The Portland daily press., 1897-02-13

Mayor james Z. Baxter.
content? / think in the inordinate de-
yeiopment,cf the critical spirit, which
finds 81 conspicuous expression in litera-
ture, in the pulpit, in some of our eduoa.
tional ms itutions, and wherever men
uather to discuss iocial problems.
Take up your morning newspaper. or
listen to the pulpit eloquence of some SO
called reforMer, anu you will have am
pie proof of this. Sometimes it see ms to
me that the pendulum of reform has
swung beyond it's proper limits; that
protest SO wisely employed by the fathers
Of, FEotestt ntism was running wild; had,
indeed, become Il mad protest against
every existing conGition, and | sigh for
little conservatism, which will allow
NE breathing space at least, a little firm
grounl upon which to rest.
10 the hitter AMI unmerited criticism
of Lincoln an Garfield, is due the assns-
sination Of those conspicuous statesmen,
and the same is probably true of Mayor
Harrison Of Chicago. Fortunately, the
malignant abuse of President Cleveland
has not found Judgment in the ferment
of % Guiteau's brain, or 1T might have
resulted in another horror. Consider the
abuse which is Icing heaped upon our
senators at the pre~ent time. Nothing
is too bad to say about them. They are ac-
cused by scribhlers anu ran!ers of every
crime in the decalogue, and sometimes
the pulpit, legret to say, re-echoes the
accusations a treaty OF arbitration was
submitted TO them few days ago, and
almost before they had time to reaG it, a
New York minister of the Gospel paraded
them before the worsnippers III his
church as Judasss. who would barter the
welfare Of their country for private adj
Mo ,Eotf +ha f1soG
be good or bad, or the senators wise or
unwise, these representatives OF great
states should not be held up to public
contempt in advance of their acts. A
man in our time may be ever so pure
and upright in public life, and yet as
sailed by filth singers at every turn.
A series OF meetings has just closed in
Boston, presided over by u pseudo evan.
gelist, who forsunjust criticism, may
perhaps say. malignant abuse, is hardly
surpassed by the political deInagogue.
anu this in the name of Christianity,
and very close to. tie dawn Of the twentl-
eth century.
Nor do our courts of justice escape.
These mad critics aesail our judges quite
rs freely as they do others, and yet the
ermine Yves never freeF fI0m faint of i'm
purity. than in our time, 1t would seem
hardly possible that the bar would fall
into the evil of which sresk, and yet
lawyers appeal to the prejudices OF Juries
when opposed to successful business
firms, and especially to corporations.
They are always ricu and greedy, and
their clients usually poor. The yooabur
larry Of abuse is exhausted for epithets to
apply so the opposing party, and class
prejudice is excited MS much as possible.
With this spirit prevailing, have we
cause for wonder, that our most notable
citizens are constantly held up to public
contempt, our bankers fcslIed Shylocks
and su indlers. our judges panderers to
injustice and corruption, our staresmen
trickstsrs and Judsses. and our laws de-
signed to mete out equal justice to all,
denominated ingenious schemes to make
the To0r poorer and the rich richer?
ask is it cause for wonder that men who
have net succeeded in life, should listen
to such words. and believing themselves
the victims of injustice and oppression,
shonld neglect that close application TO
their work W hiGh success iDeXOrably de.
mands ami join the ranks of a false 60
oialism, If not of anarchy? I speak now
of the men whose occupations prevent
them from having practical knowledge
of those matters which relate to finance
and jurisprudence and legislation. and
not of that host of crooked brains and
weak brains and no brains, or in assword,
oranks, wh) naturally follow those VINO
q journalism and pulpitsn which will
in no wise cater TO this da ngerous spirit
of discomfort by i'll considered and un-
Just criticism of men, and, indeed, Of al
most everything pertaining to our mod
ern oivilizationP l do not mean that all
criticism is to be abolished. just and
wei! meant criticism every progressive
and well Intentional man is hound to
welcome and to thank his critic for,
as he would his physician, who gives him
a bitter potion for his physical improve
ment, Saye a wise penmaD, LET the
righteous smite me it shall be Kindness
and let him reprove me it shall be m ex-
eellent oil which shall not broak my
head No one can justly complain of
the criticism recently made by New
York pulpit of the Bradley Martin affair.
Never was criticism more foroeful and
telling. but its spirit was calm, and its
purpose, evidenced in every sentence. to
check a dangerous evil to society. such
is wholesome.
[ deprecate too, the class spirit which
spri ngs out of this condition of things;
the constant attempt gto sarray working
men against proprietors and managers of
industrial enterprises. enormously classsd
under the specific title capitalists, who
are ifs much workingmen as those they
employ. Workingmsn 1t is a title of
honor. We, are al workingmen in this
country, and our prosperity lies in the
fact that we are workingmen, though
we do not all work alike. ] resent the
am not,,a workingman,
because lido not wieldthe pjckland spade
the hammer and saw, or other mechani-
cal implement. The man who digs in
{ he streets is no more a workingnan
than the merchant, the lawyer. the physi-
clan, the minister, and the editor. The
hand cannot do the work of the head,