The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-05-21

hope of protection and happiness.
1t Is strange that some persons, who, by
virtue of superior reasoning powers have
placed themselves and families out of GER
tain dangers, should condemn with I'M
FASHIONED spirit those who cannot take
themselves out of danger, should condemn
persons because they do not use in case of
accident a degree of reason which their
unprotected positions show they have not.
Primitive and savage crimes will be fol-
lowed by primitive and savage punish
ments. When all people cease to believe in
lynching, then the crimes for which peo-
pie are lynehed will have ceased.
AS to the remedy for such troubles we
will be disappointed If we expect TO re-
move them at once. We must not forget
that judging people by any standard that
they will be found to vary in inappreeiable
degrees from the worst to the best, no two
being equal.
Hose was not devil among a nation Of
saints, but there are those in our country
that are better than Hose assuming Hose
to have been the worst MANI to about the
same extent that assuming our population
to be 700O0,00O 900 is more than Co.
$685. or. in other words, one-seventy- mil
lionth better. There is not a marked off
and distinct class of such criminals as
Hose; but such criminals are close kim in
point of morals to the whole lump. There
has been thousands that have swung to the
brink of sucn crimes as that OF Hose and
as many women escaped yet such narrow
escapes not being known or suspected, at
tracted no attention. Hoses crime was the
feather that broke the camel's back. :,
The disposition to commit such crimes,
more or less patent is always here. Hoses
act and the consequences merely has turn
ed loose passions that existed before a de
fused state, in a concentrated state a.
Our advancement from the savage state
has not been gradual, but undulating.
Dark ages and reformations of various
lengths have followed each other, the gen.
eral direction being toward a higher CIV
ilization, and with favorable conditions
there is no telling to what perfection our
social state may attain.
The same law that has done so much to-
ward wedding out whatever is objection
able-animals, unruly and savage men, and
whatever was bad-will by degrees purge
society of imperfections, the most objecS
tionable being disposed of first This pro3
cess is slow, but 1t works wonders in time
When we think of the inhuman deeds tas
seems now of the past committed by the
best people of that day, and compare
them with our civilization, which is only
high comparatively, we may lead to think
that we may reach a state in which tho
worst citizen will not be bad EXCEPT in a
relative sense. n
Improved modes of intercourse will soon
throw the whole world in close touch. The
different races of man will lose in that
time much, If not all, of their Individual
ity Their different colors and political
and theological dogmas will crumble. We
see a gradual blending and fading out of
these distinctions now 1t would be hard
to see the cheekered course of events.
The separation of the races could only be
temporary, for the human race will soon
spread all over the earth and we will only
have postponed the trouble; besides, of the
two evils, the keeping OF the negro here
may De the lesser. w. r. PHILLIP.