The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-04


farmer. the manufacturer and the mer-
chant. giving TO each man his due. and
also seeing that he does not wrong his
fellows: but let Us keep ever clearly be-
fore our minds the great fact that where
the deepest chords are touched the in
terests of all are alike and must be guarded
alike.
I'VE must beware OF any attempt to
make hatred In any form the basis of ac-
ton Most emphatically each OF US needs
10 stand up for his own rights. all men and
all groups of men are bound TO retain
their self-respect. and, demanding this
same respect from others, to see that they
are not injured and that they have secured
10 them the fullest liberty of thought and
action. But TO hold a grudge against
others. while II may or may not harm
them, is sure i'm the long run to do infinitely
greater harm TO the man himself.
THE GREAT NEED.
.sThe more a healthy American sees of
ones fellow Americans. the greater grows
his conviction that our chief troubles come
from mutual misunderstanding, from fail
ure to appreciate one another's point of
view. In other words, the great need Is
fellow feeling. sympathy. brotherhood, and
all this naturally comes by association. IT
is therefore. of vital Importance that
there should be such association. The
most serious disadvantages of city life is
the tendency of each man to keep isolated
in his own little set, and TO look upon the
vast majority of his fellow-citizens indif-
ferentIy so that he soon comes TO forget
that they have the same red blood. the
same love and hate the same likes and
dislikes, the same desire for good, and the
same perpetual tendency, ever needing to
be checked and corrected, to lapse from
good into evil. II only our people can be
thrown together where they act on COM
mon ground with the same motives and
huy he objects. need nave
much fear of their failing TO acquire a
genuine respect for one another. and with
such respect there must finally come fair
play for all.
saTha first time / ever labored alongside
of and was thrown into intimate compan-
ionship with men who were mighty men
of their hand, was in the cattle country OF
the Northwest | soon grew 10 nave an
immense liking and respect for my asso-
ciates. and as / knew them, and did not
know similar workers in other parts OF the
country. 1t seemed TO me then the rancn
owner was a great deal better than any
Eastern business man, and that the COW
puncher stood on a corresponding altitude
compared to any Of his brethren in the
East.
well after little while I got thrown
into close relations with the farmers. and
Fl did not take long before l had moved
them uD alongside of my beloved cow
men, and made uD my mind that they
really formed the backbone of the lard
Then. because of certain circumstances
was thrown into intimate contact with
railroad men. and | gradually came 10 the
conclusion that these railroad men were
about the finest citizens there were any
where around. Then, in the course OF
some official work was thrown into close
contact with number of carpenters
blacksmithS and then In the building
trades-that is. skilled mechanics of q
high order, and il was not long before
had them an the same pedestal with the
others. BY that time it began to dawr
on me that the difference was not In the
men but in my own point of view, anC
that IL any man is thrown into close con
tact with any large body of our fellow
citizens IL is apt to be the mans own fault
If he does not grow 10 feel for them 9
TO understand that on the great question.
that lie at the root of human well-being
he and they feel alike.
"Our prime need as a nation is that every
American should understand and worl
with his fellow-citizens, getting into touch
with them so that by actual contact h.
may learn that fundamentally he and they
have the some interests. needs and aspira
ALL AFFECTED ALIKE.
.Of course, different sections of the com
munity have different needs. The graves
questions that are before US, the CUES
tons that are for all time, affect us al
alike. But there are separate needs which
affect separate groups of men. just as there
sre separate needs that affect each in
dividual man. 1t Is just as unwise to for
get the one fact as it is to forget the
other. The specialization of our modern
industrial life, its high development ant
complex character, means a correspondent,
specializing in needs and interests Will,
we should, so long We can safely dt
SO. give to each individual the largest pos
sible liberty, liberty which necessaril!
includes initiative and responsibility. We
We must not hesitate TO interfere when
ever IL is clearly seen that harm comes
from excessive individualism- We canno
afford to be emDirical one way tn
other. In the country districts the sur
roundings are such that man can usual,
work out his own fate by himself to tn
best advantage, In our cities, or wher
men congregate in masses. il is Otter
necessary TO work in combination; that is
through association; and here IL is that W,
can see the great good conferred by labo
organizations, by trade unions. OF course
II managed unwisely. the very power o
such union or organization makes 1
capable OF doing much harm; but on tn,
whole, IL would be hard TO overestimat
the good these organizations have done II
the past. and still harder to estimate tn,
good they can do in the future If handled
with resolution, forethought honesty an,
sanity 1t is not possible to lay down q
hard-and-faSt rule. logically perfect as [,
when the state shall and when the indi
vidual shall be left unhampered and un
helped.
I'VE have exactly the sar.e right to regu
late the conditions of life and work IN
factories and tenement houses that w,
have to regulate fire escapes and the Xix,
In other houses. In certain communities tn,
existence of a thoroughly efficient depart
ment of factory inspection is Just as essen
tial as the establishment of a fire depart
ment. How far We shall go in regulatinl
the hours of labor, or the liabilities of EN-
ployers. is a matter of expediency anC
each case must be determined on its owl
merits. exactly as IL is matter of expedi
ency TO determine what so-called publ,
WEATHER FORECAST.