The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-05-21

The cause of civilization is advanced by all who
labor. By the scholar taxing his health and energies
working far into the night over abstruse probem by
the souless corporation connecting two continents
with cable penetrating the primeval fastness
with a railroad; by the merchant, the sailor the
planter and the laborer. All are working for them
selves and for each other. No man can work only
for himself. If what he accomplishes is beneficial
to him, it benefits others we'll himself; if it is
harmful to him, it is also harmful to others at the
same time. An indissoluble, unseverable bond
connects all human kind. None can stand apart and
truthfully say "hs is for my benefit only" "this
hurts no one but myself" The interest of the in
dividua is in the final analysis the interest of the
And SO also the responsibilities of the
the responsibilities of the individual.
This great mutual interdependence of nations
this worldwide community of interest in which all
men are involved is becoming more markedly ap-
parent each day. What we call civilization is a
process of development from egoism to atruism and
the world is becoming civilized each hour.
Paradoxical as it seems the very selfshness of
is fastening the process. The other day word was
sent out from Washington that Secretary Wilson
greatly concerned the report that the foot
and mouth disease has appeared among the cattle of
the Argentine Republic. Fifty, yes, twenty years
ago every head of cattle on the Pampas might have
died and rotted without being once thought of by a
United States government official But civilization
advances in geometrical progression when once it
gets we'll started, and commerce has brought the
altruistic dream of brotherhood of man. almost
into the sphere of actualities. Today community
can live for long in isolation To try to do 80 is to
commit social suicide. China, bowed beneath the
yoke of tyrannous custom, is making the attempt,
but she will surely be broken up and assimiated
by more civilized peoples as the sun will rise to-
morrow. She must Cooperate with the force or be
overwhelmed by it.
We are all one people-human beings. In the
broad, logical sense, there nationalites, no
competing races. Unconsclously, we depend upon
each other to degree that makes the word indie
pendence, as applied to any of us, jest. The
Bulgarian peasant suffers from the failure of the
Minnesota wheat crop; the discovery of new mine
in the Transvaa affects the inhabitants of the North
west Territory; the bankruptcy of Barring brings
ruin to the small Australian shopkeeper; break in
the leyees of Louisiana or Mississippi bread
riot in Manchester and the threatened outbreak of
cattle disease on the plains of the La Plata may
reduce the wages of five hundred Chicago stock yard
EMPLOYEES who never heard of South America.
When come to realize thatthe interests of each
one are in the web and wool of the whole social
fabric thus becoming the interests of ALL there will
be fewer strikes hearty cooperation and less
class and sectional strife We brothers, all of u.s.
good bad and Indifferent, only we don't understand
it yet -
A READER of The MIRROR H. G. g., 8O3, takes
exception to what was said in these columns last
week in reference to Mr.. j. G.. Shedds published