The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-02-15


lites Of newspaper, Il reported at all,
and now 1t takes the whole side OF a
newspaper to tell what transpired be-
tween the first blood drawn by one
loafer and the throwing up OF the
sponge by the other loafer, and It Is not
the newspapers fault for the news
papers give only what the people want,
and when newspapers put carrion on
your table, it is because you prefer
carrion. The same spirit OF brutality
is seen to-day in many an ecclesiastical
court when minister is put on trial
Look at the countenances of the prose-
cutting ministers, and not in oil cases
but in many cases you will find nothing
but diabolism inspires them. They let
out on one poor minister who cannot
defend himself, the lion of ecclesiastic-
ism and the tiger of bigotry and the
wild boar of jealousy, and if they can
get the offending minister fat on his
back, some one puts his feet on theneck
of the overthrown gospelizer and looks
up, spear In hand, to see whether the
galleries and ecclesiastics would have
him let up or slain. And, lol many OF
the thumbs are down.
In the worldly realms look at the bru-
talities of the presidential election eight
years ago Read the biographies oil
Daniel Webster and Alexander II. Ste
phens and Horace Greeley, and Charles
Sumner and Lucius Quintius Lamar
and James G. Blaine, and II the story
of defamation.and calumny and scan
dalization and diatribe and scurrility
and lampoon and billingsgate and
damnable perfidy be accurately re-
corded, tell me in what respects our
political arena and the bowling and
disappearing galleries that again and
again look down upon 1t are better than
the Roman Colosseum. When read
few days ago that the supreme court
of the United States had appropriately
adjourned to pay honors to the last
distinguished men mentioned, and
American journalism, north, south, east
West, went into lamentations over
their departure and said all compli'
mentary things in regard to them, l
asked: When did the nation lie about
these menp Was it when, during their
life, 1t gave them malediction, or now,
since their death, when bestowing upon
them Qualification. The same spirit OF
cruelty that you deplore in the Roman
Colosseum is seen in the sharp appetite
the world seems to have for the down
fall Of good men, and in the divorce OF
those whose marital life was thought
accordant, and In the absconding Of q
bank cashier o, my friends, the world
wants more of the spirit of "Let-him-
up" and less Of the spirit Of Thumbs
down." There are hundreds of men In
the prisons OF America who ought TO
be discharged, because they were the
victims OF circumstances, or have sut-
fered enough. There are in all profes-
sions and occupations men who are
domineered over by others, and whose
whole life is struggle with monstrous
opposition, and circumstances have their
heel upon the throbbing and broken
hearts For Gods sake, let them up
Away with the spirit. of Thumbs
DOWN. What the world wants is a
thousand men like Telemachus TO Leap
out of the gallery into the arena,
whether he be Roman Catholic monk,
or a Methodist steward, or Presby
terian elder, and go in between the
contestants. blessed are the peace
makers. for they shall be called the
J children of God"
One-half the world Is. down and the
other half is up. and the half that is NJ
has its heel on the half that is down
II you, as boss workman, or as con
tractor or as bishop, or a state Oh
national official, or as poten t factor In
social life, or in any way, are oppress
ing any one, know that the same devi
that possessed the Roman Colosseum
oppresses you. The Diocletians are moi
all dead The cellars leading into the
arena OF lifes struggle are not al
emptied of their tigers. The vivisectior
by young doctors Of dogs and cats and
birds most OF the time adds nothing u
human discovery, but is only continu
alton of Vespasian's Colosseum. The
cruelties of the world generally begar
in nurseries and in home circles and II
day schools. The child that transfxei
fly with pin, or the low feeling thai
sets two dogs into combat, or that bul
lies weak or crippled playmate, or the
indifference that starves a canary bird
needs only TO be developed in order Il
make first-class Nero or full-armeC
Apollyon. It would be good sentence
to be written on the top line of child'l
book, and a ft inscription TO be EN-
broidered in the armchair Of the sit
ting-room, and an appropriate MOTIF
for Judge and jury and district attorney
and sheriff tolook at in the court house
blessed are the merciful, for they
shall obtain mercy"
And SO the ruins Of that Colosseum
preach to me. Indeed the most impress
sive things on earth are in ruins The
four greatest structures ever built ar,
In ruins The Parthenon In ruins The
temple OF Diana in ruins. The temple
of Jerusalem in ruins The Colosseum
In ruins, indeed the earth itself will
yet be pile OF ruin, tho mountains ir
ruins, the Seas in ruins, the hemi
spheres in ruins Yea, further thar
that, all up and down the heavens arr
worlds burned up, worlds wrecked
worlds extinct worlds abandoned
Worlds on worlds In ruins But an
glad TO say II Is the same old heaven
and in all that world there Is not ont
ruin and never will DO q ruin. Not on,
Of the pearly gates will ever become