The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-20

those of second-rate men, partly because
it has offered little constructive work to do.
Its duties have been routine, regulativo
duties; its prizes, only commonplace dis
tinction to honest men, and the vulgar spoil
of office to dishonest ones. The decline IN
the character of our public lie. has been
natural result of the lack of large con-
structive opportunities. The best equipped
men of this generation have abstained from
1t, and sought careers by criticism of the
public servants who owe their power to the
practical inactivity of the very men who
criticise them. In literature as well we have
well-nigh lost the art of constructive writ
ing, for we work too much on indoor prob
iems and content ourselves with adventures
the three books is which, hate fda hsi
most readers. and had perhaps the
widest influence on the masses of this gen.
grammeS mingled with very different pro-
portions of TRUTH, by whose fantastic phi
losophy, thanks to the dizziness of the. times,
men have tried seriously to shape the ma
tional conduct" Progress and Poverty"
Looking Backward" and Coins Financial
SCHOOL, Apostolic fervor, romantic dream
ing and blatant msinformation have each
capitVated the idle-mnded masses, because
their imaginations were not duly exercised
in their routine toll. 1t has been time of
social reforms Of the 'emancipation'' of
women, of national organizations of chill
minor vices and for the announcement of
minor virtues of the study of genealogy, OF
the rise. of morbid fiction, of journals for
ladies', of literature for babes, of melo-
drama on the stage because we have had
melodrama in life also-of criticism and re-
form rather than of thought and action.
These things all denote lack of adVentur-
GUS opportunities. an indoor life such as we
have never before had the chance to enjoy
and there are many indications that a life
OF quiet may have become irksome, and
may not yet be natural to us. Greater
neec t ina In5se eenpde PERIOD a1so OF
race never before enjoyed-sanitary i'm
provements, the multiplication of the de-
of hospitals and the application of benevo-
lence to the whole circle of human life
such 4. growth of good Will as we had come
Is this dream true? Or is it true that with
thousand years of adventure behind us
tons that do not feed the imagination? After
all, 1t is temperament that tells, and not
schemes Of national policy, whether laid
books. No national character was ever
shaped by formula or by philosophy; for
greater forces than these lie behind it,
even the forces of inheritance and OF
events Are we by virtue of our surround
ings and institutions, become different
people from our ancestors, or are we yet
the same race of Anglo-Saxons whose rest
less energy in colonization, in conquest, in
trade, in the spread of civilization, has
carried their speech into every part of the
world, and planted their habits everywhere?
Within a week such a question, which we
had hitherto hardly thought seriously to ask
during our whole national existence. has
been put before us by the first foreign war
that we have had since we became firmly
meaning of foreign possessions in world
ever growing more jealous, we have found
ourselves the captors of islands In both
great oceans: and from our home-staying
policy OF yesterday we are brought race 70
face with worldwide forces in Asia as well
as in Europe, which seem to be working, by
the opening of the Orient, for one of the
greatest changes in human history. Until
little while ago our latest war dispatches
came from Appomattox. Now our latest dis
patches (when this is written come from
Manila The. news from Appomattox con-
every statesman and soldier in the world to
thinking new thoughts about us, and to ask
ing new questions. And to nobody has the
change come more Unexpectedly than to
ourselves Has it come without our know
ing the meaning of it? The very swiftnesS
of these events and the ease with which
they have come to pass are matter for moro
serious thought than the unjust rule or
Spain in Cuba or than any tasks that have
engaged us since we rose to commanding
physical power.
The removal of the scandal of Spain's con-
troll of its last American colony is as Just
and merciful as it is pathetic--a necessary
act of surgery for the health of civilization.
OF the two disgraceful scandals of modern
disagreement, the one which lay within
world. But when we have removed it, let
us make sure that we stop; for the old
worlds troubles are not our troubles, nor
its tasks our tasks, and we should not be-
come sharers in its jealouses and entangle-
ments. TIE continued progress of the race
in the equalization of opportunity and in
tions, of which we, under God, are yet, in
spite of all our shortcomings, the chief
benefciaries and custodians. Our greatest
victory will not be over Spain, but over
ourselves-to show once more that even in
its righteous wrath the Republic has the
virtue of self-restraint. At every great
emergency in history we have had men
equal to the duties that faced The men
of the revolution were the giants of their
generation Our civil war brought forward
the most striking personality Of the century.
AS during a period of peace did not
forget our courage and efficiency in war.
so. we believe. during a period of routine
domestic politics we have not lost our
capacity for the largest craftsmanship. The
great merit of democracy is that. out of it's
multitudes, who have ali had a chance for
natural DEVELOPMENT, there arise, when &C.
casion demands, stronger and wiser men
than any class-governed societies have ever
bred.