The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-03-09
r,,v ~, xx,ws A psCxxAsp.

men were taking C1se G2s NaA esq.,
Of N country tavern about nerce aoss,
and one fellow said. II am not AFRAID o.
any dog" Another man said: II have q
dog out there under that shed sleeping.
Suppose yuu go cut there and sat down.
The other man said he would so they
all gathered around and went out &c
watch him. But the owner OF the dog
said. IL warn you aot TO go; You VIII
get hurt So they all went out 10 see
! the fun. This man started out toward
the wagon. and be kind Of loosened ouf
his joints and began TO stumble along
| and sing drunken songs. He fell against
the wagon and sang aud made two or
three loud, idiotic remarks, stumbled
over the hind wheel into the wagon and
| fell over on the seat where the dog lay.
singing all the time. The dog looked
at him, seemed to take in the situation,
then got out Of his way, and finally
jumped off the seat No dog will bite a
drunken man, because the dog knows the
man is on his own level, and he does not
want to eat dog. Yet how many men
in this world would believe they had in
them the elements of dog. In the graf
ification of appetite, pure and simple.
man thus shows his kinship to the brute
Second-Scratch society beneath its
veneer. and you will discover the brute
element. That is the reason why we
have saloons. The state says, Men are
killed. but we need taxes" And the state
goes into partnership with the devil and
runs them. because the state is willing
thus to come down to the level of the In
dividual who is determined to make bis
bread out of his neighbours blood. We
have these tenement evils in our city be-
cause the landlords who own them do not
care about those who live in them. They
want dividends. and they will never tear
those shanties down or improve them
until the state takes the landlord by the
throat and makes him do it.
They used to hang witches in the olden
times because they threw over people a
spell. But here is dime novel that
threw a spell over your boy and sent him
to Jail. Here is your modern newspa-
per that throws its spell over the life Of
him who reads its daily tale Of crime and
murder and villainy until the children
from your.home one by one are snatched
from your heart and life and murdered,
and they do not hang anybody for it
NO MERCY In TRADE.
Today, in our society, scratch be-
meath the surface-deep down some
times, shallow sometimes-and you viii
find there these elements Of the brute
that still survive. We have it illustrated
in our commercial world. Men cut each
others threats in commerce without
mercy. In martial war they show some
mercy. They do not fire on hospitals
or women. But in the world of COM
MERGE men wreck and kill and destroy
and crush lives without mercy. It is
the strongest man who wins.
Years ago you had hundreds of shoe |
dealers. Where are they today? Great |
establishments said, 1--WE |
IAN hire men cheap to sell shoes, and we |
have space" So they strangled these |
shoe dealers to death, and they are |
1ow out Of work. In our great dry
goods stores these magnificent men Of |
brute power open their grocery estab-
ishments, and your little corner grocery
s perishing. It is the great power that
'ays, II have got the muscle, the
strength, and might is right, and If you
10 not like it, then you can shut up your
hop and apply to me for work, and I
will give you S. a week." In the world |
# commerce. and trade we have thus to-
lay the brutal developed higher than It
vas 100 years ago. Advertise a bargain
n store and see how women fight each
'ther to get to the counter. Every bar
rain thrown On the counters Of q worlds
commerce means broken hearts and
ZONES and blasted lives. Some one toiled
lay and night and failed with broken
leart, and the sheriff came and sold
hem out, and we rush to get the bar
ain!
Scratch beneath the law, and you will
ind the brute there still. Take woman's
'osition today. She has not her equal
lights in any position. She is underpaid,
nderfed. Why? Because man has more
MUSCLE, because man has the muscular
over, the brute power-for that is what
MUSCLE is. Hear those big judges talk
those great old fellows that lived 100
ears ago-about presidents In the past.
g though it should bind this gener-
tfQnl 1t cannot bind us unless It be-
ongs to the eternal verities Of Gods law.
Look today into our penalties fixed. A
IAN was burned to death In Texas lately.
Nightmare of civilization we say. The
oul Of civilization stands aghast at the 6
orrible scene, and words fail. And yet {
lille that Is true, what is the difference ,
etween mob burning a man to death
nd the state burning him to death3 A
IAN had hog to be killed, but he would
OF Kill 1t himself, 30 he got neighbor
90 1t. And just when the man was c
bout to shoot him with rifle he said c
him, Kill it easy" Oh, yes, we are
'fined and delicate and cultured. know
!. But it is question Of method. Of +
nesse, OF just how it is going to be done. =
THE TEXAS TRAGEDY. ::
A life is life, and to burn man 10
cath by electricity is no better than to II
urn him to death by ordinary fire. One t
a little quicker; that Is all. How like t
wages we all are! / said something q
oout this last week, referring to Harris.
10 l got a letter from a woman in
hlch she said: Had he done the same :,
my child, burned to the stake would =
ave been the thing for hi1nl That II !.
ouid have been the cry Of my soulr'
has in it every element of the brutal o
Id hellish. It is brute, unadulterated Ii
ute; devil, unadulterated deyil. Il n
le power that says. II viii revenge"
hen God has said, vengeance is mine.n
'e have no right to take human life. Il
brute method and has failed in the IL
lst and will fail in the future. and "
'ver until your civilization recognizes n
At fact Will it begin to get at the real n
mculty which underlies the enforce m
emit OF your criminal law.
Every life is battle-it must be for
m who makes highest, truest progress.
aaracter cannot be attained offhand sc
90 cannot give it yen. You can onlv al
tain 1t by this struggle with the lower h.
Of your nature. And God has "