St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-06-29
The Spirit of Reverence

the government have been in sore con-
fiict, where suspicion, strife and hatred
between class and class and even between
individuals exist and where things have
been done that almost out Russia the
Russian government in her most cruel
days, all because there is no deep-seated
reverence for law and righteousness and
for the best interests OF men.
One of our United States senators is
today convicted criminal because he
has unlawfully used his official position
for personal gain. No one doubts his
guilt, yet he is still at liberty and retains
his seat in the senate because OF what
many who do not profess to be skilled in
the intricacies of our common law, con-
slider a weak spot in our Amerincan gov
eminent. namely, the right to appeal
from one court to another on the slight
est technicality. This may be wise
and necessary provision, but that it is
most shamefully abused, and in many
instances completely thwarts the real
object for which our courts are supposed
to exist, no one can for a moment doubt,
for in its actual workings many a
wealthy culprit and those who have a
social or political "pull" are practically
treated as innocent long after an intelli-
gent and impartial jury has pronounced
could not happen if the decisions of our
lower courts were held in the reverence
that they ought to merit in the minds Of
men.
We cannot greatly wonder that work
ing men and those in the more lowly
walks of life are sometimes lawless when
they see the lawless rich people escape
punishment.
realize that it is a serious problem
that here confronts the American people,
for the very life of our nation is hereby
imperilled, and no ones personal safety
or his interests are secure until a deep
seated reverence for life and property, for
law and order becomes reality.
Sometimes the public is rudely awak-
ened to the real conditions of affairs by
the wanton assassination OF a beloved
president, or by the selfish, unfeeling at
titude OF the coal operators and other
trust magnates who seem in their corpo-
rate capacity to show no disposition to
obey the law; and who certainly manifest
no sympathy for their fellowmen; or
again by the cruel tyranny of trades
unions whose members are ready to hound
to the death any law-abiding husband
and father who dares attempt contrary to
their mandates to earn an honest penny
for the support of his loved ones:-and
then the cry goes up from the press and
the platform everywhere. All law must
be held in reverence by all classes of
people. But the echo of this strong,
healthy voice soon dies away, and the
selfish irreverent spirit leaps to new life
and seeks new victims until some sore
calamity brings it up short again for
little while.
Now the vital question is: How can
we foster the reverent spirit and make
its place prominent and impregnable
in our nations life? / know of but one
way-and that is to insist on having one
standard of truth and of justice for all
classes of people and to demand that all
men hew close to that line.
To be sure you cannot legislate truth
and honor and righteousness into the
hearts of men. But you can make men
afraid to do wrong if from no higher
motive because of the material cOnSe-
ouences ofthat wrong that are reasonably
sure to follow them. 1t should at least
be possible to have one in unyeilding law
of honor and of rectitude for rich and
poor for the individual and the incorporate
body, for the native aud the foreigner,
for the white man and the black. But
this possibility can never become a real
ity until christian men actuated by holy
unselfsh motives, enter the field of
politics and ennoble mems conception
of public service and until christian men
in all the walks of life heartily support
them in every laudable undertaking.
There is great need of a deeper reverence
for character in the life of the state. The
reason why many of our best and mob
lest men hesitateto enter public life today
is because in the eyes of many their past
character, stainless as it has been proven
by many crucial tests. counts for very
he oorfn arSf he
yellow journal, and the more yellow
demagogue, all seem to delight to des-
troy a public mans reputation, and to
impugn as they would never think of
doing in business life, every word and
act of the statesman and alas it is sadly
true, that an evil report of a man, how
ever it originates, will travel faster than
a good report.
Now, the manhood of America must
come to the front and assert itself in
these matters; and although men will
always differ on great public questions
and political parties will always be
necessity, yet on the great moral ques-
tions to which reference has been made.
on all questions that vitality affect the
whole lite of the nation, there should be
allowed no favoritism of any kind.
Neither wealth, position nor anything
else should exempt man or any body of
men from wholesome respect for, and
reverent obedience to, the benehcent
statute laws of the land.
And, as has already been strongly i'm
piled, the men who make these laws and
the men chosen to administer them must
themselves be of such strong characters
and of such sterling worth that they
can command and demand the hearty
support OF all good citizens of every shade
of Dolitical and religious belief when they
assume their high Office. For in a democ-
racy the people rule; and the majority,
as expressed by popular vote, have the
right of way, and it is inevitably true
from the very nature of the case, as the
honored chief magistrate OF our nation is
wont to say, that in the long run men
are going up or down together.
1t is this great truth that leads me to
reaffirm the statement that we, as a
people, must pay the most careful atten-
ton to character building. And this
remark leads to the final suggestion l
would make, namely, that in the life of
The +Lera must he a LARGE Dlace for