Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-03-15
Faith in Man.


near the close Of his life said, that the
main purpose Of his stories was to
help man to think better Of his
brother man. That was noble aim,
the conservation of fine gifts to the
service Of humanity. Whenever the
writer OF fiction works for that result,
when he porUrays the nubler sides of
life and points out those capacities
and tendencies which suggest posi-
bic greatness. then his work ranks
with the highest and his influence
makes for progress.
There has been need enough for this
kind Of work and so there is even now.
Mans thought Of his fellows has been
low. not altogether without reason:
there have been facts to Justify the
darkest descriptions. WickedneSS is
reality. and any view Of life which
does not recognize the enOrmity and
terribleneSS Of evil is false and harm
ful it perverts the moral sense.
Suspicion and distruSt exist because
man has been dGceitfuf and treacher-
GUS. he has shown himself unworthy
OF confidence. the baSer elements of
his nature have been supreme: coarse
and intense SelfishneSS has led him to
b9tray high and sacred trusts for his
own pleasures. We cannot wonder
therefore. at the presence of that
spirit Of suspicion which still fingers
amongst us: there is Il reason why
men are slow to impute the pureSt
motives and highest aims to others,
they have seen and perhaps suffered
too from deeds inspired by selfish and
base motives. 49, ... :,
1t may be that our low estimate Of
man may be traceable-tO the lingering
influence of an ancient doctrine of
human deprayity, this may blur our
vision and make it difficult to take q
j Just view of the present state of
society, and yet We are not wholly
, influenced by these theories, we have
personal experience which has much
to Go With shaping our views and
forming our judgments of mankind.
We have not only read the black story
of human WickedneSS=and cruelty, but
! we have been deceived hated and
9 Wr0ugcd and this experience cOlOrS all
: our views. We believe man every
: where is what nt-dpp2dTS ~ US. 4...
WhenaWe consider all this. it is not
, easy to take Il bright and hopeful view
Of human nature, and yet if we make
the effort to get q broader and deeper
view we shall see that the -pesSimiStic
view is not a complete one. The
CaligulaS and NerOs of history do not
: represent what man is, neither do the
i robbers and murdererS who find a
hiding place in our midst. today doing
their diabOliC work. these are barbar-
ians who still survive in modern
civilization, they are not the products
Of it.
It is impossible to get a true view of
man if we Judge him by past forms of
life or by an exceptionally base deed.
Many Of those terrible evils which
darken the page Of history no longer
exist, those worst forms of life still
present with rs are the SurvivalS of
SayagoTy. WickednesS has been
greatly modified. Civilization pre-
Sents Il new type of life.
I To know what man is we must take
the aveaage life and study it until we
understand it.
No one will claim that the criminal
is Il fair specimen of humanity, no
more that he will assert that the
diseased, the crippled and decrepit are
samples of American manhood. No,
we take the healthy, Stalwart farmer
boy, or the ordinary man, who knows
it is Il sacred duty to preserve his
health and whose physical powers are
in Il normal condition. lis g
And SO we must select the man who
represents the average moral condi-
tions of life if we would Judge it
fairly.
Now let u. look at this typical life
and try to get an accurate knowledge
Of it. What is the quality of this life:
~ hn ix-Al nd
ambitions Of the average man? What
tendencies of his life?
Let us make Il careful survey.
Watch his actions and 90 inward tC
their motive. We shall find he is not
altogether selfish, he can lose himself
in the welfare of others: there is the
spirit of self-sacritice, he will lay down
his life for home and country. If his
aims are not always the highest he
has feeling of contempt for what is
mean and degrading: he believes in
manlineSS and integrity and if he
sometimes fails to play the part of q
man he rencwS his efforts. ais Self-re.
SDect will not suffer him to do what is
diShonOrable and fall into worthless
ness; he has some sense OF the worth
OF life and strives to maintain its
dignity, TO save his manhood from
diShOnor and failure; he condemns
cruelty and oppression; he is faithful
to duty, fills responsible positions
without an abuse of trust: he can be
kind and generous: he sometimes has
gIimpSeS of the future-mOmentS
when an ideal shines before him
when he is convinced of what he
ought to be: he does not deny the
value of goodness, his Sympathies are
with intellectual and moral improve
ment.
This average life represents habits
OF virtue, fidelity, integrity, sympathy
generosity, reverence for truth anC
disposition toward goodness. AnC
yet. this life is very much hidden, that
is, we do not come close enough to see
how prevalent these qualities are. We
decide what human nature is from the
deeds which are made public and moi
by an insight of the deepest anC
strongest tendencies of the hidden life
of the people. We hear of defalca
tion in New York or murder il
Chicago. From the millions Of people
the reporter rakeS up every crime anC
gives you its full detail: the telegraph
brings all the iniQuitieS from the end:
OF the world for your daily peruSal
but we have no report of that steady
loyalty to truth and right-that devO
tl0n to duty-that patriotic service tC
which we owe our national prosperity
and stability. We are startled Wher
We read of some shameful abuse o.
public trust and begin to doubt if Their,
is any morality left in public life, anC
yet IL 1T were not for general honesty