The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-14
THE RIGHT WORD.

THE RIGHT WORD.
Mr.. Lyman J. Gage, coming secretary
of the treasury, used exactly the right
word when he said that the trouble
with the social and political world at
the present time is seated in the emo
tional center, which he described as
"hysteria," a word which the GIob
has had occasion to use in several arti-
cles of late while describing the symp-
toms Of our time. The hysterical is the
dominant type Of modern society and
modern political life. We are desper-
ately concerned about the little things
and the ephemeral things, and reckless
Of the verities on which life is built
and social institutions founded. Our
moral reformers are scrubbing the out
side Of the cup and platter with a dill
gence that leaves them no time to in
quire of the contents. We are repro
batting in private life what we tolerate
IN public and on the stage. Nor has
the invasion Of hysteria been limited
to philanthropy and morals. II is ex
OF our public life. Legislatures have
almost entirely set aside the old and
homely occupation Of looking after the
things that are their business, in order
to NEEDLE and to experiment. There
mas never been crop Of bills so strik-
ingly illustrative of this tendency az
those which the legislative sessions of
the different states for the present year
can show Nothing is too novel or too
trlhing to take the fancy Of the ay
erage law maker. Colorado proposes
that gamblers should be compelled RI
give back to their dupes the amounts
won from them. Kansas suggests that
public offices should be put up at auc-
ton and knocked down to whoever Of
fers to transact business for the small
est salary. From the theater hat TO
the whisky habit every conceivable
Item OF conduct, custom and even dress
furnishes material for the men who
are playing at legislation in the several
states.
All this is properly described by Mr..
Gage as 'hysteria," and under the same
description will come that remarkabl
1nfatuation which has made so MANY
people believe that you can restore
prosperity and create wealth by a leg
1slative hocus-pocus of the CURRENCY
We think that this symptom of tho
times has been regarded with too much
1ndlfference or levity. It is hard. in
oeed, to see state legislature strug-
gIng with bill to prohibit the wear
ing Of tights, or a federal congress
mounting nothings over the greatest
diplomatic achievement of the century
ana not regard their performances as
unworthy of second thought Yet If
mas It's dangerous aspect. Like any
hablt' the hysterical habit may become
confirmed. AS Mr.. Gage SAYS "hys-
teTfa though functional in it's opera tons
may induce organic disease" In the
case OF the country, too, hysteria rises
as 1t does in the individual from some
prolonged violation of natures laws A
man or woman born with a healthy
constitution does not suffer from hys-
enteebled and broken down from pro-
Ionged overtaxation. The people Of the
United States have fallen to the plane
or considering these legislative illu-
Etons as serious business only after q
great many years in which the same
sort of thing was done seriously from
interested motive.
There is no fruit in the free coinage
crusade or in the theory Of unlimited
nat paper money that has not its seed
in our monetary legislation from 1860 tn
1891. For generation we sin, and
financial hysteria is the consequence
There is no corruption in any state
legislature and no disposition to sacri-
fee public to private interests which
does not find its prototype in the tariff
legislation Of the same thirty wears
we have taught the people that thew
can be made rich by legislation and that
1t is right to tax all for the benefit of
the few, and again moral hysteria re-
suits. Everybody knows what han
pens when you try to cure a. historical
patient by making him drunk. or other
wise oVerstfmulating the excited and ir-
ritated nervous system. The best rem
edy i'll the world is the rest cure We
DO not think that the United States
as whole, and every part Of 1t, needs
anything today so much as It does
the moral and political rest cure. If
there could be an end Of sensationalisro
in Journalism, in the pulpit, in society
ard In life, and if there could be a
cessation of all law making for the next
decade. the nation would recover its
balance. Every patriot needs to do