Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-12-01
The World Not Growing wicked.

During the past week much has been said
about the good old times and not q few OF
the sermons reported in yesterdays papers
lament the departure OF the Righteousness
which characterized the good old days. But
the former days were not, as matter of
fact, superior TO the present, and those who
give the subject careful thought know that
the people are certainly growing better. 1t
must be confessed, however, that there are
times when the indications are strong that
the world is progressing backward, but this
conclusion is not warranted by the facts In
the case and the explanation of this is
easy.
In the good old days about which
we hear SO much there was more
crime and wickedness in proportion TO
the population than at present, but the gen
era public did not find it out. The electric
current had not been tanned and made a
common carrier of news There were COM
raratively few newspapers and competition
had not driven them to publish all sorts OF
sensations in order to Scoop rival or
prevent q competitor from securing a
beat 1t required many weeks for intel
ligence OF important events in the Old world
to reach tue new wor.d and no one had
even dreamed OF special newspaper trains.
! The weekly or monthly paper, by stage
coach, was the most rapid medium for the
| distribut on OF news, facilities for the col
/ lection OF news were meagrs, and many mis-
deeds in large towns as we'll as remote coun-
| try districts never reached the public.
Now all this has been changed. The
/ news agencies and associations now have
their representatives, in every civiliz9d coun-
/ try and in the principal cities Of tue world
/ and the news of the whole globo ia served
| fresh each day, the bad with the good. The
/ sins and foibles Of European courts; tb G
cruises of Italian brcands; the deeds of
violence OF the Orient; the African mas
sacre; the South American revolt the
stage and mail robberies in the wilds OF the
west; the crimes OF abandoned classes in
/ hundreds OF cities; the deeds o: assassins in
! lonely country districts all are re.
produced In their full details
in the daily press on the morning following
the doy Of their occurrence at the latest,
and often on the same day in special ed-
tlons. Il seems TO he human nature, even
with truly good mon, to want to read Of the
evil acts of their lrothets rather than OF the
good they do, and since the pro@s must sup
Ply Whit the public demands, the crimes
and w.ckeduess of every day seem TO far
outweigh the good deeds aud righteousness
of that day, judSin- from the news columns
OF the daily paper.
rortuna,eiy how YER the daily press is
not true inLox Of this worlds affairs in
every particular. Wa.'9 man's mis.leo 3,
are snapped Up Win ayil,ty by tue watch
full reporter. MS gooI deeds are more often
placed On file in THE eiitor's pigeon holes
10 be used in vrituy uIon his obituary
notice, or Gre overlooked eltogctLer and
forgotten. Then again may men do not
let the ri,Et hand Know OF the her hand,
good deeds, but the Fecn ncwsl Gpcr det,c
tive j, sure to discover aud uncover tbs
ml,doin3s Of either hand. II tho good /.
notico1 at all IT /. treated as Ok local in
tsre't iEereiy, Will m.sieels of a sensa'
II nGl nature are sale.rGphed 10 every news
paper in the lani. The ugly and repulsivt
si.e Of duly lite j. thus exaggerated, Nhh,
the better side is pressed and it is NJ
wonder that distorted views Of the world
w.cke'"o.. aro tie result
The pe,sim IS a'to overlook the fecs ta0
the worlds population is much larger nov
iEan Il Was ia the good old days; gnl tina
the som' proportion Of crime would natur
ally make this seem to ic q very wicket
age. Wien this country u9i one million
lnhabitant, two murders during q wear, TO
uataUCa, might not have b.eU regarded q
a very large number yet two muraers 70
every million of our present population
would aggregate at least Que hundred an,
i twenty year. And 50 with other crime
and other m,sleeds. There are more q
them but there are more people to commi
them.
No, the world is not growing worse. l
is bee ming better every day. Men ar
living more wholesome lives daily, ar
thinkn. more eievat.us thoughts, ara he
coming more lrotherly ia their dealing
i with their neighbors and ere living upon
. higher and nobler standard. People en- 10
= more now than formerly, and they hay
y more to enjoy, and more to enjoy it witt
= Our homes we're never so fiiisd with beauti
full things as they are to-day and there wer
never 80 many pure, bright and happ
homes as there are now, never 50 man
public libraries, so many churches, SO man
homes for the fricndlesS nnd unfortunat
/ and so many Christian, professional an
business men and so many Christian womeu
Z The old days were good but they were g
> inferior to the present as the lumber
" ing stage coach is behind the lightning eS
0 press, or the speaking trumpet behind th
70 telephone. The world is growing bette
: and it will continue to grow better unit
the design of an all wise Creator is futile
L in the perfected man.
+ The Early Bird Catches No Worn
o 1t seems to DO well understood now anon
n the democratic leaders that Mr. Clevelan
. meant what be said when he notified otflc'
seekers that they could do nothing whic
). would injure their chances moro than
j. bother him al this time 1t way he tht
. regular reception days will DO arranged fc
8 candidates for office after March 4, but fc