The herald., 1894-02-18
MANS COLUMN.
TcoNDucrED BY COG AND MAGoe

human species it is certainly 10 it's boy
hood. For what is stil so popular with
the masses az fight? The press has
been blamed for Gevoting go much space
and talent to the portrayal of these
pugilistic encounters, yet is the press
really to blame?
1t is an unmistakable fact that we fly
to our papers for the "neWs," and if one
paper does not give them to us we drop
it and take another which doas Now II
our people-that still means our male
population-are hankering for fight.
which must perforce be done in these
days vicariouely, we want to know it;
and If this desire becomes 30 Emporium
ate as to materialize into fat stakes and
an arrangement for an encounter be-
tween two famous pugilists we want to
know that too. Having got this far We
are crsvingly eager, and swallow with
avidity every detail which can be fished
out of our papers. Doubtless one cause
for this eagerness is the desire to bet on
the most likely champion, and the Only
way for the majority to get at facts con.
corning these fighters lie, OF course,
through the press. Then when the fight
does come off-whew what a mad rush
to the rendezvous or if this is1uot prac-
ticable then to onr press for the nawe
relating to this darling adventure. Since
we ourselves cannot see with our own
eyes this fstic drama we are determined
to do the next best thing, view lite re.
Election in our mirrors, the daily papers.
All, with what delight do we hang over
their muscular forms, their athletic pro-
portions yea, how enrapturously do we
dwell on each big leg, each brawny arm,
the huge chests--even the very hairs of
their head we gloat over!
Then, when little farther along we
see them in their helligerent attitude.
| alb, then do our nerves thrill till we are
fairly dizzy with joy 1t is feast for
the gods-the Greek gods, we mean
Alter awhile, when our transport be-
comes somewhat abated and our condi-
ton more normal. we fall to reading the
carefully reported details, which seem
none too long for our boyish magma
| tions.
Now who is to blame, the people who
| fight in this vicarlous manner, or the
press who reflect their doings back to
them? This might we'll be called
vicarious age. True, as Americans, we
have risen to that plane of being where
we see that our government should be
/
and by the people. Yet is our doing 80
far behind our thinking that we govern.
az we fight, vicariously? We do net
yet legislate ourselves. but delegate our
great interests to the care of others. In
matters of religion it is the same; we do
not go direct to God, and believe that in
our own body must our sins be borne,
and through our own acts must our
redemption come. Wedo not yet clearly
! perceive that we must act up to the
light given, or be enveloped in dark
ness-degrsdation.
Nv
"How few persons in town are in
terested in hearing that Mr.. Herbert
Spencer is there on visit; but most
people are anxious to shake hands with
prize fighter or jubilee plunger, or
to take tea with q millionaire's wife
1t is this pernicious alteration of tinsel
that keeps country in barbarian, that
starves its spirit. The ideal OF the la
borer who resents the lordling's con-
tumely end indicts him tor living q lazy
life, may rise no higher than perpetual
beer and niBepins, while the esquire
Graves no higher satisfaction in life
than hunting six days in the week,
with champagne, billiards and the
sporting papers on Sunday. Our great
est ideals are the commercial and the
voluptuous. We are rich and luxuri-
Gus: we are, therefore, far above the
average. Yet how far2 Our learned
and affluent have. for the grester num-
Der, returned to 5he employment OF
prepastorai epoch.
"Look at the lives of thousands OF Eng
lish gentlemen. Truer bsrbsrians never
existed than many of these, whose
whole thought, energy and wealth are
given TO sport. 1t is only when the
chop absorbs the best OF us, mental and
physical, that commercial activity
tends to retard progress. Provided that
a mans moral sense and intellect are
not warped in the making of money,
there ia nothing degrading to succeed
commercially. But in the fercenesa of
competition in an over populated coun-
try, bsrbsrity, msanness and cruelty
arise. Not only these, but the curse of
intellectual and asthet!G atrophy lights
upon the host. Yet, need money-get-
ting always barbsrize people?
'Will the prosperous business career
OF the future alone be compatible with
low standard of thought and corrupt
canon of commercial morals? II go,
material success must bring about ma
tionai ruin, for no community can sub
siet ON bread alone. At present two
formidable hindrances stand in the way
of developing culture-over- population
and passion for ostentation. What
are the remedies? Regulate the repro
ductive faculties and save the potential
slave of industrislism from struggle
that wakes yearly heavier. Allied with
this teaching there should be wide in
culcation OF the value of refined sim
plicity OF life and thu substitution OF
high thinking for mere barbarous dis
play in living. MIR. George Mortimer
in The Free Review.
w
Az mans mental advancement reaches
out and with cool calculating energy
takes hold of the riotous forces of nature,
like Niagara Falls, and turns them into
useful channels, it is not very far
sightedness to imagine time when
muscle ae producer will be back
number. Already by compress force he
rides the waves from continent to con-
tinent in five days. The wind is to be
pe his future medium of transportation
Hypnotized at one point he may be sent
to another with telegraphic speed. The
cold waves sweeping down from the
frigid zone and Arctic seas will be caught
on the wing and tanned by mans genius.
turned into cold-storage cars to preserve
the fruits OF the tropical regione