Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-05-09
LESSON IN A DREAM
AN ADVOCATE OF CAUTION AT THE
DEVOURlNG CONFEDERATION.
The Man In Authority Who Guards
the Door of Opportunity Against
the Demngogic Fireman-Wil We
Put Out the Fret
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
l dreamed l saw a great fire. Black
clouds of smoke shut out the sky.
Flames dazzled the eye. They leaped
and roared and cracked, but some
times above the roar and din could be
heard the shrieks of human beings,
those who were shut up in the burning
buildings. Such as could escaped, and
in the streets were men, women and
children, homeless and shiyering. We
hear the welcome sound of fire engines
as they come changing from the west,
from the north, from the south. They
make ready to pour streams of water
upon the blaze and stop the rushing
fury from making further ruin. But
there steps forward one having au-
thority and says: Pause! Wait! 1t is
true that the sweep and rush of this
fire have brought grave troubles in
their train, but we must not forget
what a good thing fire is. Fire is a
need of the human race. Think what
would be our fate if fire We're entirely
put out. You have only to let your
thoughts dwell on the cold hearthstone,
the raw food, the fires dead in thou
sand furnaces where metals are work
ed up for your use, to see that we must
take great care in dealing with fire
not to destroy it. Do not adopt the
policy of the demagogue who raves
TTcn
and remember that fire is one of the
things we should specially foster. Aft
er fire has reached certain stage it is
indispensable that we exercise over it,
cautiously and with self restraint, the
power Of supervision and regulation"
The firemen listened thus far. Then
one of them pushed aside the man in
authority as if he had been a feather.
and the engines did their work. The
fire was put out.
awoke to find in my hand President
Roosevelts speech delivered at the
Charleston exposition. ! read again
these words, which had read before l
slept, and 1 did not wonder at my
dream:
"Our astounding material prosperity,
the sweep and rush rather than the
mere march of our progressive mate
rial development, have brought grave
troubles in their train. We cannot af-
ford to blink at these troubles any
more than because of them we can af-
ford to accept as sure the gloomy fore
bodings of the prophets of evil. There
are great problems before us. They
are not insoluble, but they can be
solved only if we approach them in
spirit of resolute fearlessness, of COM
mon sense and of honest intention to
do fair and equal justice to all men
alike. We are certain to fail if we
adopt the policy of the demagogue,
who raves against the wealth which
is simply the form of embodied thrift,
foresight and intelligence, who would
shut the door Of opportunity against
those whose energy we should espe-
cially foster by penaliZing the qualities
which tell for success. After COM
binations have reached certain stage
it is Indispensable to the general well
fare that the nation should exercise
over them, cautiously and with self re-
straint, but firmly, the power of super
vision and regulation"
Do you see the parallel? If not, |
fear you have failed to read the signs
of our times. What could you think of
q man who in the presence of a fire
which was burning up people and their
homes should stop the firemen and lee
ture them on the value of fire?
ino i, htif fnntubt
every visible spark Of fire on the planet
should be eXtinguished tomorrow morn
ing millions of cook stoves would be at
work, thousands of furnaces and steam
engines would send forth their smoke.
The inconvenience from the stoppage
would be only slight and short. But
suppose the firemen in my dream had
acted on the advice of the man in au-
thority. There is no computing the aw-
full suffering and destruction that
would have followed. Far more dis
astrous will be the result if the country
heeds the cautious words of President
Roosevelt regarding the present indus
trial situation. | care not how good
and just and wise man may be in
normal situation, when he has been
crowned with authority and given
salary of $4,000 a year he has been
taken far away from the many people,
and let him try ever so hard he cannot
see with the eyes or feel with the
nerves of the workers in field, forest
and factory.
Let US carry further our comparison,
substituting for fire the things Presi-
dent Roosevelt would have US careful
to save. He sees that 1.-The sweep and
rush of our material development have
brought grave evils in their train"
but he warns US to proceed cautiously.
While caution is a good thing in its
place, "grave perils" require other and
more active virtues. Read again this
sentence: 1--WE are sure to fail if we
adopt the policy of the demagogue who
raves against the wealth which is sim
ply the form of embodied thrift, fore
sight and intelligence, who would shut
the door of opportunity against those
tpl1 fngs