Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1897-01-08

The tendency ofthe individual mind
to one-si1sd activity explains most Of
the division and contention through
which the human race slowly makes
progress. The knowledge of most men
Is necessarily imperfect, and their think
ing is apt to take one direction, They
fall into opinions and habits Of thought
that come from looking upon one side Of
things, and the more 61ed that regard
becomes the more incapable are they Of
seeing beyond its range. They come
TO believe that no view of subject but
their own can be right, and they refuse
TO be enlightened or convinced The
narrower and more one-sided mind be-
comes the more sure is it that it is right
and the more frn-set are it's beliefs.
From this comes intensity Of conviction
and intolerance for opposite views, and
thence the willingness Of men to fight
or die for opinions sake. There is no
greater delusion than the notion that
warfare or martyrdom for particular
faith is evidence of its sosudness.
1t is this tendency to one-sidedness
that causes divisions among men in re-
ligion and in politics, and the variety Of
It's direction produces sects and factions.
As the view broadens and one acquires
the ability to look upon both sides of
questions, the sectarian spirit and the
partisan spirit lose their intensity. Tue
highest minds in the religions and the
politics Of the human race are nearest
together though the intense partisan
has no doubt ofhis own superiority and
looks with scorn upon those who do not
find all the good upon one side and all
the bad upon the other side of bis divi-
sional line" Under stress this tendency
to one side or another arrays the mass
of men into two parties or two armies
and arouses the spirit of antagonism to
the fighting pitch, though occasionally
i. seems to carry the mass all one way
The broad-minded and the many-sided
are never for war or for crusades.
We have in our foreign and domestic
relations as Nation frequent illustra-
tions of the disposition of human nature
which comes from one-slded mental ac
tivity, Our people have been brought
up for three generations to regard Great
Britain as hereditary foe, though it
was the cral lie of their ancestors and of
their institutions For two generations
they have been fostered with doc
trine" about encroachments of European
powers on this continent Hence. when
there was a difference between Great
Britain and Venezuela regarding the
boundary line between their respective
possessions in South America. it was
easy to arouse disposition to side with
Venezuela and work excitement almost
to the psrilOns verge of war among peo-
2 pie who did not in the least understand
the merits of the controversy or even
know what their cherished doctrine"
meant. Sympathy for Christians or
pressed or slaughtered in Asiatic Turkey
makes most people blind to any prOvoca
ton by Armenians or any extenuating
circumstances on the part Of other Turk
ish subjects. They see only a meek and
peaceable people subjected to atrocities
from barbarians of different faith, and
hardly is it conceded that the Turkish
Government makes any effort to prevent
them or would have any difficulty in do
ing so, if it chose. If sympathy is ex-
cited for Cubans struggling against
Spanish rule in their native island, they
become endowed with enligh.en nent and
patriotism, their deeds of devastation
are glorifcd and their reports of the war
fare are readily believed, while the
Spanish power il only arrogant, cruel
relentless, and besotted, and whstever
is said in its behalf is unworthy of
credence.
So when questions of difference arise
in our Government at Washington, to
most mems minds there is but one side
to them, though it may be the gold or
the silver side. according to the point of
view, and we get violen; arguments pro
and con, but little 0alsa consideration of
both sides by the same men. The tend
ency to take sides, to make fight to be
partisan on one line or another, is ir-
resistible to the ordinary human being
OF its working and effect in our domestic
politics it is needless to speak, but there
is generally saving remnant that will
not 60 even with its own multitude to
do evil. and with increasing enlighten-
ment the balance Of power widens and
grows in weight and she margin of safe
ty expands.