The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-01
credit.

The op:imist will welcome the New Year
because the past as he reads it makes him
hopeful of the future; while the pessimiss
will look forward to the New Year with
gloomy foreboding because the past is so
unsatisfactory that he expects not better
but worse things than the present? The pes
simiss is as old as Homer. who makes one
of his heroes huri rock a. his adversary
that no: "ten strong men could heave in
these degenerate days" The pessimist in
politics and religion is generally a Mug
wump. who refers Us back to the first days
Of the republic for Roman virtue in the
state and profound piety in the church.
The pessimist is not strong in matters Of
history or he would know that less than a
century ago swearing in the drawing room
and in the best society was no uncommon
thing. Gov. Strong. Of Massachusetts,
relates that he heard John Hancock make
remark at the dinner table that caused
the ladies to rise and leave the room amid
roar of laughter from the men. Women
were then publicly whipped On the back
and ducked; the stocks, cropping and
branding were common. Al mshouses
were unknown; insane persons were
placed in letters and confined in iron
cages. Chancellor Livingston said to
John Jay, "Jay. what set of id ras-
Gals there were in the old congress" and
Gouverneur Morris agreed with Living
ston. In the first decade of the century
mem oers of oifferen: parties were hardly
On, r,,L -
their wives and daughters had no social
intercourse. A leading business man Of
Massachusetts when advertising a house
to be let or sold added "No Democrats
need apply" AS late as 1896 Harvard COL
lege was permitted by the general court to
raise money by lotteries. The license Of
journalism was frightful compared with
what it is at present. Public manners
were so coarse less than sixty years ago
that so fine lady as the widow of De Witt
Clinton publicly insulted President Martin
Van Buren, at Saratoga social assembly.
Drunkenness was common at presidential
receptions in Washington City, and during
the night sessions twenty years ago United
States senators were not seldom inebriated.
If we subject our religious thought and
action TO the same sharp review, COMPARE
son and contrast that We have our social
and political manners, We shall find that
as whole the American people are purer
in life and nobler in laws than we ever
were before in our history. There never
was SO much general benevolence and hui
mainly; never so much liberation; never
80 little bigotry and superstition in our
land as there is today. There never was
so much scientific knowledge applied to
multiplication of the necessities, Injuries
and comforts OF life. There is far less in
temperance, public and private. than there
ever was before in the history of the ma
ton, in spite OF the fact that prohibition
! was never SO universally discredited and
distrusted. Great public charities are COM
mon where once they were exceptional,
and great requests of money to educa-
tional enterprises, libraries, hospitals, etc.,
are made by an increasing number of rich
men every year.
Never before in the history Of the world
have SO many millionaires given assent by
their example and action TO the view that
superfuous wealth ought to be distributed
largely for the benefit of the community
In which it was won, instead of being per-
petuated and tied up in families. as is the
practice under the law in Great Britain.
Never before in the history of this country
has there been so wide diffusion of sound
knowledge and pure literature; never was
there so much evidence of better and
purer taste il music, art and drama.
Steam and electricity have been so yari-
ously applied throughout our country that
"In a thousand shapes
All times are our cup
All life our grapes"
----------