The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-09-16

the uplifting of society. Who but the
Egyptian agriculturist of the Nile
valley, could always be depended upon
to furnish the staples of life? Were
not the Hebrews the religious element
of ancient life?
Who among the ancient nations, has
bequeathed to the present day such a
wealth of religious thought, such in
spiration for an ideal life? From
Moses to David, from David to Christ
and the disciples, period of sixteen
and half centuries of pure philosophy,
ever growing in conceptive beauty;
and this, the basic philosophy of the
religious life of nearly half of the
present human race. What matters it's
truth or falsity, since its teachings
raise man to higher moral level and
equip him for a future life, if such
there be? What priceless idea has
been the artistic intelligence of the
early Greeks! Their art and literature
give to us of today, such wealth of
culture and refinement, of beauty and
pleasure, as to make the life of all
within their sphere richer, more full of
promise, than had been before Lastly
do we not recognize in the individual
having all these ideas, the balanced
mind, the higher culture, the more
fully developed and powerful being of
social life? So with the civilization
resting upon many basic principles; if
true, it rises like a pharos from amid
the lower, darker social life around it.
1t would be needless waste of time
to attempt to determine the first ruling
idea of social life; some one of the
several inherent social principles must
have been the first, the others slowly
adopted as necessity or requirement
made possible.
Keeping before us the foregoing
ideas and bearing in mind that union
is the long arm of the lever, the idea,
the fulcrum upon which it rests, and
the result obtained by the application
of union will be the controlling of the
many. Then let us turn to a consider
alton of the basic principles of society,
the specific ideas potent in its growth.
Of these we may select, as bearing
more firmly on the social structure,
and being more potent and far reach
ing in their results: first, government
generally; law specifically; religion and
morality; art and handicraft; literature;
commerce; war and agriculture. The
idea of government, of rule, as distinct
from statutary rule or law, had it's
origin in mans early social life. Then,
when the social group was small and
they dwelt in communistic style, all
authority was vested in the housefather
who settled disputes, punished or re-
warded as necessary, and demanded
and obtained implicit obedience to his
authority In the transition from
household to tribal relations, the house
father becomes chief, but, as there
may be several housefathers in the
tribe formed, all can not be chief, the
most powerful, or the most wealthy
rises to the position, the others receiv-
ing as compensation, the privilege to
form an advisory council and voice
on questions of greater moment to the
tribe. After time the tribes coalesce,
nation is formed, the chief becomes
a king, the chiefs council nobleman's
rank, beneath whom extend ranks of
lessening degree, all, however, desirous
of maintaining their own prestige and
afterward the kings. Yet higher
step in the scale, the king falls, his
aristocracy rules and oligarchic gov
ernment prevails. One more step and
the people rule, and Democracy as an
idea, pervades the social life. Centu-
ries, may be consumed by each race or
nation in this evolutionary process.
But such, in general, has been the path
of governmental progress throughout
social life from its inception. Centu.
ries may yet elapse ere humanity uni
versally demands and obtains the right
to rule itself. From this we see that
at first all were willing to let the au-
thority rest in the person of one, after
time others want to exercise modi-