The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1900-06-09
Glass Oration.

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Class Oration.
CIVILIZATION.
The civilizations of past ages, found
ell upon the false ideas Of an Imperfect
moral and religious code have fallen as
all things must fall that ate thus
founded. Great nations have risen
and flourished for few hundred years
and then decayed. Such has been the
history of the past. SO uniform has
been the story Of nations and OF clyill-
cations, so regularly have they striven
up brayely through dificu'hes, ron
prosperously their noontide courses,
aud sunk into an inglorious decay, that
men have come to think OF theE and to
speak of them as of the life of man.
Recently, many of you heard from this
platform a debate involving this very |
question, and strange as it is that pes
simism should ever win, the decision |
was in favor of those who contended
for the periodicity of civilization and OF
social institutions.
Is it true that civilization contains
within Itself the germ OF old age and |
decay Is it true that only barbarism
Is immortalP shall not contend for
the superiority of modern civilization
per-se, | shall not maintain that the
average intelligence Of the individual
Of the middle class is greater than In
the time Of Pericles, that we have
greater law gIvers than Solon, OF
orators more inspiring than Cicero.
II would be hard to show that
the drama with all the improve
ments in stage scenery and httings'
produces mightier effects than In the
days Of Aeschylus, and what art has
gained IN color and expression 1t has
lost in form and proportion. Granted,
II need be, that the civilization OF the
present is not superior to that OF the
past the question romans, is Its per-
manence better assnredP
Examening some OF the causes of
overthrow and decay in the past, we
find that they are Of two general classes,
internal and external. The decay In
the morals of the nations led TO the
physical decay of the individuals. In
ternal revolutions were brought about
by dissatisfaction among masses, sys-
temalic injustice in legal tribunals, and
grinding expressions of conquered
provinces. The debasing religions
contributed largely TO the moral decay.
| Knowledge was confined almost sx-
clusively TO the priesthood, and this
they used to work upon the supersii.
tiOns of the ignorant, Bacchus, the
god of wine, was worshlpped every
where, greatly TO the moral and
physical decay of the races, and the
people were taught that the sole ann
Of life was pleasure and the gratiiica-
ton OF the basest passions. Slavery
also contributed to this moral decay.
Under the baneful influences Of this
system Incidence and inactivity took
such strong hold upon the people Of
the upper classes that the very facul-
ties and the powers that make nation
great were caused to wilher ana decay.
Often simple turn Of the wheel Of
fortu made a superb man the slave
Of one who was his inferior, and even
civilized nations slaves to barbarlans.
Epictitus was a slave, and so for a
time at least was Plato, yet they we're
among the greatest philosophers OF
their respective countries, and their
writings the greatest of any age.
Poverty, caused by the utter lack Of
political morality, was no small factor
in the downfall Of the older civiliza.
tions. Office was an honor not trust.
Fame and wealth were ends not means,
and were not sought 10 enable the pos.
SCISSORS to bless the lower classes,
whom the nobility were taught to
despise. 1t took Christianity fifteen
hundred years TO inculcate the idea Of
altruism fifteen hundred years TO teach
men that free schools, hospitals and
ioundling homes were better than mar
BILE temples to stone images, or hec'
atombs of victims TO lnsensate deities
Governments not only made no effor'
to improve the condition Of the lower
classes but corrupted by oligarchies oil
wealth, they promoted and confirmed
the hopeless dependence OF the poor,
and then lived in shlvering dread Of
J the Frankenstine Of their own creation,
Tacitus, the Roman Rousseau, main
tanned that the condition OF German
barbarism was better than the civiliza'
tlon of Rome, as Rousseau claimed, be.
fore the French Revolution that man
was happier without any government
at all than under the government.
Most civilizations in the past have
perished by being overrun by the
neighborlng barbaraus. Egypt, Baby
lon, Persia, and the Roman empire
went down beneath these powerful ex
ternal influences. This was made
possible by the moral and physical de-
cay brought about by the wealth and
luxury OF these nations.
The weapons Of the ancient wer'
: : such that victory crowned the rugget
strength of barbarians. A single
revenue cutter, such as we now have
would have sufliced to clear the Englisl
p coast of the Danes who harried 1t TO
two hundred years. A single gattlinl
gun could have warded off the Cimbr
and the Teutons who met Marlus il
Cis-Alplne Gaul, The odds are all II
y favor Of the nation that can use mos