Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-12-24

parentS who do not know their chill
dren; their development. their thoughts.
the dangers they run, the hopes they
cherish, are to them closed book.
Many children do not know their par
ents, have no suspicion of their diff
culties and struggles, no conception OF
their aims. And l am not speaking OF
those piteOusly disordered homes
where all the relations are false, but
of honorable families. Only all these
people are greatly preOccupied; each
has his outside interest that fills all his
time. The distant duty-very attrac-
tive, don't deny-claims them entire
~, and they are not conscious or the
duty near at hand. / fear they will
have their trouble for their pains. Each
persons base Of operations Is the field
of his immediate duty. Neglect this
field. and all you undertake at dis
lance Is compromised. First, then, be
Of your own country, your own city,
your own home, your own church, your
own workshop: then, IL you can set out
from this to go beyond it. That is the
plain and natural order, and man must
fortify himself with very bad reasons
to arrive at reversing it. AT all events.
the result of SO strange a confusion Of
duties is that many people employ
their time in all sorts of affairs except
those in which we have a right to de-
mand it. Each Is occupied with some
thing else than what concerns him, Is
absent from his post, ignores his trade.
This Is what complexities life. And 1t
would be so simple for each one to be
about his own matter.
Another form Of simple duty. When
damage is done who should repair il?
He who did It, This is just, but 1t Is
only theory, and the consequence OF
following the theory would be the evil
in force until the malefactOrs were
found and had offset it. But suppose
they are not found, or suppose they
cannot or will not make amends?
The rain falls on your head through
a hole in the roof or the wind blows
in at broken window. Will you wait
to find the man who caused the mis-
chief? You would certainly think that
absurd And yet such is often the prac-
tice Children Indignantly protest, Il
didn't put it there. and 1 shall not take
1t away And most men reason after
is not the kind of logic that makes the
world move forward.
On the contrary, what we must learn
and what life repeats to us daily Is
that the injury done by one must be
repaired by another. One tears down.
another builds up; one defaces. apnth-
er restores; one stirs up quarrels, an
other appeases them; one makes tears
to flow, another wipes them away; one
lives for evil doing, another dies for
the right And in the workings of this
grievOus law lies salvation. This also
is logic, but a logic of facts which
makes the logic of theories pale. The
conclusion of the matter is not doubt
full. A single hearted man draws ii
thus: Given the evil, the great thing is
to make 1t good and to set about it on
the spot Well indeed il Messrs. the
Malefactors will contribute to the rep
aratiOn, but experience warns us not
to count too much on their aid.
But, however simple duty may be,
there is still need of strength to do il.
In what does this strength consist or
where is 1t found? One could scarcely
tire of asking. Duty Is for man an
enemy and an intruder SO long as 1t
appears as an appeal from without.
When 1t comes In through the door he
leaves by the window: when 1t blocks
up the windows he escapes by the roof.
The more plainly We see 1t coming the
more surely we fee. 1t Is like those
police, representatives Of public order
and official justice. whom an adroit
thief succeeds In IeYadipg. Alas. the