The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1904-01-15
1903 AMo PROSPERITY"


the moral forces Of the nation.
II is an article that should arrest
attention:
There is no questioning the fact
that during the past year this country
made u marvellous advance ia almost
every form o. material progress and
prosperity rs we'll a. 10 many depart
meuts Of the arts and sciences. There
was "A wonderful increase in business
aud vast accumulatiOns of wealth.
Many miles of railroad we're con-
structsd, and the earnings of the roads
were vastly Increased. Crops were
ABUNDANT. Manufactures were so aug
msnteu that new fields were sought
snd found in foreign countries, baf-
ding foreign competition and extend
lug our trade on every continent OF
the world. Mines yielded enormous
ly in iron and coal, in gold and silver
and other valuable metals. Electric
ity was applied to new and surpris-
ing uses. Large cities and even rivers
were tunnelled to make new avenues
for trace and travel; aud where there
was not room above ground for the
increased movement of our products
and our people, strata of hidden rocks
were pierced and new lines o. inlet
and outlet constructed. The difficult
ties and Instructions OF nature were
defied and overcome by the cOnstrue.
tive genius of our engineers, inven-
tors and mechanics. Darkness was
turned into light aud night into day,
even in the very bowels of the earth.
Everywhere was seen evidences of the
restless and Unsuitable enterprise and
energy of the American people.
But be Prof. Huxley said in his
memorable and warning address at
the Johns Hopkins University nearly
thirty years ago, What are you go
ing 10 do with all these things? What
IL to be the end to which these are the
means? You are" he added, "mak-
ing q novel experiment ia politics on
the grandest scale which the world
has yet seen. Forty millions at your
first centenary; it is reasonable TO be
expected that at the second these
states will be occupied by two hun
dred millions Of English speaking
people, spread over an area as large |
rs that of Europe, and with climates |
aud interests as diverse as those Of |
Spain and Scandinavia, England and |
Russia. You ana your descendants |
have TO ascertain whether this great |
mass will hold together under the /
FORMS of q republic and the despOtic
reality of universal suffrage; whether
state rights will hold out against CEN
tralIZAtiOn without separation;
whether Capitalization will get the
better without actual or disguised
monarchy; whether shifting corrnp-
ton is better than a permanent bu-
reAucracy; and as population chickens
in your great cities and the pressure
of want is felt, the gaunt spectre of
pauperism will stalk among you, and
and socialism will claim
to be heard. Truly America has a
great future before ber-great in toll,
in care, in responsibility; great in
true glory if she be guided in wisdom
and righteousness; great in shame if
she fail. l cannot understand why
other nations should envy you, or fail
to see that it is for the highest inter-
ests of mankind that you should sue
coed; but the one condition Of suc-
cess; your sole safeguard, is the moral
worth and intellectual Eclearness of
the individual citizen"
These are the words of philosO-
pher and sage, and we feel we cannot
quote them too often. They have a
special import and emphasis at this
time, in our feverish rush for supre-
macy and in the mi st of our new
and untried exploits abroad. Are We
evincing 1.-The moral worth and in
tellectual clearness" which be warns
rs to keep ever in view a. essential