The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-09


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save those which directly pertain to
the districts or States which they rep
resent.
"a second danger by which this ma
teriai progress may be attended Is In
dustrialism Industry y a divine bless
ing, and the exhibition of this Indus
try in all forms Is certainly not In It
self an evil. All contributions to the
development of our State are TO be
hailed and welcomed, but what I dread
is the Industrial or commercial spirit,
the sacrificing of the better life to the
less Significant; the refusal of the nm
err part of living, while we cling to the
husks. There Is no form of legitimate
industry that may be despised. All
work is noble; but that which may
harden us and may dull us to the high
er and nobIer reffnements of life Is the
spirit of money making. The very rap
idity with which our Southern country
Is being developed Is constant and
threatening temptation to the undoing
of our nobler life.
"And a third evil seems to me to
face us=-an evil which we are not in
the habit OF associating with our
Southern country; It is the evil of abb
senteeism. We all know what that
means in Ireland; it means the hold
ing of large landed estates by resi-
dents OF England. The landlord does
not occupy his own property, but living
at a distance from 1t, draws his In
come, which he uses elsewhere. We
are perhaps familiar too with the abb
senteeism In the form which It has
taken in the western part of our coun-
try. There are large bodies of land
lob, hos int l,a Aa -
foreign owners, who have no particu-
lar interest in the development of the
life in the land, except so far as may
increase their incomes. These large
tracts Of land are Withdrawn from the
use OF American citizens and made to
minister to foreign. capital.
"A form Of absenteeism that has
grown up in the South is in our indus
trial rather than in our agricultural
life. If one inquiries. for instance, of
the growth of the cotton industry, he
is surprised to learn that a very large
percentage of the stock of all our cot
ton mills is held by Northern capital
lists, and a very large number of the
managers and foremen of these facto-
ries are Northern men. Do not misun-
derstand me, / am not complaining OF
them as doing anything wrong. Surely
where there is so rich a field, which is
not occupied by ourselves. we would
expect 1t to be occupied by some one
who appreciates it's advantages and be-
cause we ourselves have not been
trained and equipped for these posi-
lions they are naturally surrendered
to those able to hold them. So It
comes about that our own men are
forced either to occupy the more hum
BILE positions in this Industrial life, or
to leave the State for larger opportuu-
tiles elsewhere.
"As I speak to men who are train
ing particularly for these Industrial
duties, 1t is surely not amiss for me
to say that their nearest duty 10 to
man and master these positions for
themselves; so to equip themselves for
the positions as to command them, and
so to use the position when command
ed as to establish beyond all contro-
versy their ability to manage and con-
troll large enterprises.
But while I would encourage men
to enter with zeal and ardor into the
field of industrial and commercial
prosperity, I would caution them again
and again that material prosperity
may render life sordid. and this sor-
didness of living is the one thing that
is utterly out of keeping with all of
the noble inheritance Of the past South.
To prevent this sordidness, this com
merciaI spirit. this single minded d.>s
votedness TO industry, which stands in
the way of that ideal progress which
makes a nations life beautiful is the
purpose of my final appeal. which is an
appeal for ideaIlsm. am well aware
that idealism itself is a vague term.
representing to many Of you an impal-
pable atmosphere, and suggestive. I am
afraid to many of idleness and day
dreaming.
'Tdealism is not merely painting
mental pictures; 1t Is not living unat-
tainable standards. BY idealism l do
not mean that vague endeavor to
achieve the unattainable, or that SEN
sitive withdrawal from the problems
of life for the purpose OF INDUCING
ones self in revery. The idealism OF
which I speak is to be reached through
| labor, through devoted labor, and does
not exclude all the rewards that may
come to honest toll. But If / could I
would infuse into you the spirit OF
| idealism which. with your permission.
I proceed to analyze into the three
| fundamental elements.
ITO the first give the name of art
| istry in work This is that spirit
which compels a man to do the very
hest he can, because nothing else sat
isfies him. 1t does not count prima-
rily the reward which he is to have:
It does not live for the selfish purpose
of getting some good for the man him
self; it is the pleasure that comes from