The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-08-26

formnnce squares with it---that has got two
sides to 1t. In the hrst place II man Is
honest he will try Just as hard 60 keep a
promise made ON the stump as one made
or the stump. In the second place, u the
people keep their heads, they won't wish
promises to be made which are impossible
OF performance.
Now you see that one side OF that ques.
ton is my duty and the other side Is
yours Mankind goes ahead but slowly
and Il goes ahead mostly through each Of
us trying to do the best that is IN us, ana
doing II In the most intelligent and sanest
way. we founded our republic on the
theory that the average man as a rule viii
| do the right thing; that In the long run the
major are going to decide for what IS
sane and wholesome, II our fathers were
mistaken In that theory, n ever the mass OF
the people do what is unwholesome, what
Is wrong, then the republic can not
stand care not how good It's laws; I care
not in what marvellous mechanism it's con-
sHtution may be embodied Back OF the
law, back of the administration, back OF
cur system OF government lies the average
manhood OF our people. In the long run
we are going to go up or go down, accord
| ing to the average standard Of our citizen
ship does or does not wax in growth and
grace
Vow, when we come 10 the question Of
good citizenship the frst requisite is that
/ the man shall do tho homely, everyday,
mum drum duties we'll man Is not a
/ good citizen, don't care how lofty his
/ thoughts are about citizenship in the alb
/ stract. II IN the concrete his notions don't
bear them out, and It does not make much
| difference how high his aspirations for man.
1 kind Rt large are II he does not behave
we'll IN his own family. those aspirations
are not going to bear very visible fruit.
/ He has got to he good breadwinner; he
hne got TO take care Of HIS wife aud chill.
/ dren; he has got to he a neighbor whom
his ueighbors can trust; he has got to act
squarey in his business relations. In fact
he has got to do all these everyday, or
binary things or he is not a good citizen
DUTIES OF CITIZENSHIP.
"But he must do more than that In this
country Of ours the average citizen has got
to devote a good deal of thought und time
n the affairs Of the State as a whole, or
those affairs are going to 60 backward.
That time must be devoted steadily and in
diligently. II there is any one quality
which is not admirable. whether In ma
ton or IN an individual. 1t Is Mysteries The
man or woman who makes up for ten days
Indifference to duty by eleven days morbid
repentance about that Indifference Ia Of
very scant use in the world.
Now In the same way, II is Of no pos
sibie use to decline to 90 through all the
ordinary duties of citizenship for a Ions
space Of time and then suddenly get ~
and feel angry about something or some
body not clearly defined in one s mind and
demand reform as II It were concrete sub
stance and could be handed out forthwith.
Now. this Is n preliminary to what
want 70 say to you about this whole qucs
tion Of corporations as affecting the people
There are very many difficult problemi
with which We are faced as ono Of the re
suits Of the forces which. taken all TO
gother, we speak ~ as progress.
1T Is worse than useless for any OF US Z,
rnll at or regret the great growth IN IN
dustrlal civilization of the last half cen
fury. Speaking ncademicaly, we can. ac
cording to our several temperaments. re
gard that tho old lights have, vanished nj
not as we choose. BOSTON ami the thrlvln.
cities Of Massachusetts, have been built m
as result Of those forces There IS bu
little use IN rcgretting that things have no
shaped themselves differently. The prac
teal thing to do is to face rne condition.
as they are and see II we can not get III,
best there is in them out Of them We ar,
not going to get any complete or perfec
solution for all Of the evils which come I,
our minds when we think OF the trusts b,
any single action our part A goo,
many actions IN good many different way
will he required before we get many o
those evils even partially remedled W.
have got 10. first Of all. think clearly W
have got 10. probably, experiment some
what We must, Above all, show by GU
actions that our interest Is permanent ani
not spusmodlc, and VIC have got to see tina
all the steps are taken toward the solu
ton. Every one who thinks knows tina
the only way in which any problem @
great Importance was ever successful
solved was by consistent and persistent ef
forts toward given end, effort that ii
not end with any one election or with an
one year. but was continued steadily team
perately and resoutcly,
, WORDS Al FACE VALUE.
1T is little difficult 20 set clearly ba
fore rs all If the evils, but THlNi
THAT THOSE GENTLEMEN AMI
!. ESPECIALLY THOSE GENTLEMEN OF