Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-05

ton of the human race is steadily
improving, and there is much we ought
to be thankful for.
Fault Is Our Own.
Notwithstanding the harpings and
croakings of the calamity howlers,
theorists and cranks who would have
us believe the country was going to
the dogs. and the peepls Tere rushing
pell nell to perditinn. while we are
not as happy and prosperous as we
might and would like TO be, yet if we
let our eyes glance backward across
the line of years, and let our life pass
in review before us we will readily
come to the conclusion that nine times
out of ten the fault was our own. The
millineum has not yet come and the
people are still long ways from per-
lection. But we are progressing and
marching steadily towards the goal.
Our own country leads the van. carry
ing our civilization and liberty around
the world, planting ii in the islands of
the southern seas, and in the far
distant orient, where it is already
bearing fruit. as the war between Rus
STA and Japan has fully demonstrated,
where a great big ignorant giant is
fighting desperately for his life,
against n little scientific up-to-date
pigmy genius. and the world stands
aghast at the spectacle, and the alarm
| list holds up his hands in holy horror
and cries out against the so-called yell
| low peril. 1t is a bugaboo that will
| never materialiZe. 1t is simply a con
test on one side with a twentieth cen
| fury civilization. in the personnel of
one of the oldest races in the world.
who like fash of lightning coming
| out of a clear sky. has emerged from
| the lowest depths of oriental barbar-
ism TO the highest pinnacle of civ
| ilization and knowledge and stands at
| the head of the worlds great powers;
while on the other hand is a thirteenth
century medieval civilization, a vast
empire of untold millions, whose
| lream of centuries was to enlarge its
| dominion and universal conquest, a
| conglomeration of races, a motley
| horde in appearance representing all
| The ages. all shades and colors, speak
| 'ng all tongues. debauched and ignor-
| ant, virtually slaves driven like cattle
| 20 the slaughter by an arrogant. brutal
! nobility who knows no law but their
| own will; nation that stands alone
as the last relic of feudalism: which has
| learned nothing from the intelligence
around it. and still insists on grinding
| the common people under the iron heel
| Of a military despotism. Don't waste
| any sympathy on the big buffer on &C
count of the yellow peril
| Living In Wonderful Age.
We are living in a wonderful age.
no doubt surprising the regal gran
| deur and magnificance Of the tabled
| ages that are gone. We are living in
an age of electricity and steam. an age
| Of great possibilities and fabulous
| wealth. II is an age of invention and
| human progress. The inventive gen
| Jus has done much TO improve the con-
dition of the human race. although
| some of YOU may think otherwise. in
| the production of labor-saving machin-
| cry and many other blessings which
have elevated the sufferings and lifted
| the burden from the dropping should
ers of the toiling millions, bringing
not only the common necessities but
many of the Injuries and comforts of
| life within the reach of the common
| people. Something unheard of and
never dreamed of by either the people