The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-01-28

Let us consider another man whom
the world calls successful. One day in
passing public building I noticed a
ragged boy shivering at its entrance.
The wind blew sharp and he had paused
there for moments shelter. The
contrast between the ragged boy and
the marble columns against which he
leaned was touching, yet it emphasized
one rich mans ideas of self-advertising
philanthropy. The world calls this
man who gives beautiful buildings to
be used as storehouses for the printed
thoughts of dead men successful. The
money spent upon them would have
clothed many a ragged boy and given
some comfort to thousands of suffering
women and children. How can any
one justify the expenditure of millions
for public libraries when thousands
need the very necessities of life; when
children are robbed of an education
and forced to barter the glad years of
childhood for bread? No! this man
has not been successful.
Let us consider what the world calls
national success. None of the present
governments are successful in admins
tering the affairs of men justly. No
government can be successful as long
as the idea remains fixed in the minds
of men that might is right. No govern
ment is successful that trains men in
the art of killing other men. Every
nation has an army and navy for this
purpose. Germany is an example of
this, the civil part of that empire being
but commissariat to supply the mill
tary part with subsistence. Germany
has many giants of science, learning
and the industrial arts, but these.
flourish in spite of it's barbarism.
The Russian Empire, notwithstand-
ing the vast area of undeveloped land
within its own borders, is reaching out
for more territory upon which to infiict
its misrule.
1t is said that the sun never sets
upon the British flag, no nor upon the
roof trees made desolate by her system
Of spoilation. England is today
dying nation, a thing of threads and
patches. Her home markets are
supplied by foreign dealers, her great
men all dead and gone, and with them
the hope of England's former great
ness. Her system of misrule has
brought this disastrous plight upon
her.
France recently banished hundreds
of people for doing, good. Religious
orders whose sole object and aim was
to benefit others were expelled from
the country. A government that drives
out the good and fosters the bad cannot
be successful.
What crime has China committed
that gives the powers the right to
dictate what her internal policy shall
be and force religion upon those
people which they neither respect or
have any reason to veneratep
The United States has the best
government on the globe and the best
way of administering justice to all its
citizens; but it is not an ideal or even
successful government. 1t is not to
be expected of men to produce an ideal
government. Such condition could
probably be brought about by angels,
but by men-never. The reason why
we have no ideal governments is be-
cause it is impossible for the. majority
of any nation to have ideal characters.
Men are good, bad and Indifferent. To
expect an ideal government from such
poor material is folly. Let me illustrate
this point. The recent municipal
election in New York city gave the
government Of that city into the hands
of a political organization directly
opposed to good government. Yet the
vote cast for Tammany was the ex-
preston Of the majority of the citizens
of New York, and the government Of
New York by Tammany will be q
representative government. Repre-
sentative government represents the
good and bad in people who have such
governments.
will conclude by quotation from
Oliver Goldsmith. These lines were
written more than one hundred years
ago, yet time has not changed their
aptness: ~
I'm every government tho terrors reignt
Tho tyrant kings or tyrant laws restraint
How small of all that human hearts end
That part which laws Of kings can cure.
PENDENN