Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-01-05
n We Knew Each Other Better.

statesman, a soldier, a scholar, ar
jolly good fellow; but beyond setting
a good example by his own life, he
makes no pretense of being a sermon
izer Nevertheless, in the January
Century he has an article from which
the text might be taken for many a
helpful pulpit discourse, and which has
the meat for much thought on the part
OF all good citizens. 1t is a plea for
better fellowship and broader sym
pathy among the American people.
Neither our national nor our civic
life" he asserts, can be. what it
fellow feeling. the mutual kindness,
the mutual respect, the sense of COM
mon duties and common interests,
which arise when we take the trouble
to understand one another, and to as
sociate together for a common object.
A very large share of the rancor of
political and social strife arises either
from sheer misunderstanding by one
section or by one class, of another. or
else from the fact that the two sec
tions, or two classes are so cut off
from each other that neither appre-
ciates the others passions, preJudlces,
and, indeed, point of view, while they
are both ignorant of their community
of feeling as regards the essentials of
manhood and humanity"
There speaks the cosmopolitan spirit
which is the hope Of goth century
Amcricanis.0 Governor Roosevelt in
dicates, though less fully than he
would have been justified in doing. the
waning of sectional and factional
the past generation. 1t is doubtless
true that the American people are
nearer in full fellowship today, than
they have ever been before. 1t is the
habit of agitatOrs to draw alarm ing
pictures of growing aristocracy that
menaces the cause Of equal rights, but
the fact remains that the closing ear
Of the century sees less aristocracy IN
our land than any previous pei iod.
The anti-war aristocracy of the South
can never be duplicated i'll this c"un-
try, either in society, politics or IN
dustry. The failure of the PopoCl attic
damascSues in 1896 to array class
against class shows that the broader
democracy is strongly intrenched in
our land The recent war was a great
leveler. as wars have always been since
time began. But more potent i'll its
influence has been the wonderful in
crease in the means of communication
between the different parts of the
country. Distance no longer keeps
men apart, and great business interests
have knit together in common inter
ests sections and classes which were
once divided and local. Railroads and
the telegraph and telephone have
tended to make men much better ac-
uuainted and to increase the feeling Of
sympathy and dependence.
AS illustrating the point that in
innate acquaintance softens prejudices.
and that the different classes Of Amerl-
cans rise in mutual esteem as they
know each other better, Governor
Roosevelt gives this from his own va
ried personal experiences: Outside of
college boys and politicians my first
intimate associates We're ranchmen.
cow-punchers. and game hunters and
I speedily became convinced that there
were no other men in the country who
were their equals. Then | was thrown
much with farmers. and | made up my
whom the foundations of the common
wealth really rested-that the farmer
was the archetypical good American.
Then I saw a good deal of railroad
men. and after quite an intimate ac-
quaintance with them | grew to feel
that, especially in their higher ranks.
they typfied the very qualities Of
courage, self-relance. self command
hardihood. capacity for work, power ot
initiative. and power of obedience.
which we like most to associate with
the American name. Then | happene4
to have dealings with certain carpen-
ters' unions, and grew to have great
respect for the carpenter. for the me
chanic type. By this time it dawncG
upon me that they were all pretty gooC
Fellows. and that my championship Of
each set in succession above all Other
sets had sprung largely from the fact
that | was familiar with the set !
championed, and less familiar with the
remainder. In other words. l haL
grown into sympathy with. into under
standing of, group after group. with
the effect that | invariably found tina
they and | had common purposes anC
a common standpoint. We differed
among ourselves. not because we Ia,
different occupations or the same occu-
patton. but because of our ways Of
looking at life"