The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1904-01-28
QUO VADIMuSl

|
A recent article in the Evening Wis
consin on the subject of pests in every
climate suggests some few ideas on the
actual benefits Of our modern civilized
! life The writer of the article recounts
| that when a yOuth at Pittsfield, Mass.
| IS years ago the thermometer register
e - degrees below zero, and yet Meth
CT he nor his companions had heat in
their bedrooms. 1t was frequenJ oc-
cnrrence, he writes, to break the ice IN
the pitcher for the morning additions
The lesson he draws is that boys and
men in those far off and uncomfo~. aDle
days were Just "a sturdy aud strong, if
not more so, as the boys and men OF to
day. He points to such men a. Wash
ington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson
Livingston, and Hamilton. all of whom,
barring the last named. lived to Il ripe
old age without the luxury Of furnaces
in their houses.
1t l. scarcely to be disputed that the
people Of past generations taking fully
into account the glamour which time IL
20 apt e. cast over the good old times,
were inst about ~ healthy and vigorous
A. are their descendants Of the present
dav And there is even less doubt that
their minds were quite rs energetic.
Luxury certainly breeds effeminacy to
a certain extent and young boys and
girls brought mp as hot house plants are
undoubtedly less fitted TO stand exposure
or to make heroic effort than were their
prototypes a hundred years gone.
The question then arises, OF what val
ne are the inventions and appliances
which we call modern mprovementsy
Are they of any intrinsic benefitY Is the
kind Of improvement which they De
note thing TO be desired? Civilza
tion -cem- to be progressing rapidly to.
ward greater and greater luxury for
everybody. Fifty years ago only city
hOuats were furnace heated Now, many
farm houses have furnaces. Then, the
farmer trudged to town on 'shank's
mare or rode laboriously behind - team
Of oxen or ponderous farm horses Now
h, boards u trolley car Il he the better
for IT.
There il no doubt that these modern
4
u life time than it was ever dreamed Of
doing II century ago. The farmers boy
may be less sturdy for riding into town
to school and coming back home to II
furnace heated room, but he certainly
soes moro and knows more Il he the
better for it, IA tho world the better
for it,
This is one Of those questions which
we admit we cannot answer Despite
the l3lct that being a newspaper we
are supposed 10 know everything we
must confess ourselves beaten utterly
when it comes down to a question Of the
roleu d1le Of things We see all around
M ample evidences of the trend Of civil
l2alion Wrread coniirmatory evidence
in the history Of the past. But when
we are asked why it should be thus and
not otherwise we are completely
-tnuped The great mystery Of the
ages, We are afraid il not for our Holv-
ing.
And yet It appears to u4 that there
must hc u reason for things There is a
constant change going on some purpose
must BE- il it. Why is it that human
nature has an instinct which tends to
make il coddlei itself, 20 to speak Why
does II always seek ont the sunny side
Of the house when it might be aturdier
~ battling with the windy Aidc2 Il it
because Of rctinements2 Il it because
.of higher morality, born Of the greater
knowledge which tho comforts Of life
ring 81 u-t OF what use il thi- higher
moraIityy OF what u-c il this increased
rehncrnent2 Whittier do they leadY