The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-05-30
To His Memory at a Meeting
Held Yesterday
IN SENATE CHAMBER.
Chief Justice DOSter and Mr.. G..
C.. Clemens
Pronounce EulOgiums on the
Authors Work.

} meeting at the senate chamber Sun
| day afternoon. The meeting was ar
ranged by Mrs. Annie L. Diggs, state
librarian, and was well attended. Ex-
Senator w. A. PETER acter as chair
man.
| The service concluded with a. testi-
monial from the entire audience to the
/ work of the author of Looking Back
| ward" In the form of a resolution,
Mrs. Diggs expressed her personal senti-
| ments, and asked that at the close of
| the reading all those whose sentiments
| accorded should rise to their feet. A
moment after she finished reading eve
| ry man and woman in the senate
chamber was standing.
The resolution read as follows:
"Bellamy's work proved once more
that yearning for the ideal is natural
to mankind and that the gospel of a
happier world needs only to be preach
ed wisely and In love to make a con-
quest of the world. From his success
we learn again the lesson, not new in
history, that truth should be affirma-
lively preached; that reformers should
hold up to sordid world a noble ideal
and let mems hearts judge institutions
thereby, and that the preaching of the
apostle, not the building of new poIiti-
cal machine, is what a waking world
now waits for.
Remembering and respecting the
transformations nature of Edward Bel
lamy, we desire to refrain from such
utterances as might be used to note
the close of the earthly life of other
men of great career and glorious
achievement. No language can supply
no rhetoric can adOrn too full or fine a
statement of the life and the service of
this great man, yet will we let the
WORLDS tongues exhaust their phrases
upon the worlds great men of other
sort, statesmen, heroes, the mighty and
nON-nTfTIl n TOo@ IA
we record in simplest words our tender
regard and our grateful recognition of
this man who stands apart in his large,
sweet service to his fellOWmen who
more than any other one has made it
possible for the nations of the earth to
so shape and fashion governments as to
prayer that Jesus taught; who has
pointed out the practical path toward
the realization Of Gods kingdom on
earth and among men,"
Short addresses were made at the
meeting by Chief Jstice Doster, Justice
Allen, G. c. Clemens, John w. Breid-
enthal, Clarence MeiIey, Mrs. Annie L.
DiggS, and Mrs. Althea Briggs Stryker
In speaking of the advancement of So
cialism since the publication of Bel
lamy's Looking Backward" Mr.. G. c.
Clemens said:
When Bellamy published his work
in 1889, you could not have called to-
gether an audience of this size to listen
to testimonials on the life of a man
" III Aidd OeA GU " preach the Kingdom
of God upon earth. You could not have
secured this beautiful hall to memoir
ize the life of man who was a self
confessed socialist. You could not have
in this country to print an advance |
notice of meeting where the man
who dared to preach exactly what |
Christ had preached 1,800 years ago at
the sea of Galilee was to be reVerenced. |
But what change has come to pass,
and that change we owe to Edward |
ILL
Chief Justice Doster's address was |
high tribute to the dead author. He said: |
knew him. I knew him as a troubled |
heart and disQuieted mind knows the great |
R0uPgh Stranger ane in It's sP Bodily f6f
Gains fear resolves doubt and inspires |
word of acknowledgment. AS a good ply |
stefan dispels the gloom of a sick chamber |
cheered the sick world and pointed the |
way to health by his simple entrance into |
stinctively he was recognized as the great |
physician He did more in his last years
luton of the problems of social life than
anyone since the mission of Christ was
ended. Everyone who has recently writ
ten has adopted his thought and pattern
ed after his plan.
doubt troubled at heart; I saw the world
in the depths of misery born of its COM
pnd inh9 H1 but knew " ne not how It
might be helped. Sometimes 1 thought 1
thought 1 I could see a better land. but its
outlines were vague and indistinct and
caught and fixed in the gaze. I read a
brief press notice of Looking Backward
plexities were at an end. Edward Bel
amy gathered my vague nebulous
me, gave them form and substance. He
not only told me what the ills of the world |
The industrial system of nation. like its
political system: should be a government
t. Since then I know What I am. 1 am
4 socialist. 1 believe that men should
other
Before BelIamy many men had written
volumes and learned philosoph-
cal essays to prove the competitive strife
IF the world to be wrong and communal
souls had ventured into experimental CO.
operative societies to demonstrate the bet
he state in its organic capacity should
'e resolved into commune. and that the
md agencies of government and adapt
hem to the demands of cooperative life.
functions and powers of government were
lot merely waiting to be seized and used
themselves into our hands for the purpose
If integrating and unifying the industrial
hat; he showed that the very institu-
ions of competitive life had overdone
md power. and in the frenzied effort to
void destruction at each others, hands
-ersal industrial state.
''Bellamy was the great constructive |
tatesmen of the world He told how things
ould be done and he told it with such
would not rather believe a lie and be
ahmed were convinced Men who like |
jefferson and Paine formulated theories !
# freer political government are deserv-
ng of high praise; so also those who like |
Aristotle and Bacon taught men the sci |
nee of thinking; so those who have
aught purer and more rational systems
f religion; but above all them 1 put the |
ne who taught men how best to live our |
ommon life of companionship and foil |