The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-03
Mankind a Noble Breed.

The joy OF her parents over the recovery
OF the stolen baby was shared by all the
people Of this country. There was no one
in any part of the American Union who
was not made happier yesterday morning
by the news OF the restoration OF tho little
girl to her leng-grieving mother 1t was
universal display of a common feeling Of
humanity which shows that the brother
hood OF man." of which we hear 30 much
talk. already exists. and that We shall not
have to wait for the millennium to celebrate
its coming
The tender sympathy aroused by the
stealing OF the Clark baby Is also accom-
panied by sense Of anxiety in many
thousands of homes concerning the safety
Of children necessarily committed to the
care OF nurses; but the very circumstance
that the incident became at once the lead
ing topic of thought and discussion through
out the Union, overshadowing in the minds
OF the people even the gravest questions
now agitating the civilized world, is con-
vincng evidence OF the prevalence Of
fidelity among servants. 1t was an
event which stirred tho sympathies OF
the whole community for the reason that
such periidy Is extraordinary. Many
thousands of little children are daily in
trusted to the care of nurses whose oppor-
tunities or temptations to bring anguish
to parents are the same as those to which
tho nurse of the Clark baby yielded SO
criminally. If domestic servants generally
were Justly liable to the suspicion the con-
duct of this single reprobate has tended
to throw upon them, the peace and security
of society would be destroyed ; tho whole
social organization would be in peril, for it
| rests necessarily on confidence in the in
| tegrity Of the employed.
Relatively. the employers are few the
| great mass OF society is made up of those
who render service, and their fidelity in it
must always be largely dictated by their
| own conscicnces and their own sense of
moral responsibility. 1t must come from
| within, for there is no outside power
| which can compel It, Even the law it
self is OF little avail to that end unless it
| Is assisted by the instinct or impulse or
| habit of right doing for the sake Of right
| doing in tho individual. Where there Ia
perverse and morbid prediction to crimi-
nality, usually indicated by peculiar and
typical physical and physiological character
istcs, it may, perhaps he frightened by legal
penalties from gratifying itself, but 1t can
not be eradicated by them. SO long as the
impulse exists in the victim he is never
safe in freedom.
| Tho comparative rarity OF the disease,
however, is proved by tho successful or
ganization of society on the necessary
principle of confidence in humanity. The
work Of the world cannot be done except
by taking risks in the honesty and fidelity
of men and women at the dictation of their
own sense Of integrity and self-respect.
The relation OF employer and employed
in the case OF domestic servants Is pc
culiar in that they are members OF the same
household. They must live together and
associate together, though the separation
between them caused by the difference in
herfunctions and duties may be as broad as
that between the furthest extremes OF the
social sphere, but even this exterior house
hold community would be impossible IL the
innate, instructive, and religious fidelity OF
the servant was not so general that it's ex-
istence could be assumed. No law, no Sc
verify of discipline could protect households
from prevalent dishonesty and perfdy
among servants, so many and so constant
| ulp NlO 'ppohbuilIl'o iol WV
OF criminal propcnsites in all families. The
moral sense OF the servants themselves
must OF necessity command confidence.
Many thousands OF children for instance,
are intrusted daily to the care OF nurses in
New York, far away from the observation
OF their employers. The most precious
charge which a parent can commit to an.
other is intrusted to them without fear OF
the suspicion OF fear. The incident OF the
stealing of the Clark baby shows how com.
plete must be the confidence which justihes
the taking Of 30 tremendous risk. And
it Is risk in the integrity OF human nature