Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-04-27

feeble minded idiots ana epileptlcS.
Somewhere at some time somebody
has gone the pace that kills, and not
only has plunged himself into destruc-
ton. hut has carried others with him
or has left seeds of dissipation that
has sprung up after him.
never go through the morgue but
feel that above it's door should he writ
ten:
THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH.
y WY * :
never see HE idiots. the feeble
minded. the q ,lcptic and the crippled
children in III, department but that
am reminded nat the sins of the
father shall v, visited upon the child.
| never see decent old women come
weeping to the ..l;nshouse put that !
am sure there. ia a relentless fate that
mixes up the lives of men and makes
the innocent suffer with the guilty.
But while the germ of degen"racy
may not be eraG;cated or even regu-
lated. there is no doubt in my mind
that through the active agencies now
at work is being mi..imiZed. There Is
always the fool To bc parted IRON ms
money and there is ways that IN
pctuosity of temperam ut that must De
periodically appeascd neither IL mani
tests itself in drink or gambling or
any other form of dissipation But
statistics will show. l believe, that
urban peoples are better today than ~
any other period in the world : history.
The pace that kills is a vice that comes
with civilization and its accumulation
of wealth and its prevalence of pow
erty: for, as the fortunes OF a few men
increase the fortunes of many men ue-
crease. and the fool without money
goes the pace quite as dlsaStrouSlS l"
himself as the fool with money. some
men go it because they are rlch ana
some because they are poor. some pe-
cause they are well and some because
they are sick some because they are
happy and some because they are uh-
happy. Their attitude is much the
sanir as that of the man who drank
in cold weather to keep himself warm
and in warm weather TO Keep himself
cool.
As I said before. the germ of deSeh-
eracy works in all kinds of people ana
under all kinds of conditions. buI
with the advance of civilization there
has come q conviction on the part oI
students of municipal government INA
in municipal government attehtloh Is
is given rather to effect than TO cause.
New York city spends princely sums
of money in taking care OF crimlhaiS
and paupers 1t should pay more az
tention to the causes of CRIME ana
poverty. 1t is better TO remove tie
Y cause of illness than to take care oi d
I person suffering from an illness rs 'iic
, effect of that cause. 1t IS Detler -
prevent n man from becoming q ciiih-
| inaI than to lock him up after ne mas
committed n crime.
| Municipal government should not
only remove temptation as far as pos
sible from the weak, but 1t shoulh
work for clean environment Of It's
peoplo. It should reform the dwellings
of the poor. 1t should resuia'e
tcnements as we'll as it's gambuns
houses and dens of vice. Not tha' ti'
| morals of the tenement are naturaiis
| worse than the morals VI tiit
but that in an overcrowded tenefhe'l'
| there are more dark places IN Whicl
crime and filth can find a toothoio
Ithan in the mansion. Give ali 'i'
IpeopIe light and air and sunshine am
their morals will improve with tne,'
health. Crime hates the light. "i''
cleaner places to live in and cltane'
environment for all the people t"ei'
would be less use for hospitals any
prisons. The pace that Kills wou',
still continue, but to the wheels Oh III,
chariot of the fool that goes II woui'
be chained fewer victories ana thei
would be fewer fools to emulate ~
example.
The river must still give up It's de1u
the inebriate and the madmah inuS
still come to Bellevue: Fifth a'e"u
wine and First avenue whisky mus
still be drunk; and woman "o,'
sinned against than SHINING. must s.n
have her part in it all. But II ci.ie
, went moro to the root of things 'h''i