The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-06-09

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Monroe with his
coat and placed a
chair near the stove for Judge Saw
yer. You said last week that rapid
transit was the remedy. I've been
thinking about it ever since, and blam-
ed if l can figure it out. l asked
Flanagan, the brakeman"
''What did Flanagan say?" asked
Colonel Monroe, with a twinkle in his
eye.
"He said it was easy" replied Jen-
kins. Gle said that with rapid transit
people could get to the divorce courts
quicker. Is that the answer The
postmaster looked doubtfully at the
colonel.
"Fllnnagan Is facetious," laughed
Colonel Monroe. THE problem is to
get our young folks before a preacher
and not before a divorce judge. Let
me light a cigar and I'll attempt to
explain"
Colonel Monroe rendered well worn
case to Judge Sawyer, and both
smoked for a few minutes in contented
silence.
Il presume I'm confirmed Opt
mist" the colonel said. Il cannot con-
vince myself that everything is going
to the bad, or that this old earth of
ours Is whirling in the wrong direc-
ton. Given a fair show, the average
man or woman will do the right rather
than the wrong thing. Despite all the
crOakers to the contrary, this Is a fact
Justice and kindness are normal in
stincts, and crimes are bred only amid
artificial surroundings. Therefore,
whenever l see any considerable fac
ton transgressing natural or moral
law l hesitate to blame them as in
dividuals, but look about for the con-
ditiOn or institution which is to blame.
Show me general tendency toward
misdoing, and I'll name to you faulty
condition or an imperfect social insti-
tuition"
Gam / to infer that you consider
marriage faulty institution" asked
u
mel Monroe.
"On the contrary, I'm its stanch de-
fender and certainly should be-" was
the reply. 81 will come directly at the
point desire to make. In my opinion,
the stupendous growth of our cities at
the expense of the country districts is
responsible for the decadence of mar
rage and the decrease in the American
birth rate. In 1870 out of each thou
sand of the population only thirty four
lived in cities. A hundred years later
pol out of each thousand were crowd
ed in cities, and today the number is at
least 320. There was no cry of race
suicide hundred years ago. No
come when nearly one third of the peo-
pie would be massed around factories.
All this has happened because of the
perfection of the machine Like huge
magnets, the massed factories have
drawn thousands from the farm, stack
ing them into tenement houses and
apartment buildings until one small
block contains the population of a ru-
raj county. And as the factories In
creased in size and number the tene-
ment houses have lowered higher. The
modest dwelling, with its lawn and
flowers, has disappeared. In such an
environment, where the sky is seen
only as a rift between solid walls of
m Il
pauperism have increased, and mar
rage, between Americans at least, has
decreased. The poorer class of emf
grants is content to raise a family In
such an environment, but not so with
the young man who was raised on O
farm or who once knew the delights
Of life where one can observe the beau
ties of nature"
Foreigners don't care where they
live or what they eat" declared Post
master Jenkins. There ought to be
law passed keeping out all foreigners
and sending back what's over here"
your remedy is rather drastic" re-
marked Colonel Monroe "I've observ.
W bSAOAN shAo thuI lliC Z COnSeINd-
tive man imagines himself to be the
more radical is his remedy when he
deems one necessary. The emigrant
has little to do with this problem. The
machine evolved it, and the machine
will solve it. Some day a poet will
write an epic ON the machine and i'm
mortalize his name"
"He will probably compose it on a
typewriter" said Judge Sawyer, smil-
ing. "Can you imagine a typewriter
epic, colonel?"
Hardly" laughed Colonel Monroe
That's very bad joke and I'm sur
prised at you, judge. But let me con.
tinue. The people have massed in the
cities and near the factories because
they had to. Consider the strides that
transportation has made in this coun
try. Fifteen years ago there were no
means of urban transit other than
horse cars available to the working
man, and these conveyed him to nc
point where he could secure cheap
rents. He therefore had to live with.
in walking distance of his factory, Or
If clerk. within easy reach of his