Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1900-03-14
We Want a Living Org lnism.

With the approach of every great
political contest in this country men
have gone up and down the land ex-
hortingy you to organize, ORGANIZE. Or
CAME Unless you felt a keen i'm
Serest in the issues to be decided, they
might as well have beeuf beating the
air with fail. And even if you did
feel interest enough in the outcome to
be anxious to see your party succeed.
you have doubtless felt that organ
ization was much less impor tant than
these exhorters claimed, and won
dered why you and other men could
not just go quietly to the polls on
election day and vote your fellows in.
without all the tomfoolery OF political
clubs, torchlight parades. and endless
speeches to men, all blu: the smallest
fraction of whom were as impervious
to opposing argument as duck is to
water.
Never fear; am not going to at
tempt to controvert these ideas with
any of the stereotyped argument
for organization. You all know
how much stronger an army is
than mob; and you realize the force
of all that could be said to demonstrate
order. There is something, however,
better than organization, though it
will not render that unnecessary. I
mean what will perhaps best be un-
derstood if call it enthusiasm. A
human cadaver is wonderfully or
ganized piece of physical mech
anism. Every nerve and artery
and muscle, every bone and
sinew and tendon in its place. and
perfectly adapted to the ends it was
intended to subserve. But without
the power of life, the body is only a
useless, an unsightly, an offensive
piece of carrion, rapidly becoming
dangerous and deadly. Well, the
finest political organization, without
the life and soul of earnest conviction
on the part of its members, is no bet
ter than a corpse. Politicians who
work only on the lower levels and
seek party success only or chiefly that
it may help them to power and pelf,
are always inclined to put the body be-
| fore the soul, to insist upon organiza-
ton rather than devotion TO principle.
| 1t is the safer plan for them Moral
enthusiasm is something that can't
always be kept within reasonab BILE
bounds. 1t is liable to upset plans
and defeat schemes. It may burst all
| barriers, and devastate like a flood or
scorch like a fire. But l set out to
indicate how enthusiasm is developed;
| how
| small as grain of mustard seed, and
yet grows until it becomes spread
ing tree reaching up to heaven. A
noble thought, an unselfish aspira
ton for human welfare arises in
some breast. is communicated to
others. Each new convert to the idea
becomes a thought center from which
radiate suggestions of good to bt
accomplished along that line. These
thought waves are reflected and re-
reflected. Every new mind in which
they find lodgment becomes center
of force, and the power of the idea
grows, not in proportion to the num-
bers who accept it, but multip led as
each new factor affects all the rest
The progression is not arithmetical
but geometricaL The light does mo-
spread in line nor plane merely,
but upwal DIS, downwards and in all
directions,
Organization will come fast
enough, when the spiritual forces
stir human souls, but it can neve
take the place of those forces "Wher'
a mans treasure is, there will his
heart be Also" is the declar
alton of the Old Bible. Is it no
equally true that where a mans hear
is, there will his treasure be? Lee
him come under the influence O.
an irresistible convictions; let hin
not only apprehend the truths
that are essential to his salvation
from industrial slavery, but let then
seize hold of him, and sway him a.
the wind sways the forest, and h
will pour out his substance like wate
to promote the oncoming of the king
dom of brotherhood and love among
men.
1t matters comparatively little wha
men hold the offices; it makes all tn