The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-02-05

THE reformer is nuisance and
necessity. The most sue
cessful reformer is he who |
forgets all about himself, who
does not stop to consider how his pro-
posed reforms will act or react upon
himself, but merely contemplates what
their effects will be upon mankind at
large. The reformer who seeks to en-
hance his own glory is foredoomed to
fail. Only the reformer who can merge
his personality into the impersonal,
the universal Ego is worthy of wearing
the crown of glory.
When Jesus of Nazareth came down
to Capernaum, there was in the syna-
gogue man that had an unclean spirit,
and he cried out with loud voice,
saying: "Let us alone; what have we
to do with thee, thou Jesus of NaZa-
reth? Art thou come to destroy u.s."
Jesus of Nazareth was refOrmer. In
his presence the unclean spirit felt i'll
at ease. And in the presence Of re-
formers today the unclean spirits of
greed, and lust, and intemperance, and
vice, and envy, and selfshness, and a
host of others, cry out with loud voices,
saying: "Let us alone! We can't be
bothered with you. We are getting
along nicely; why do you disturb us?
What's the use of always fomenting
dissatisfaction with existing condi
tions and long established customs, in
the minds of the people whom we
fleece, or debase, or make tools of?
Have not the things which we are do
ing been done from time immemorial? :?
By what right do you pry into our
affairs? Are you come to destroy us
Go to: you are crank and a nuisance!
Let us alonev
Yes, let us alone. It's the universal
cry. A cry that issues from the mouth
of every professional wrongdoer, and
from the mouths of many occasional
wrongdoers the world over. All who
do deeds of darkness fear the light of
day. The biased judge, the corrupt
official, the bribe giver and the bribe
taker, the promoter of vice, the cor
rupter of youth, the vultures in human
form whose rapaciousness knows no
Initial these, and many more, stand
in mortal dread of the reformer, and
are ever ready to use their means and
power to have him squelched, or to put
him in the wrong light before the pub
lie. They insinuate that heis actuated
by selfish motives; they hint that he is
seeking notoriety; they bribe pulpit
and press to belittle him, to sneer hin
down; they employ the hyenas of so
ciety, outcasts and informers, to dos
his steps, to bes mirch his character, tt
undermine his reputation; and to tht
everlasting shame of mankind be Il
said, they too, too often succeed il
convincing the public that there il
more danger in reformers and thei
proposed reforms than in existing evils
however unmitigated, or evildoers
however brazen.
Especially is this true if the evils ar,
of long standing. Man is slave t.
custom. If certain evils have lon.
been tolerated in community tn,
public begins to regard them as neces
sary evils, and almost feels reluctan
to eradicate them, even if it is general,
conceded that the eradication of sucl
evils would be vastly beneficial to tn
community. And the reformer VIII
proposes change for the better is pro
nOunced dangerous innovator,
demagogue, and nuisance. aChurcl
and state adapt themselves to existing
conditions, evil tho they may be, an,
the eaters of the hallowed bread, an
the feeders on public pie call togethe
their sisters, brothers, cousins an
aunts; their sons and daughters, thei
manservants and maidservants, an
the strangers that are within thei
gates; and they all cry out with lou
voices, saying: "You're nuisance
What have we to do with you? Ar
you come to destroy us Let us alone!
But we are always in need of II
forms. Reformers may be nuisance