reverence! How wei
he brought that out, and how true it is
There's manifestly prodigious force in rev
eronce. IT, you oan get man to reverence
your ideals, he's your slave. Oh. yes IL
all the ages the people of Europe have beer
the shams of monarchy and nobility, beer
taught to avoid examining thom, beer
taught to reverence them, and NOW
as natural result, to reverence
them is second nature. In order t.
shock them it is sufficient to injec
| tDOuEnb OF We opposite kiLu llto tuei
dull minds. For ages any expression Of 80
called irreverence from their lips has beef
sin and crime. The sham and swindle o
all this il apparent tho moment one reflect
that he is himself the only legitimatel.
qualified judge of what is entitled to rover
snce and what is not. Come. hadn'
thought of that before, but it is true, abso
lutely true. What right has Goethe, wha
right has Arnold, what right has any die
tionary to define the word irrevarence 70
me? What their Ideals arc is nothing t
me. so long as reverence my own ideal
my whole duty ia done, and commit n
proclamation il 1 laugh at theirs. ] ma,
scoff at other peoples ideals as much as
want to. 1t IL my right and my privilege
No man has any right to deny it,"
Tracy was expecting to hear the essa
debated, but this did not happen. fh
chairman said, by way of explanation:
II II would say. for the information of tn
strangers present here, that III aocordanc
with our custom, the subject of this meet
ing will be debated at the next meeting o
the club. This ia in order to enable tn
members to prepare what they may wish I
say upon the subject with pen and paper
for we are mainly mechanics. and not &C
customed to speaking. We are obliged 7
write down what we desire TO say"
Many brief papers were now rend, an
several off-hand speeches made in discus
sion Of the essay read at the last nleetin
of the club, which had been laudation b
some visiting professor of college culture
and tho grand results flowing from 1t to tn
nation. One OF the papers WAS read by