The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-04

THE Worth of the Individual" The
most important problem, he said, of
the presen2 or of any age is the true
adjustment of the individual to the
common life. Carried out in detail the
problem would lead into all the varied
relations of life, the relation of the
citizen to the state, the church mem
Der to the church, the laboring man to
the accumulation of labor which we
call capital, the business man to the
conditions of commerce and finance,
and so on of all possible relations. It
was not TO this general range that he
wished to invite the attention OF his
hearers, hut rather to the main pro-
position. the inestimable worth Of the
individual life in the evolution OF hui
man progress
The problem IS not new one. It is
the problem of history But the condi-
tons under which it must be worked
out are continually changing like the
forms in a kaleidoscope. Hence, in or
der to comprehend the scope and ma
ture Of the problem today it is neces-
sary to turn to the lesson of history.
This again. followed to its ultimate
conclusion, would carry US into remote
artlQuily, since all history is one I'M
broken story Of human development.
But for the purpose Of the lesson of
today it is sufficient to follow the
thread of human progress backward
only SO far as the civiliza ton out of
which our modern life has directly
spring and TO which its present ten
denotes may he Immediately traced.
This carries us into the period known
as the middle ages. 1t is necessary
therefore. to inquire what was the con-
dition of the individual during that
somewhat indeterminate period, and
even careless student of history will
discover that the one prominent idea
which controlled the institutions of
this period, and directed its policies and
methods, was the absolute suppression
of the individual The individual. in
fact, had no existence as such. He was
swallowed up in the institutions of the
time. His feudal lord or superior told
him what to do. his spiritual adviser
told him what to think. The ecclesias-
teal despotism of the Roman church
and the influence Of feudal vassalage
absolutely suppressed the development
of Individual liberty
The power of the Roman church was
broken by the Protestant reformation
in the beginning Of the sixteenth cen
-tufy Feudalisn had already fallen.
But the fall of the feudal system did
not emancipate the individual from
civil tyranny; neither did the reforrna-
ton set him free from ecclesia stical
dictatioa. Feudalism gave place to the
strong monarchy, under which the in
diViduai was more thar ever subject;
and the reformation ushered in a sue
cession Of dogmatic creeds catechisms
ana confessions. some Of which still
exist to dwarf the development of
thousands in our own generation. But
the new monarchy, by its very tyranny
and oppression. led to revolution and
revolt out of which has grown the civil
liberty Of the Individual And the dog
matism of sects has produced dissent
and schism in the midst Of which indi-
vidual liberty of thought and con-
science has grown and flourished.
The careful student will discover that
in this development there has been no
accident. IN all there has been mani
fest divine purpose working out in
human life. Institutions have fallen.
thrones have crumbled into dust, civ
llizations have faded out of
sight, but the liberty of the
individual has grown stronger
with the forward march of
each oncoming century. The great les
son of history is that the most impor-
tant thing in human DEVELOPMENT is
the perfect evolution of the individual
human soul. The self conscious soul of
mon - ba@V l!4G stOS- manifestation OF
the divine life, and to It's perfect and
untrammeled development all the
forces of nature and OF history are
tending.
Il the course of this development the
discovery, settlemept and history of
our own land have played an impor-
tant part. 1t was settled by men who
Were driven out of the old world l,y
civil and religious tyranny. and sought
the new world in order that they might
enjoy the blessing of civil and relig-
ions liberty. Their lives have formed
the type of our national character.
Their thought has shaped the body of
our national institutions Following
their guidance we have passed through
the ordeal Of three extensive wars. Each
of these has been a protest against
some form of slavery, oppression or
dicta ion OF the individual life And
each has been complete and glorious
triumph for individual liberty. In this
beginning of a second century of our
national life, new and complicated
questions face us, arising out of the
conditions of our growing and complex
civilization. But in the light of his
tory. we cannot doubt that these ques-
tions viii be most wisely met if we
continue 10 maintain the worth of the
individual as the central principle for
which our nation stands.
But under our form of government
each citizen of the nation must make
his voice heard. and his influence felt.
as the citizen of some state. Only by
reason Of his relation to the state in
which he lives does he become a factor
in the nation life. The great problem,
then, for the citizens Of any state, is
10 r,r-aca1-xra in ba midst of local 7Oo1
ditions the worth and liberty of the
individual. Dearer than any immedi-
ate policy civil, political or financial,
must be this eternal principle. Suffer
1t to be overridden or ignored, and we
should slide backward down five cen
turtles of hard fought progress, into
medieval servitude and suppression of
the individual life.
The preacher said he did not wish his
words to be taken as glntering general
tiles. We are living in the midst of
conditions that are peculiar. Permeat-
i.sg the civilization of our new state
there is fels The powerful influence
OF a great institution. This insti-
tuition has grown up separate and
apart from the growth of the ma
tional life. It has grown up under
conditions which have made the
strength and unity of the institution
paramount to every other considera-
ton. The worth of the individual has
been overshadowed and lost sight Of
Blind obedience of the many to the
few is one of the conditions of build
ing up strong institutions. Hence it
follows that where the strength of an
Institution is made the aim of first i'm
portance, individual life and individual
liberty must suffer an eclipse.
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