The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-01
idle singer of an empty day"

primarily from his devotion to any settled
policy looking toward imperial domain
imperial domain has come to him in the
natural course of things, because he has
proven himself to be a serviceable man.
HAD the Frenchman shown himself as
practlcal coloniSt as the Englishman.
there is no reason why he might not be in
possession of Canada and the Mississippi
valley today. And had the Spaniard been
q hard-working, l!berty-loving tiller of
the soil. willing to hew wood and draw
water that he might have an Independent
nome make his own laws, give his chill
aren liberal education and worship in a
Tree church, protected by free state,
Texas and California, to say nothing of
cuba and her sister islands, might still
acorn the crown of Spain. The Anglo
saxon has often been as truculent and
sometimes as unjust as any other man.
But in the Anglo-Saxon mass there has
always been some saving leaven that
sooner, or later made its influence felt
upon the side of right and law, Of justice
and of freedom.
Now then: If af. er all these genera
tons the words If our Lord concerning
the secret of greatness still remain as true
and significant as ever, how are we to
stand with relation to them, and what
are we going to do about the meaning of
them? believe that on this Thanksgiving
DAY one Of the good gifts of God for which
we should return humble and hearty
thanks is the presence among our people
OF an element that has always lived its
civic life in the light of just this truth.
Iruculent, boastful, silly and irreverent
as very much of our public speech with
reference to foreign affairs has BEEN sell
1sh as great deal of our public action
mas been, still we have never wanted
some men who dared to speak the truth
and to do it. Nor have we ever seen the
time when there was not great and
always influential section of our people
who were guided primarily by moral con-
siderations. | am perfectly well aware
that these very people have sometimes
dlnered among themselves. That proba-
ply was never more clearly illustrated
| than during recent discussions over the
question of so-called imperialism a" 1t is
equally certain that they have not al
ways had their way. Sometimes because
they have been needlessly unlovely and
NeXauous and negative in their criticism;
sometimes because they have despised
| those practical matters of organization
winch their opponents never ignore; some
| times because even when they all stood
together and did their best, they We're in
an absolute and seemingly hopeless mi
nority. But the minority that is right is
never hopeless. In all the crises of our
national life we have never lacked either
majority or a very considerable minori-
| ty that took conscience into account. And
a considerable minority that takes con-
science into account is always in the way
of becoming majority
1t is no part of my purpose this morning
to discuss the question which has been
agitating us so generally during the past
year, as to our relations toward those de-
war have attached to us. If l refer to it,
1t is only by way of illustration. Men
have grown excited over it, Some have
| been bitter in their utterances pro and
con. Some have simply scolded Some
| have been loftily contemptuous. Honest
men have been divided. and neither has
been willing to admit that his fellow on
the other side was quite honest. The real
point at issue has been befogged and cum.
bered with words and passion. The whole
thing must finally be brought down to the
dictum of this great truth of our text
No man can say dogmatically whether
the United States of America can have
colonies or not, although a man may very
properly say that If our government be
not elastic and adaptible enough to admit
the possibility of such possessions, then it
Is so far forth a failure. But of this we
may be reasonably sure: That if all our
dealings with these new communities so
suddenly brought under our protection be
animated by the spirit of honest servicea-
bleness, even our possible mistakes will
scarcely harm US. If, on the other hand,
we count them as so much spoil, to be
proud of, to boast about. to exploit for
our own benefit, the beginning of the end
has come for us.
Thus far in our national career we have
managed to govern serviceably Very
price for the setting right of certain
grave mistakes, yet serviceably enough
upon the whole to make our land the very
hope and dream of multitudes oppressed
by evil governments or bad social condi-
tions Have we, indeed reached some
halting place where the question is TO be
press forward or turn forever back2 1t
may be. ! do not know. But this | do
know, that the day of our decadence will
date from the general acceptance among
US of the doctrine that a community,
whether it be household, a city, col
ony or a nation, exists primarily to be
plundered instead of to be served. That
doctrine is abroad, Our greatest city is
nVOWp0lV +.
1t finds utterance in every party to
greater or less degree. With its advent
into the individual life, or into the life of
a party, greatness and the possibility of
greatness take their leave, never to re-
turn while this evil thing holds sway. 1t
goes by many names If by imperialism,
you mean the going out to win a place by
force among the world peoples, grasping
all that we can, and living in the faith
that what another gains we therefore
lose then imperialism is form of 1t. If
in politics, the pestilent heresy that to
the victorious party at the polls belong
all Offices appeals to you; then you are
in its power. If you are so good party
man as to boast that whatever the party
does you can be counted on to indorse,
then your party fealty is bitten with the
infection of it,
l do not know a more important theme
for our consideration than the fostering of
a spirit of disinterested public service
among our youth. If but one generation
could go out into life clear-eyed and pur-
poseful with reference to this truth, that
the only greatness that can possibly en-
dure comes of service, 1t seems to me that
all the future would be saved to us.
There are two suggestions concerning
lines along which endeavor toward this
end may be made In the first place. we
need a very much clearer and graver en-
phasis laid upon the dignity and respon-
sibility of the Individual. That dignity
and responsibility is threatened from
take up against the so-ealled trust But
raise the question whether great and
seemingly abnormal aggregations Of capt.
tai are not likely to undermine in o con-
siderable degree that fine sense of owner
ship of self and power to initiate enter
prises that belongs to man if he be a
whole man. The socialist, who has much
to teach US, and who ought to have a
more civil hearing then he always gets,
threatens manhood the moment that he
begins to roll off upon the state burdens
of responsibility that men should take
pride in carrying for themselves. The
trades unionist, with his perfect right to
organize and to agitate and his large
sphere of usefulness in the way of mutual
help and protection against unjustifiable
exaction, yet threatens manhood and
threatens 1t seriously the moment that he
begins to dictate either to employer or
workman the conditions under which men
shall be permitted to labor Honest pride
in honest and competent handiwork seems
to be at a discount.
Without some sense of 1t, Joined to a
willingness to be of service, no communi-
ty can know lasting wealth and peace or
find the way to eminence. And the sooner
we get all sorts and conditions of men to
thinking that a man himself, and not so
ciety or heredity, or anything or person
outside himself, is primarily responsible
for what he is and may become, the
sooner we shall find the body polite en-
joying health instead of grooming with a
multitude of Ills.
A second centre whence this healthful
influence may radiate is the home. l saw
last week a statement that in the past
averaged one for every eighteen mar
rlages. do not vouch for the figures.
But they are credible enough. Ponder
upon their significance. They mean that
in multitude of homes the marriage re-
Iaff Tito oh,