The courier., 1896-01-18

pioneer days, not in their full blowI
vigor. The people of Greece and Rom'
were honest and pure. once, and hat
high ideals and lofty standards. Bu'
they degenerated-fell, and their stumb
ling block was that curse Of curses
public dishonesty! 1t was laxity on the
part of the people of Rome in public af
fairs, that made official dishonesty pos
sible,-this brought on the days oil
.'panem ct circentem," Caesar, and the
dissolution and fall of profigate dis.
honest and degenerate people.
And France, today the moral leper of
civilization. once boosted a De Cues.
celin and Chevelier Bayard, sans
puer ct sans reproche." And, there, too,
the mad race for wealth, the materaliz-
alton OF all the ends OF life has made
public life dishonest. This, in turn, has
reacted on the people, and France is ac-
cordingly marked as a moral degenerate.
This fate most sincerely believe is now
impending over the people of our own
country. The good old days" of Wash
ington, Franklin, Jefferson and Adams,
Of jackson, Webster, Clay. Calhoun and
Benton, even OF Lincoln and Seward and
Summer and Chase are days that are
gone, seemingly forever. Public SER
vice is no longer badge of honor. 1t is
not the occupation of statesmen, but the
trade of politicians. The halls of con-
gress tn at used to ring with the honest
eloquepce OF American statesman and
patriots are now disgraced and con.
taminated with political bosses who buy
their seats as brazenly and openly as
though it were legitimate business.
And our municipalities seethe in cor
ruption. The most sacred rights OF the
people are bought and sold and bart
cred, just as in the days of slavery.
True, there are honest men in politics,
but when oce is found he is made an
object for seven days wonder. Think
ef Daniel Webster returning to his old
seat in the senate, and engaging in a
running debate with David Bennett
Hill and Matthew Stanley Quay!
And the most discouraging feature of
all is-the great common people. Their
whole lives are lived only for the al
mighty dollar. Their whole attention
is centered on getting rich. We are in
the midst OF the rankest materialism;-
even the churches preach of golden
streets and crowns and harps. The
material age" is upon us,-and this is
the age that has marked the fall ofevery
dynasty and kingdom that the stars ever
shone down upon. Shall we. too, go the
common road! There is but one way to
escape it-and that lies through the
hard and stony path of public honesty
and moral regeneration. Yet who can
deny that we have strayed from the
path? 1t was therefore spoke of 1.-The
good old days"
And it is because believe that our
salvation as nation lies only in the
spiritualization of the people that say
God speed the churches" although be-
ieving not in their God or their heaven
,r their hell. For they are teaching. or
should teach. men to look higher; they
ire lifting humanity out of the rut OF
They are doing it slowly
and tardily. Too often they are singing
gentle lullabies where they should be
sounding, stirring trumpet blasts to
lctiop.
/ honestly believe that our churches
nave greater power for good than
,ave even our schools. For it is not our
minds hut our consciancas fhat naod