The herald., 1897-02-28

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the people, yet all through these events,
in spite of their violence ana wrenching
there runs an upward tendency. The
true value of any social movement cam
not be reckoned in terms Of money and
property. Whether political or social
or economic revolution has an upward
trend must be determined by it's effect
on the manhood OF the many rather than
on the material accumulation of the
few or'the aggregate wealth of the ma
ton. All the varied processes of human
development under divine laws have
reference to the creation Of men and not
of things. And when IN the course of
events the forms of civilization. relig-
ious. political or social. have become
apostate to that chief end of their being,
and have become the instrument of op-
preston, and of degrading and despoil-
ing the people OF their right to achieve
their fullest manhood, then have these
civilizations perished from the earth.
In the book of human remembrance how
read We? Is not this the story of the
past: The multitudes who dig and delve
and spin and wiring from the earth the
things that feed and clothe and warm
the race, carry on their back the privi-
legged few who heap unto themselves the
product of the many until the burden
bends the toiler to the knee. And they
that hold the reins of government, and
dictate the social and political and In
dustrial policy forget the interests of
manhood in the interests of dividends.
Civilization is measured, with the Man
chester devils economy, in terms of
property and not Of personal soul. The
great mill of mammon ,grinds its awful
grist, and men, women and children,
human flesh and blood and bones and
hAv x-t, \
tues, are shoveled into the yawning hop
per to come forth as profits-so much
money-and not so much manhood. But
when the cup of patience is full. spirit
whispers a new thought in the ear of
the bent toiler, and breathes into his
dusty nostril the breath of larger life.
Then the Son of Earth stands erect
under the inspiration of a holy ideal.
He shakes the yoke of oppression from
his neck. The old order crumbles. A
new order takes the shape of the new
ideal. Our historians write "Reforma-
tion" across the page, but to them that
have eyes to see and ears to hear it is
something larger. 1t is coming of
the Son of Man" For all these mighty
turnings and over -turnings have deep
er significance than a mere shifting Of
social and political forms. They are
the steps by which humanity is slowly
climbing toward it's holy destiny. We
must not lose sight of fundamental prin-
ciples in contemplating the methods by
which these principles sometimes get
themselves actualized in fact. Revo-
lutions are not of necessity reigns OF
terror, as we shall presently see. But
by whatever method the new thought ut
ters itself in the affairs of men, it is
always truer and. holler thought than
the world has yet possessed No gen
eral upheaval of the people has taken
place that has not left the world the
better for it, Out of the birth-pangs
and the travail of sacrifice there has is
sued higher civilization and a diviner
manhood.
THE PUBLIC MIND
But what of the day? 1t must be ap-
parent even to the casual student of uf-
fairs that the kindling of human
thought in the days on a multitude of
topics has brought the crucible of pub
lie opinion to a degree of temperature
that bids fair to melt many of the cher
ished forms of our civilization If we
let our gaze sweep the whole field of hui
man experience and condition, we find
society bubbling and blistering from
some fierce internal heat. In all the
earth there is a strange, ominous un-
rest. These are days of profound sig
nihcance. days burdened with eternal
meaning. The mind of the people moves
restlessly in its slumber, like the
stretching of a sleepr when the dawn
steals in at the window. The lips are
muttering and murmuring the dream
of new day. Men of thought are
everywhere watching the sleeper's
symptoms with eager eyes, and listen
ing to the babbling of the vision. Will
the popular mind awake SANE?
SEEDS OF CIVILIZATION
This is an age of much reading-and
of some thinking. A forest of presses
are on every side putting forth their
printed leaves-but not always for the
healing of the nations. Like the whistle
of Roderick the cry of common inter-
est has called from their obscurity host
of men. armed with the sharp weapons
of economic debate, who are making
fierce warfare against the existing order
of things. The seeds of the coming CIV
ilization are being swiftly planted. That
mighty changes in the economic and in
dustrial life Of the people are close at
hand no thoughtful mind can deny.
Plant an idea and an institution is as
inevitable as the sunrise. When by va
rious processes an idea has penetrated
into the mind OF the masses, it possesses
an irresistible power, and brings about
series of effects, opposition to which is
bootless." To attempt to stop the i'm
pending social evolution is the policy of
suicide and the folly of madness. This
has been the mistake of every reforma-
ton. 1t was the mistake of the nobl-
ity in the French revolution. The revo-
luton was bloodless 1t was the coun-
ter revolution that developed the hor-
ror. LAS a matter of fact, these hor-
rors were the natural outcome of the
frantic efforts of the old powers to over
throw the new regime, and bring back
the old regime-of the counter revolu-
ton to undo the revolution. Historians
are right in insisting that something
failed, but it was the counter revolu-
ton that miserably failed at every step
it took. The revolution of France was