Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-03-20
DOWN WITH PEsslMlsM.

At the recent banquet of the Mariet
ia Board of Trade the editor of the
Leader took occasion to say that the
world has no room. no time. for the
Pesismist, an animal that is supposed
to have lived, IL at all, in the dead
ages. 1t develops, however, that
| there are in this country number of
men who possess ideas that would seem
to belong to the prehistoric class. Much
has been said concerning the utteran-
ces of these supposed leaders, who,
judging from their, preaching, are Of
the opinion that the country is on tn,
down grade and going everlastingly to
the bow-wows. However, it is gratify-
ing to know that their narrow-minded
views are not shared by people in gen
eral. 1t is generally accepted that the
country is getting along all right, and
that its progress and power are grow
ing more potential each succeeding
day. A writer in the St. Louis Globe
Democrat hits these pessimistic indi-
viduals some good, hard cracks, and
puts pointed pertinent proposition
when he states that it might we'll be
asked, in view of a number of utter
ances within the last year or two, what
there is in the atmosphere of certain
American universities and colleges
causing some of their leading officers
and teachers to express themselves in
an intensely pessimistic and even Sc
ditious spirit. Are any of the largest
universities dying at the top? An opin-
ion of this kind is forcing itself upon
the public. Once these institutions
were centers of vigorous patriotism
and hopeful Americanism, but of late
the spokesmen they put forward, or
who thrust themselves forward. take
great pains to despair of the republic
now and hereafter. Many of the re-
marks of Prof Norton. of Harvard. in
public addresses for the last two years,
have been bitter and spiteful denun-
citation not only ofgovernment policies,
but of the government itself The I'm
iversity of Chicago is hot-bed of pro-
fessors of the same stamp, and they de-
vote so much of their time to an expo
sition of national pessimism that lack
of anything to do in their professional
line is suggested Much to the sur
prise of the many friends of Yale, Pres
ident Hadley, the new head of that un-
iversity, has joined the pessimistic bri-
gade and is scarcely second to Norton
in getting close to the seditious line.
In an address deliverd in Boston last
week, President Hadley is reported to
have said: I'VE shall have an emperor
inWashington within twenty-five years
unless we can create public sentiment
which, regardless of legislation, will
regulate the trusts" But what sensi-
bic man believes that there is any real
danger of an emperor in this country?
There are doleful prophets who foresee
the end of the republic, and liberty in
chains, the moment they get excited on
any public question and find them
selves on the losing side. Their doxy,
whatever it may happen to be, is, as
they claim. the sole salvation of the
American people And yet the coun-
try runs along as well as ever when
the questions are disposed of in way
opposite to that insisted on by the de-
clamatOry JeremlahS. Our actlonS In
politics and in social and business
sense" continued Mr.. Hadley, prove
that our moral standard in those direc-
tions is desperately low" Strong Ian
guage that, a positive assertion that the
people of this country in business and
social affairs, have deteriorated until
their condition is almost hopeless.
The drift of President Hadley's ad-
dress is that the worst trust is that of
degeneracy in politics, which must be
overcome unless there is to be an en-
peror in Washington within quarter
] - NJ. I. I