Mexico Missouri message., 1905-06-15
CHAPTER XIV.


Y THINK | have said enough Of the
spirit ana manifestations Of the
simple life 10 make 1t evident that
a there Is here whole forgotten
world of strength and beauty. lie can
make conquest of It who has sufficient
energy to dctach himself from the IA
tai rubbish that trammcls our days.
1t will not take him long to perceive
that in rcnouncing some surface salts
factions ana childish ambitions lie in
creascs his faculty Of happiness and
his possibilities of right Judgment.
These results concern as much the
private as the public life. 1t is incOn-
tostublp that in striving against the fc-
vCrish viii 10 shine, in cCasng to make
the satisfaction Of our desires the end
of our activity, in returning to modest
tastes, to the true life. we shall labor
for the unity Of the family. Another
spirit viii breathe In our homes, Great
ing new customs and an atmosphere
more favorable to the education of chill
drcn. Little by little our boys ana girls
will feel the enticememt Of ideals at
once higher ana more readable, and
transformation of the home will In
time exercise its Influence on public
spirit
As the solidity Of a wall depends
upon the grain of the stones and the
Consistcncc of the cement which binds
them together, so also the energy of
public lie depends upon the individual
value Of men ana their power Of cohe-
sion. The great dCSdcratum OF our
ti"c is The culture Of the component
parts Of society, OF the individual man.
Everything in the present social or.
glnism leads us back to this element.
In nCg.cCtiug It we expose ourselves
TO the loss Of the benefits of progress.
even to making our most persistent Of.
forts turn u Our own hurt. If in the
midst Of means continually more ana
more perfected the workman diminish
Cs I'm value. Of what ne arc these fine
tools mt his disposal? By their very
excellence to make more evident the
fdults eff him who uses them without
discc"nment or without conscience.
The wheelwork OF the great modern
machine Is infinitely delicate. Care.
lCSsncsS, Incompetence or corruption
may pro luce here disturbances Of far
greater gravity than would have
threatened the more or less rulmpn.
tary organism Of the society OF the
past. There is nCcl, thea of looking, T.
the quality Of the individual called
upon to contribute In any measure to
the workings Of this mechanism. This
individual should he at once solid ana
pliable, inspired with the central law
of life to be oneself and fratemal EY.
crything within us and without us be-
comes simplifcd ana unified under the
influence Of this law. which is the
same for everybody and by which each
one should guide his actions, for cur
essential interests are not opposing:
they are Identical. IN culrivating tie
spirit Of simplicity we should arrive,
then, mt giving to public life stronger
cohesion.
The phenomena Of decomposition and
destruction that we see there may all
be attributed to the same cause-lacR
Of sO!idity ana cohesion. 1t will never
be possible TO say how contrary to so.
cial good are the trihing interests of
caste, Of coterie, Of church, the bitter
strife for personal welfare, and, by a
fatal consequence, how destructive
these things are Of individual happi-
ness. A society in which each member
is preOccupied with his own well being
is organized disorder. This Is all that
we learn from the irreconcllable con-
hicts of our uncomprOmlsing egolsm.
We too much resemble those people
who claim the rights of family only
to gain advantage from them, not to do
honor TO the connection. On all rounds
of the social ladder we are forever put
ting forth claims. We all take the
ground that we are creditors; no one
recognizes the fact that he is q debtor,
and our dealings with our fellows con
sist I'm inviting them, in tones some
times amiable. sometimes arrogant, to
discharge their Indebtedness TO us. No
good thing is attained In this spirit.
For in fact, it is the spirit OF privilege,
thateternal enepyof universal law, that
obstacle to btOtherly understanding.
which Is ever presenting itself anew.
In a laofyt,,a aoIfwo,-.a A, 1000 AZ n