The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-24

The Cry Of the Children and who was to write
of free Italy. Her lifelong friend. John Kenyon.
shrewdly remarked of the whole affair. Eliza
beth has immoral sympathy with power
In this immoral sympathy with power seems to
lie the moral peril of the finer spirits.
Perhaps the idea OF overt power exercises
upon highly ntclectualized nature the tascina-
ton of the unknown. The man who lives quietly
among ideas. strenuous in his own thinking;
steadfast in the pursuit Of moral and /, ,clectual
ends. is likely TO overeStinate the ability oil
the man who makes a stir in the world and
achieves apparent success. From the quietness OF
the contempiative life. the active life looks i'm
mensely dicult-more difficult probably, than
il really IS The bustling life Is 20 different from
his own that the dealist breads to apply ms
standards to it, and falls into the error OF
tolerating in another standard OF morals ne
would not for moment admit for himself
There come with this vast exaggeration OF
The difficulty of worknday success and curious
perversion OF normal moral estimate. The mere
INSCRIPTIONS 'smartncsS' Of The politician passes
for MaChavean virtue; a success based upon
the moral cowardicc Indifference of Others is
attributed to sheer moral force; mere trickcry is
raised to high policy: the corrupt politician,
who. so far from practicing these high qualities.
could not survive a single blast OF their might.
becomes the Carlylean hero; Matt Quay and
Dick Croker loom large before the imagination
Of the intellectual, like Napoleon or Caesar
Borgia." aas@
In making these acceptable generalties
applicable to Mr.. Quay it must be seen
that great injustice is done to one of the
purest and most incorruptible of
Republican leaders in Pennsylva-
mia or the Union. His methods.
whether recorcilable with conscience ard
public policy or not. are the recognized
methods of his party and his colleagues
and its management In his own State
he is the idol of the Republican rank and
file, and is justly regarded as represent
ing their intelligence and virtue in a man
ner almost human. II he is not superior
to the mass. he is not to be blamed. but
the law which DEGREES that a fountain
| shall not rise higher than it's source
The Evening Pest" should make allow
ances which apparently do not occur TO
the mind of its editor. Nevertheless, there
is an uncomfortable amount of truth and
sense in the idea conveyed in the clos
| ing sentences of the article from which
we have been quoting 1t concludes:
at is this homage of the Imagination. this
lnsidious and most immoral sympathy with
| power, that allows fearless men and clean men to
| maintain social relations with men with whom
ASSOCIATION is dishonor What personal relation
Is there that riglIt-feeling citizen might have
with Mr.. Quay. except that of bidding him
purge himself with the hyssop of penitcncc and
good works until he be politically and socially
clean! About year age President Hadey OF
Yale University. suggested that those who had
VIGOROUSLY acquired great fortune by dishonest
means should be socially ostracized. 1t was little
creditabie to our moral standards as we said
at the time. that most Npie found this PROPOSE
ton merely amusing. Ina zine the change il
this immoral sympathy with power should WELD
to clear thinking and steadfastness in personal
moral ideals. Could present lords Of mis-
rule stand for moment, if there were exacted
OF them by our best citizens unitedly the simple
moral standards which they exact Of themsclyes?''