Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-09-02
EA0LETs.

Dor is able to produce more than the
world can consume" This result has
been reached by the application Of
skilled industry to the development Of
the ample resources Of nature-the gift
Of the All.Father to His human chill.
dren. Inventive genius-planting, har.
vesting and manufacturing by me.
chanlcal methOds--has made II possible
for one mans labor to supply the
means Of life and comfort to hundreds;
and the same inventive genius. calling
to Its help vast combinations Of capital,
has created conduits for the distribu.
ton and exchange Of commodities over
large spaces Of the globe. by land and
sea. Naturally, the nations that IRE
most intelligent and enterprising rem.
der the largest service and reap the
largest benefits. Naturally. also, a
small minority Of any population be.
come captains Of industry, and direct.
Ors Of the great financial opera lions
which All the sluices Of business, and
make the mighty wheels 60 round.
This situation makes two things posi-.
bic. The strong and prosperous mn.
lions have It In their power to crowd
ana Cypress the lower or slower races
that still make up the large majority
Of mankind, and the few men whose
genius for management, or advantage
Of position, places them In the lead,
can compel their fellows to pay them
undue tributes and to depend on them
for permission to live on the planet. In
short, we have reached condition
where the human multltudes, by gen.
erous, equitable dealing, might live
with less exhausting labor ana more
rational happiness than ever before;
and yet It IL a condition where the self
ish use Of power may easily create new
and cruel forms Of tyranny ana serf.
dom, which must be the seeds Of con.
h!ct and revolution. 1t Is a good time
for men and nations to ponder the
principle Of nOblesse oblige.
Mrs. Oliphant, one OF the most pop.
ular Of English novelists, died lately.
and her life-partly written by herself
has just been published. There can
be no indelicacy In commenting on
facts which she herself has given to
the public. She began to write In early
girlhOOd, and wrote continuously
through middle life and on into old
age, when most women are tenderly
protected and cared for by their chill.
dren. She was paid large sums Of
money for her books. and with simply
ordinary expenditure for herself would
have accumulated sufficient for her
full support In old age--but she died
penniless. The reason was that she
maintained not only her own children
when they were left fatherless, but
her brother and his family. These
four men--her brother, her nephew and
her sons-when they reached mans
estate. willingly remained pensioners
upon her bounty. She was loving,
generous woman. She made for them
a full, luxurious home; gave them fine
clothes and dainty fare, and the best
education which England could pro.
vide. As the burden grew heavier she
worked the harder, not infrequently
writing all night. God had ennobletl
her with great mental gifts, but she
had no time left In which to give her
best work to the world. Instead, hast.
lily written novels, biographies and
anonymous papers were sold to willing
publishers to provide these four men
with the necessities and luxuries OF
life. They were indOlent and willing
to be idle, and dropped one by one
into the grave, leaving not one piece
of honest work behind them to justify
their lives. Was 1t altogether their
fault? There are countless homes In
this country where unselflsh men OF
women are sacrificing themselves to
support some unworthy son or brother
Already census statistlcians are spec
ulatlng on the new center of population
Of the United States to be revealed by
the coming census. The steady west.
ward course Of this invisible point for
the last half century makes 1t practic-
able to determine within reasonable
exactness its location next year. In
1850 1t was In West Virginia, south OF
Parkersburg. Thence 1t crossed into
Ohio at the next census and traversed
that State by slow stages until In
1880 1t had reached Cincinnati. In
1890 1t crossed into Indiana, still close.
ly following the thlrty-ninth parallel
and reached point few miles south
Of Greensburg. Its rate Of progress