The record-union., 1893-11-20
An Inside View.
pr country. lis OF thee l sing.o

"Our Country, tits OF thee 1 sing"
had only got this one line, uttered in
my most hilarious musical voice, when
the old man, sitting on the highest pima
Gle of the highest mountain of the great
range of Imagination, called to me, Come
up here and take a bird's-eye view of it
and then 60 on with your song if you feel
like it.'
1 climbed up, with some effort, and
found him seated so high that he could
look back over all the history Of the
world, and he pointed out to me nation
after nation which had arisen and passed
away, many of them displaying, tempo
rarily. much magniticence and grandeur,
achieved mostly by military successes
and at the cost of many human lives, but
all eventually decaying and wasting
away, eaten by the canker OF selhshness;
often displayed by only few OF the
many, but sufficient to sap and destroy
the vitality of nation after nation.
When our review had reached to mod
ern times we saw much improved state
of affairs. The spirit of the doctrine
taught by the Christ, viz: That to make
kingdom of heaven on earth 1t is only
necessary for each and everyone to do all
the good possible to each and everyone
they come in contact with, and never
harm TO any, seems to have spread broad
ly over the earth, ana wherever this gos-
pei fire burns brightly the light OF mill
tary glory wanes and becomes dim.
Men still admire the ability which con-
ducts military campaigns successfully,
but deplore the campaigns, even when
earthly wisdom declares them necessary;
and while in conformity with earthly
wisdom, all nations provide the most i'm
proved means of warfare, the study seems
to be how best to avoid all wars IN the
future.
AS a consequence the earth is covered
with magnificent nations, where real
good and reason for happiness abounds
more fully than in any former genera
tion; and among these nations-the bright
est gem of all-is the United States OF North
America. Covered from north to south
and from east to west, with all convent
ences for progressive civilization, with
plentitude for use and amplitude Tor
waste of all of life's necessaries and most
OF its luxuries, it stands pre-eminent, ex-
ceiling all nations since historic lme.
AS | gazed upon it l burst out into
song:
sour country, tits of thee sing"
The old man checked me and handed
me his field-glass and said: Look closer,
and, after thorough examination, resume
your song"
/ took his glass and was astonished at
what / saw-a restless, uneasy people
striving for selfish purposes, apparently
regardless of the general good. Here
little, prejudiced clique was chasing
few harmless Cinnamon from their work,
with yells, 1.-The Chinese must go"
Over there and yonder and beyond little
bands of workingmen were assaultlng,
maltreating and abusing other working
men because their necessities compelled
them to work for less wages than the
aggressors desired to obtain, as though
their souls were too small to permit any
competition, even for the sustenance of
life; thousands of able-bodied men were
tramping all over the country begging for
work, little assistance or something to
eat; business men, companies and cor
Dorations seemed intent mostly on in
creasing their gains; politicians were
wrangling and striving for Office; and
even the churches, the spires of whose
edifices in which to worship the Deity IN
every creed dotted the land in profusion,
were almost universally split with cabals,
and ministers were transferred and
changed so often that many OF them
seemed to have no abiding place on
eartn-may they rest with their Master IN
heaven.
Political parties were accusing each
other of causing all the discomfort, and
the people were demanding OF their rep
resentatives legislation which should
remedy or modify the apparent evils; and
the party which failed TO accomplish this
another substituted.
The people seemed to have no true con-
ception of the law and its beneficial use,
but appeared to think that If they could
only get quantity enough of laws all the
ills of life would be averted; and the peo-
pies representatives were doing their
best to fulfill this desire of those who en-
ployed them.
| watched some of these law-manufact-
urers, and for energy, endurance and
ability to turn out laws l will back the
lawmakers in the United States against
the rest of the world, and give the rest of
theworld thousand per cent. advantage
in the start.
Besides the great national law manu-
factory at the Capital, each State has
law mandatory, and each city, town
and hamlet throughout the whole country
has its law mandatory, and the quantity
of laws turned out seems to threaten a
fulfillment of the old supposition that
even the world itself cannot contain the
books which may be written.
1t has been said that justice is dear to
the American people, and if we assume
that all written law is justice, we have
proof that their demand for justice has
not been equaled in the past, and cannot
possibly be exceeded in the future.
/ have sometimes suspected that the
term dear really expressed a different
meaning, such as we apply to diamonds,
that is, costly; for 1t Is becoming more
and more expensive. Already the COM
mon people are shut out from its benefits,
and only few of the wealthy can afford
to indulge in law suits.
It is disheartening to watch the people
surrounding law mandatory, and de-
manding that this thing, and that thing,
and the other thing be made into law;
and to see the Lawmakers, with coats and
vests of, and The perspiration streaming
down their faces from their efforts to
please the people and give them every
thing they want in law, and then to see
the people with expressions of gratified
desire receiving the statutes, and asking
what they mean; and the legislators can
only tell them to 60 to the courts and the
courts will explain them; and when they
come before the Judges they are eau
toned not to presume to address dignity
on the bench, but to apply to an educated
lawyer, and tell him whatsthey want to
find out, and the lawyer will apply to the
court and get decision.
turned to the old man and asked: SIS
this really the much extolled land of
Y~NC A