The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-31
DR.. James H. Garfield Lectures
Before the Teach ers.
EX-Kansas Man Greeted by q
Large Audience.
MADE PEOPLE THINK.
Address Was One of Great
Depth and Vigor.
Spoke of Those VINO Render
Daily Service TO Mankind.

"A pessimist, you know. is a person
who, when you offer him the choice of
two evils, takes BOTH
This is a sample definition given by
DIR. James H. Garfield, formerly of
Kansas" in his lecture before the
State Teachers association last night.
The high school auditorium was packed
to hear him. and he had the closest at
tention until he closed well on towards
10 o'clock. The lecture was preceded
by a half hours musical programme by
the department of music of the Uni
versity of Kansas.
DR.. Garfield, although now New
Yorker, holds a large place in the
hearts of Kansasc people. and espe-
cially the older teachers. When he was
professor in the University of Kan
sas he was once president of the asso-
citation which he addressed last night.
and he was also once president of the
National Educational association while
he was still from Kansas. Many men
who are now prominent in business and
political affairs of Kansas were stu
dents at the state university when DR..
Garfield was professor there. and
they drew much insDira ton from him.
After the lecture scores of his old
friends pressed around the platform to
greet him.
DR.. Garfield told of the great pleas
ure it was to him to return to the
prairies of Kansas, even for brief
visit. TT seems good" he said. Ito
be back here once again 1 feel as
though l had Just been down to Kan
sas City for while. but didn't like
the job and had come home again.
The subject of his lecture was THE
Rank and File but he failed to men
ton either Webb McNall or D. o. Nc
Cray. He spoke of 1.-The common peo-
ple,' but he referred to those who rem
der service in the daily walks of life
the janitors, the hired girls, the shop
girls, the railway employees, and others
upon whose faithfulness, intelligence
and loyalty, he said, the comfort of
other people depend. The address was
of the kind that makes people think. 1t
was full of meat from beginning to end,
with just enough of spice thrown in to
season it well. DR.. Garfield said in
part:
Every age has a peculiar character or
quality of its own Every century
seems destined TO be remembered be-
cause of some unique form of life or
movement. In the development of ma
tions we hear of the age of chivalry,
ton, the period Of constitutional gov
eminent, the Golden Age, the age of
steam, and the like. The present cen
fury although still in the beginning,
SC01IlS QSSllH0Q 10 De kuOWn as the age
of organization. It's peculiar feature
thus far at least is that of aggregation.
Everything is writ large" Everything
is in mass form. Competition which
was SO long deemed essential to develop
ment has largely if not entirely given
way to cooperation. The standard
phrase is that of community of inter
est" Combination, association, organi-
zation-these form the social and ad-
ministrative trinity of today.
Some find reason for faaT- in thacp
conditions. The vastness of all under
takings made possible by large and
general manifestation of this temper,
the tremendous power which seems to
pass to the unquestioned control of a
comparatively few men, the fabulous
money returns accompanying these en-
terprises. and the increased attention
and respect shown to mere wealth-all
these and more alright some timid
souls. That there is some ground for
this fear goes without saying All nat
ural forces have in them elements of
danger as well as elements of service
Electricity set free is frightfuly de-
structive, steam uncontrolled leaves de-
structiOn and death in it's path, dyna-
mite in the hands of the ignorant or
careless is constant source of both
anxiety and disaster. But no sane man
proposes for moment to deprive the
world of the inestimab1e benefits of
these great natural forces when proper
ly applied. Human self1shness and
shortsightedness are sure to use harm
fully any great movement of the hu-
man race-but the race moves on, al
ways.
THE REAL DANGER.
There is a real danger however. in
all this, and that is that the largeness
of 1t all, the noisy clamor of the swift
revolving wheels, the light reflected
from a thousand facets of human pur-
pose and human endeavor where once
there were but few and those rather dull
L
fuse US and set our judgment so awry
that we centre all our attention and
interest and hope upon a few figures
made unduly prominent because they
happen to be in the focus Just now
and are therefore thrown out upon the
canvas far larger than life; and that
we forget the rank and file, that pow
erful aggregation of individual life
which lies along the great average
lines Of daily existence. There is dan
ger that We fail to see that this period
of organization demands more impera-
lively than ever before the develop
nent of individual character, individual
purpose, and individual strength. not
only demands it, but must have it, in
deed already possesses it or the great
undertakings of the day would already
have failed. In the minor affairs of
life it is quite possible that a single
mind may be dominant and all others
subSeryient: but any underta king of
sure and broad foundation of close as
ISOLATION in large equality. Conscious
~ or unconsciously the tread of our
daily life is admitting the first propo-
sition; that only by intelligent associa-
ton, cooperation, may we hope for
success. This is true because only in
telligent co-opera ton sets free and
quickens all intellectual powers. gives
new breadth and stronger color to all
spiritual life.
Exclusion and seclusion are not only
unworthy of the age burt make this
age impossible. A striking proof OF
this is found in the tremendous rapid
ity with which four-corners are be-
coming villages and villages are be-
coming towns and towns are becoming
cities and each of a dozen of our cities