The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-04-27

THE IMPORTANT THING
"Of course the all important thing to
keep in mind is that if we have not both
strength and virtue we shall fail. Indeed,
in the old acceptation OF the word viz
tue included strength and courage, for
the clear-sighted men at the dawn of our
era knew that the passive virtues could
not by themselves avail, that wisdom
without courage would sink into mere
cunning, and courage without morality
into rutless, lawleSS, self-deStruc fe-
rocity- The iron Roman made himself lord
of the world because to the courage of
fierce and an Infinitely keener mind;
while his civilized rivals, the keen witted
Greek and Carthagenian, though of even
inner intellect, had less corruption ca
into their brilliant civilization until their
SlIeIlst N hst4 peer corroged as II Dy dcids.
IN short the Roman had character as
well masterful genius, and when
pitted against peoples either of less genius
or of less character, these peoples went
down.
AS the ages have rolled by the eternal
problem forever fronting each man and
/ each race forever shifts its outward
/ shape; and yet. at the bottom it is al
/ ways the same There are dangers of
peace and dangers of war; dangers of ex-
cess in militariSm and Of excess by the
/ avoidance of duty that implies nilitarism;
dangers of slow dry rot and dangers
4 which become acute only in great crises.
+ When these crises come. the nation viii
tte.--tPI- y t-A.N -
/ duces or falls to produce statesmen ike
I Lincoln and soldiers like Grant, and &C
! cordingly as 1t does or does not back them
f up IN their efforts We do not need men
/ of unsteady brilliancy or erratic power
[ unbalanced men. The men we need are
| the men as strong, earnest, solid charac-
I ter-the men who possess the honely viz
tues and who to these virtues add rugged
; courage, rugged honesty and nigh resolve.
+ Grant, with his self-poise. his self-com-
mand, his self-mastery; Grant, who loved
/ peace and did not fear war. who would
not draw the sword if he could honorably
/ keep 1t scathed, but who when he had
once drawn it would not return it to the
/ sheath until weary years had brought the
blOOd-WOn victory; Grant, who had no
/ thought after the fight was won, save Of
Ill 4 How
and who aspired to the presidency only as
/ Andrew Jackson or Zachary Taylor had
aspired to it Grant was of the type upon
/ which the men of today can well afford
/ to model themselves
OUR FIRST DUTY.
I ''Of course our first duty. our most i'm
| portant work. is setting our own house
in order. We must be true to ourselves
or else in the long run We shall be false
/ to all others The republic can not stand
/ if honesty and decency do not prevail
alike in public and private life; If We do
not set ourselves seriously at work to
solve the tremendous social problems
forced upon US by the far-sweeping indus
trial changes of the last two generations.
But in considering the life Of Grant,
it is peculiarly appropriate to renern Der
that besides the regeneration IN political
and social life within our own borders, we
must also face what has come upon US
from without. No friendlineSS with other
nations, no good will for them or by them,
can take the place of national self-rer
lance No alliance, no inonensfve conduct
on our part would supply, IN time OF need,
the failure in ability to hold our own
our own destiny by our own strength. A
vigorous nation like ours does not always
stay still Now and then there comes a
time when II IS sure either to shrink or to
expand. Grant saw to it that we did not
shrink and therefore we had to expand
when the inevitable moment came
Great duties face in the islands
where the Stars and Stripes now float
in place of the arrogant flag of Spain. As
we perform those duties well or i'll, Sc
/ will We in large part determine our right
to place among the great nations OF
Ia RI n r
the very spirit Of Grant If We are
frightened at a task, above all. If We are
cOwed or disheartened by any check OF
by the clamor of the sensation monger
we shall show ourselves weaklings. unfit
/ to invoke the memories of the stalwart
men who fought to a finish the great civil
war. If We do not rule wisely. and Il Oul
- -,,-l5-,- - Il -
who nave come undef our suarulansnll
/ then we had best never have begun tbs
effort at all. As a nation we shall have
/ to choose our representatives. IN those IS
/ lands as carefully as Grant chose the
/ generals who were to serve at the vita
points under him. Fortunately. so far tbs
: I choice has been most wise No natioT
/ has ever sent better man than We sem
. + 10 cuba when President Mckinley ap
| r5ofnted as sovernor-genera1 of that island
> / Leonard Wood. and now in sending judge
Taft at the head of the commission t
; / the Philippines. the president has again
: / chosen the very best man to be found II
all the United States for the purpose il
: ssPart of Grants great strength lay IL
the fact that he faced facts as they Wer'
: I
was not originally an abolitionist and h
probably could not have defined his view
as to state sovereignty. but when tn
) / civil war was on he saw that the onll
! / thing to do was to fight it to a finish ans
establish by force Of arms the constitu
tional right to put down rebellion. It i
= lust the same thing nOw-a-days with ex
pansion. It has come. and it has come Z
stay whether we wish it or not Certain
duties have fallen to US as a legacy OF tn
2 war with Spain, and we can not avofi
: performing them. All we can decide i
8 whether we will perform them well O
5 i'll We can not leave the Philippines. "
Z have got to stay there. establish orde
) and then give the inha bitants as nue.
! / self-government as they show they ca
? use TO advantage. We can not run ava!
E if we would We have got to see tn
{ work through. because We are not a IA
! { ton of Weaklings- We are strong mel
2 and we intend to do our duty
ITO do our duty. that is the sum an
substance of the whole matter. We ar
/ ( not trying to win glory. We are not try
r ing to do anything brilliant or unusual
e we are setting ourselves vigorously a
T ! each task as the task arises, and we ar
) I trying to face each difficulty as Gran
: faced innurnerable and eminently create
e difficulties. The sure way to succeed
: to set about our work in the spirit tina
f / marked the great soldier whose life thi
. day we celebrate: the spirit of devotion [
s / Justly and fearlessly with all men. an
: Of iron resolution never to abandon an
s / task once begun until has has bee
( | brought to a successful and uiumphan
conclusion