The record-union., 1898-11-30
PRESENT DAY THOUGHTS.
ny q. Grosvenor Dave.

0y Ne 0xOBVSAOR Law Os
Our New Sway.-Have you ever met
a. youth who was able to thoroughly
round out his whole course OF prepara-
ton before being thrust into duty? He
is rare creature. There comes 70 most
Of us a forcing out into wider work
while some loose ends hang around
what We are still doing. Nature seems
to have little patience with those VINO
are destined to do something more tnan
the present task, and she often pruSnes
aside the preparation and announces
that the new dutE will be It's own
teacher, and a more practical teacner
than endless preliminary work would
be. 1t is somewhat like learning to
swin--five minutes In actual water Is
more than five hours or swinging the
hands and of frog-legging theoretically.
None can dare say that our hundred
and twenty-five years of life as ma
ton have enabled US TO Vneet all our
problems and get our workable clear
ed and clean for the reception OF wid-
er task. We have not yet so mucn as
settled in equity our duty to the req
man: we have nowhere near learned
what we meant by claiming for all
life, liberty and the pursuit or nappi-
ness-we grant still liberty for hands
to remain idle that would like TO work,
liberty for life to be living death OF
gradual starvation, liberty for vice 10
flourish while virtue goes empty away
we have not yet assimilated the diverse
elements that have fed our national ii1e,
and we have here, there and yonuer
tester spots of opposition to our Gov
4ernment and it's ideals; We nave not
yet taught the men that we freed TO be
worthy of all that their freedom meant
nor have we yet come to understand
how the two races-both equally en-
titled to residence here-can dWell slde
by side in accord; we have not yet risen
in our might to rebuke selfish leglsia-
ton or still more selfish and unpatriotic
bosses.
A moments review shows us there
fore much of preparation and cleansing
that ought to have been done before. we
went forth into the outer world to I'M
press upon it some of our ideals anu
methods. 1t is pardonable regret when
we look back upon the things undone'
it is likewise no weakness for us To- take
a very serious view of the responsiblll-
ties that the sudden acquisition OF CO.
lonial possessions will involve
IT will rest upon us to maintain in
sight of the world good order among
those who have hitherto been strangers
to us. No favoring eyes, save OF those
who speak our tongue, will rest upon
us. No condoning difficulties will be
taken as an excuse for mismanage-
ment. The success or failure of Amerl-
can civilization and the ideals 1T stands
for. will be estimated by success or
failure in impressing that civilization
and those ideals upon millions ehat
have lived in the utter blackneSS or
darkness where no liberty was. Al
the very outset we shall be compelled
to- deny to millions whom we shall gov.
er1 the ballot that has hitherto been
the palladium of our liberties and the
medium for voicing our will. We
shall have under our protection as
weak but actual portion of ourselves
millions of savages and semi-savages
who are absolutely ignorant OF what
human aspiration and human freedom
mean. Within the limits of our domain
will swarm by myriads those who can
scarcely tell their ri-ht hands from
their left and whose minds are sunk in
the lethargy of idolatry or the confus-
ion of superstition They will be help
less to compete with our nineteenth cen
tury intelligence and yet the weakest
among them will be entitled to safe
guard from oppression and wrong and
injustice-social, commercial and poilt-
ica1.
Further than all this-as though 1T
were not enough to make us shrink
into humility--our relations with all
the governments of the world will be-
come increasingly sensitive. We are
no longer to be regarded as an Ameri-
can Power but world power; and
that will cause international jealousies
and suspicious over our every act; for
fear that we disturb the nice adjust
ments of the international balances.
Over against all the fearful and ex-
acting talk that lies before us, what
shall we set of encroachment?
The brains of those who think and
the hearts Of those who love even our
measure of human liberty, thrill with
belief in our destiny. Graded in re-
moteness, tended by those who choose
exile for freedoms sake, nurtured by
devout and devoted men whose heads
were endangered by the pledge Of their
hands, sustained and maintained
through trials from without and almost
volcanic descriptions from within, 1t is
not for naught that our great branch Of
the race that loves human freedom has
been brought thus far. We believe
that our light is not now to be set on
a hill in order to go out with greater
humiliation, because of the awakening
sense that we are as never before the
observed of all observers.
The very facing of the unavoidable
Uiuoc co,1ra Un The moment of Su-