The Irish standard., 1897-01-23

the evidences of all religions; then, in
stead Of saying, Here is God" seizing
bull-whip and driving brethren to th'
Throne of Grace, he tells us how this
or the other religious custom arose ant
lwhat effect it had upon the human race.
|:This is eminently unsatisfactory; but
shall we blame him because, despite his
! persistent research, he has nothing bet
| ter to offer? 1t is easy enough for the
sciolist to be partisan-to possess that
/ faith which removes mountains
| pitching them headlong into the fertile
plain, foolishly enough We think. The
ignorant man finds no difficulty in TAX
/ ing Davy Crockett's advice. He is ever
sure. he's right, always ready to go
ahead; but for the man Of clear analyt-
ical mind, who insists upon examining
both sides of the shield before so much
as hazarding an opinion that it is a
shield and not some cunning pasteboard
| imitation thereof, 1t may be quite a diff
ferent matter. Perhaps in dealing With
socia. problems we can do no other than
''go it blind" and trust to Providence.
A clown in Hamlet'ss place would have
quickly determined where lay his duty
and done it. Of course he would, in all
human probability, have done the wrong
thing in the right place; but 1.-The native
hue of resolution" would not have been
''sicklied DER with the pale cast OF
thought and lost the name of action.
While the economic Hamlets soliloquize
the people pin their faith to the patent
medicines hawked with 80 much lung
power by this or the other coterie of
place-hunters. All things considered; it
is not so much they often go wrong as
that they ever get right.
Dean Hodges remark that Our Pa
tron Saint is the Sphinx naust be con-
demned as metaphorieal miscarriage;
still we may easily divine his meaning.
The Texas editor whos alluded to the
flight of disreputable: character from
the community as having 'Sflled long,
felt want" succeeded in making himself
understood, which is more than can be
said for some of our. grammar-sharps.
The Sphinx which propdsed riddle to
the Thebans and slaughtered such as
failed to return a correct answer, could
scarce be called Patron Saint, unless,
indeed, the fool-killer be SO considered;
still she may be taken las truly repre-
sentative of the. condition which con-
fronts us to-day. The Sphinx of Time
is propounding. to this nation a "iddle
which it must solve, and that soon, elso
be destroyed. And up to this time no
Oediprs has risen, or seems likely to
arise; whose wisdom will stand between
us and destruction. Nay, should he ap-
pear upon the scene how could the
Sphinx hear him, deafened as she is by
the persistent clamora of the Jack Cades
and Cagliostros-each perched on some
political platform or foolish editorial tri-
pod, and playing at Liberty enlightening
the worldly the aid of gas? If I might
presume to drop a few words Of advice
into this polemical chaos; like sperm Oil
on the waves of tempestous ocean, I
would say: Keep cool. Remember that
no political party has a corner on the
patriotism and intellect of the universe.
Even a. Democrat is not first cousin to
the Demiurgus, nor Republican neces-
sarily an ass-howeveE impossible the
latter proposition may appear to careful
students of cause and effect. We must
first free ourselves from partisan preju-
dices if we would hope to deal wisely
and we'll with vexatiotls social problem:.
What can we expect from party plat
form built expressly to please either the
plutocrat or the faex popuh?-of con-
gress which makes no secret that it Is
governed altogether by 'fparty expedi-
ency'-is not considering the general
welfare, but playing q game OF political
chess-with the public lesh-pots for
pawns. It has been said, and truly so,
that "in a multitude of counsel there is
WISDOM" but the American people do
not come together in counsel, do not de-
liberate calmly. Each grabs a parcel of
made-to-o order Opinions and attempts
to shove it bodily down the throat of his
brother. If he declines7to xulp it down
like hound-pup feastiAIg son hot pan
cakes, he's either a "paon OF the money
power" or "repudiatef." a parasite"
or "popocrat." THAI. h what we are
pleased to call "cazsPaisn of. educa-
tion"-that's the ''aultiithde of counsel
from whose. cumulative brain power we
expect to see emanate a|fu1l grown Mi
nerva! iLincolns remark to the effect
that you can't fool an :4he people all the
time," has puffed us tp with our own
Importance. Lincoln WA right; you can
not fool them all the Atne=you cannot
SO much as persuade .tht half Of 'em to
apply the soft pedal to themselves and
give you hearing-unless you consent
to hoot the jejunehoots that tickle the
4:,na ~ a. ,.oior;+r roo,