Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-08-27

and he sets up his harem in one of our
great cities. One day an officer OF the
law comes To him ana says: This kind
of household is contrary To our laws.
You have seven wives too many" But
the oriental replies: Il have taken out
naturalization papers. and | am free
citi zen. / can live as l choose" But
the officer answers: NO; you are under
legal restrictions. If you continue to
violate them we shall send you to pris-
On as bigamist."
The land of the free? Yes, IL you
obey our laws. but not otherwise You
are free to do as you will in your own
home-that Is, If you do not abuse your
offspring. If you do. as an agent for
the Society For the Prevention of Cruel
~ to Children ! can step in and take
your children away from you. The
land of the free? Yes. but you dare
lures for il you do / can make you
wear convict's stripes. The land Of
the free! Yes, it is the land of the
free If you do not try to forcibly
enter my home. or rob my store. or re-
fuse to pay your taxes. or to so to war
as an American soldier when you are
drafted. or to serve In the jury box
when you are impaneled. You are
free. in social sense only when your
liberties do not conflict with the equal
liberties of some one else.
Not only does man have his physical
limitations and social limitations, but
also his mental limitations. AS the
United States government first has its
national legislature. and then this ma
tional form of government Is subdivid-
ed into states. and these states into
counties. and these counties into town
ships. so l find the great human race
Is divided and subdivided and again
reiivided in reference to its limitations.
And in no way can you trace these
limitations more than in the mental
makeup of the individual.
Educational Limitations.
Under the old educational system ev-
cry American college used TO exact a
hidebound course The young man
who was candidate for the Il. A. de-
=
mates. so much of languages so much
of the sciences. so much of philosophy.
so much of this and that and the other
thing. But now our college systems
have become broadened. The elective
system" is In vogue. Great educational
leaders have come to the logical and
right conclusion that what Is meat for
one brain may be poison for another.
Charles Sumner was one of the great
est men America ever produced. but 1t
was simply an impoSsibility for
Charles Sumner to grasp mathematics.
AS n result of this deficiency Sumner.
one Of the greatest Of all Massa-
chusetts' scholars. was unable to grad
uatc from Harvard college. When my
father graduated from college Howard
Crosby. then Il professor in the New
York university. declared he was The
finest student of bellies lcttrcs" who
had ever studied within the walls of
New York's great Institution of learn
ing. Hut. though my father was strong
In certain studies. he was very weak
in others. Among his weaknesses was
his inability To grasp Il foreign tongue
Fo. years he wanted to go forth. as
did my Uncle John. as n missionary to
foreign lands. He was. however. de-
tered from this purpose by the Ito HIM
almost insurmountable difficulty of he
coming proficient in foreign Ian
guage.
Sometimes there Is born child. as
was Edmund Clarence Stedman. with
brain of myriad possibilities. AS an
American poet he treads closely upon
the heels of our greatest poets. Yet
Stedman the poet is also Stedman the
Wall street banker. as he was also Sted-
man the famous war correspondent.
But such minds as that of Edmund
Clarence Stedman are the rare excep-
tons. For the most part God gives to
man but one first class talent and not
ten. The reason Theodore Parker be-
came the great power he was In his day
was because: as he said: Everything !
ever saw or did ground up into the
mental grist for my sermons. was
born preacher and can do nothing else
but preach" When L. 5. Grant drew
his sword IS commander of the Ameri-
can armies he carved out for himself
one OF the greatest names in American
history but u S. Grant made failure
at everything on earth he ever attempt
ed except the vocation of soldier.
Many u soldier has been failure as
statesman: many statesman has
proved his utter incapacity when he
tried to command an army.
Beecher and ilis Father.
The limitations of brain power can be
well illustrated by comparing the men-
tai makeup of Henry Ward Beecher
with that of his illustrious father. Ly-
man Beecher. one of the greatest eccle-
siastical leaders of his day. The ia
nous pastor of plymouth pulpit was in
every sense a prose poet. He spoke. he
thought. he lived. In symbol and pictur-
esque verbiage. The songs of the birds.
the beautiful wardrObes of the flowers.
the autumnal sunsets. the beehives. the
snow banks, the murmuring brooks-all