The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-02-01

THE FUTURE DEPENDS UPON THE Sue
CESS OF THE BUILDERS.
What would this country be to-day
but for its public spirited men? It is
exceedingly fortunate in that its pub
lie leaders in the past were builders
and not destroyers. What would it
have been if those who fought them
had succeeded? The future of this
town and county depends upon the
ability of the builders to overcome the
destroyers. Can we do it? Or shall
we surrender to selfshness and
demagoguery and obstruction? The
only way to treat people who stand in
the way of progress is to run over
them, and this is not hard to do. The
man who fights enterprise Is never
formidable. Selfishness and littleness
are easily vanquished.- There Is too
much at stake to let them stand in the
way. Those who have business inter-
ests, who are concerned in the pros
perity and happiness of the commun.
ity, cannot afford it.. Run over them.
PUBLIC OFFICERS MAY MAKE MIS-
TAKES, BUT WE SHOULD BE
MERCIFUL.
Nor is it the part of the public
spirited citizen to be perpetually
assailing public officials who are honest
ly endeavoring to do their duty in the
way of pnblic improvements. Doubt
less they make mistakes, but as rule
they do the best they can, which is
about as we'll as the average man
would do in their place. Blunders
have occurred but the town is in better
condition than if it had no streets; it
has reason to be, and is proud Of it's
splendid streets, superior to- those of
any other town. Why not stop this
decrying of every public movement? y?
THE WORK WHICH DEsTRoYERs MAY
Builders and destroyers are not con-
fined to matters material. They are
in other spheres. Education is con-
struction ignorance is destruction.
Morality is building up; immortality
is pulling down. Honesty, liberality,
charity are upon the side Of help and
benefit dishonesty. crime, avarice,
meanness are in the work of injury.
Every man is either upon one side or
the other. He is either building or
destroying. He cannot occupy an
equivocal or negative position. If he
is not for the pnblic good he is against
it, for it requires af1rmativeness and
aggression to build. Sitting still and
doing nothing is letting the world 60
to ruin. Allowing a house to burn l.
as much arson as applying the torch.
The man who is Indifferent to the
public interest, who wraps himself in
cloak of selfishnsss, is doing as much
harm as be who makes direct war up
on progress. There are very many In
this class. But no man has right to
sit still and receive the benefit of socie-
ty without contributing to its advance
ment. It is as much his duty to help
society as to help his family or himself.
Nor can any man long prosper who
thus withholds his just and rightful
duty from the pubic. The people
soon leave him, and they will neither
patronlze nor respect him. Much as
the progressive and public spirited
man may be criticized and misunder-
stood, the people honor ihin, and no
work that he does for himself will
bring as much to him as that which
be does for others.
WHEN A MAN is BIGGER AND
HAPPIER.
Then there is higher view than all
in this helping to build, this living for
others. It makes man bigger and
happier. He will grow thereby men.
tally, morally, and financially. The
process of selfishness is shriveling {;
that of unselfishness broadening. A
man must have a limited soul who
cares nothing for the esteem and hon.
or of his fellowmen. That life is very
empty which lives only to ITSELF
Who in the community in which we
live are those whose names are pre-.
served and whose memories are cher
ished? Is it not those who did some
thing for the public, who made some
contribution to the welfare of man
kind? Who among those now living
uill be remembered with gratitude
and honor? Will it be those who
permit their selfshness to dominate
all they do, who are full of envy and
jealousy, who oppose every public
enterprise, who are famed for their
uncharitableness and bitterness, who
are always hurting and never helping,
or will it be those, who however, hum
BILE and feeble they may be, are doing
what they can for the material, intel
lectual or moral advancement of the
world in which they live?
BEFORE WE GO TO THE SILENT CITY
WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING FOR
THOSE WE LEAVE BEHIND.
It will be but short time before the
silent city on the hill will contain all
who occupy the busy and bustling one
in which We reside. Nearly all Of
those who secured those public advan-
tage which are such source of pride
anu benefit to us are there now.
Would it not be better before we are
laid there that we spend our time In
aiding instead of opposing those
movements, which are for the COM
mon good, in covering with the
mantle of charity the short comings of
fellowmen, in writing our names up
on the records of progress, in laboring
for the promotion Of the material, the
social and moral welfare of our genera
tion? The best possible heritage we
can leave to those who will follow US
will be our records of sacrifice for
others. Instead of nursing envy and
bitterness, instead of obstructing and
destroying, instead of living seltishly,
let US strive to help each other, to ele-
vate and advance, that we may not be
remembered as misanthropes and
iconoclasts, but that there may be in