Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-10-12
TRUTH AND RIGHT THE SAME
ALWAYS

The fashion, philosophy, religion,
right and truth of the current day, as
our wise men have discovered and pro-
Claimed. must accord and harmonize
with the times. If they, or any of
thenl, are out OF joint with the times,
they are wrong, though, later, they
may some day become right. Nothing,
II seems. is fixed or eternal; everything
is changeable and temporary, and
whatever is, is right" The Baltimore
Sun, finding some difficulties with prin-
clple and prs with truth and
wrong, and w.t.l right and agreeable,
at once reconciles them all by squar-
ing them With the prevailing error
Says that profound student of practi-
cal wisdom:
The man who is called a fanatic in
one generation, may be hailed as q
pioneer in the next, but that circum-
STANCE does not prove that he was I'M
Justly stigmatized at the time of his
unreasonable activity. We have had
instances In the history of our own
country of unreasonable bigots vlolat-
ing the laws of the land and stirring
up fnsurrection and strife, who were
quite justly regarded az fanatics, and
yet, under changed conditions they
nave afterward appeared rs men of
advanced ideas and sometimes have
been lauded for the acts for which
they were at one time condemned.
Again we are told
But men must be judged by their
fellow men by the standards of the
time in which they live. The unreason-
able Zealot of to-day is a fanatic be-
cause he is unreasonable, and the po-
oil, Nf tl,,@
make his views more tolerable, can
not change his present character. Fa-
natlcism is TO be avoided because IL is
the result OF a narrow view of life, of
an intolerance born of ignorance. The
broad minded man may not be MS zeal
Gus as the fanatic, but he is more lust
TO his fcllow-men, and is less likely to
lead them astray.
phis appears to us to be the doctrine
OIL eNpediency. or OF opDortunism. and
we cannot accept it. though we agree
that IL right or truth be novel and op-
posed to fixed beliefs and habits, it is
fanaticlsm, or madness, TO attempt TO
hurry or force 1t, upon any community.
unless one knows aud feels that he is
diVmely equipped for the task. But
that does not mean that one must go
with the multitude to do evil; or that
one should oppose the right and DENY
the truth or put out the light, because
men like darkness rather than light.
because their deeds arc evil. No! One
must abide by the truth and the right.
as he knows it, and seek to teach men
so; but evidently it often happens that
men are not to be taught BY shocking
and offending them; and he lacks dis
erection and common sense il he per-
sists when he discerns that he is want
ing the means of convincing and per-
suading. In truth. that should reveal
to him that the time is not ripe. or that
lie is not the man for the occasion.
Neither truth. no" right, nor bnth TO-
gether, authorize any man to act any
and every way he may choose. On
the contrary, right and truth arc under
the highest and most sacred bonds to
De wise, and not 10 do evil that good
may come oil it. In the hands OF men.
truth and right have no authority b,,t
suaS!on and persuasion; and they will
ana must convince, If their advocates
VIII be duly meek and patient,-cxcapt.
indeed, when evil men DEFY and pro-
yoke God until re orders good men 10
take the field Tor righteousness: for
God Will not always bear or strive
with men. Ii any man do not be-
lieve in God. SC much the worse for
MIN, and the more silly and wicked is
he; for his own disbelief is his own
creation.
AS great ana good virginian once
said: "That which is morally wrong
can never be politically right" ana il
is but corollarics of this to add. ..,rruth
that which is once truth. i.
always truth and "That all
truth and right are one for.
ever Falsehnod is but weeds but
many q supposed weed is truth. Many
Il wrong is done in the name of ripb,.
nut The wrong is there all the same.
hecausc 1t can never look other Than
IL Us, and 1t never dccevcs us. Nor
VIII u do to lie like the times. or TO
look like the times: for these are but
empty shams that heguile us to our
nndoing, though they put money in our
purse; for what shall il profit IL man
II he gain the whole world and lose
his own soul? BE men! Re true ana
right!
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THE MoNEY-RoBBERY CROWS.