East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-01-03

Cincinnati, Jan. Sat the Vine
Street Congregational church New |
Years evening, the pastor, Herbert S.
Bigelow, discussed the question: Are
we going the way of Rome?" Mr.. !
Bigelow said in part;
If your house were on fire, you
would thank a man for telling you.
You would not waste time abusing
him for being a pessimist and looking
on the dark side of things.
If your neighbor thinks the Ameri-
can republic is developing the same
tendencies which destroyed the Re-
public of Rome, do not denounce
him. Read Froude's Caesar" and
see If there is not some ground for
his fears.
Between that Roman history and
our own there are points of contrast
to be sure. But there are also points
of likeness which should receive the
attention of all true patriots.
Splendid Temples, But No Religion.
First let us note the state of re-
ligion. OF the religion of Rome
Froude has this to say: Religion,
once the foundation of the laws and
rule of personal conduct. had subsid-
ed into opinion. The educated, in
their hearts, disbelieved it. Temples
were still built with increasing splen-
dor; the established forms were scru-
pulously observed. Public men spoke
conventionally of Providence, that
they might throw on their opponents
the odium of impiety; but of genuine
belief that life had serious meaning
there was none remaining beyond the
circle of the silent, patient, ignorant
multitude"
OF ourselves Tolstoi wrote, only last
May: THE evils from which men of
the Christian world suffer is that they
have temporarily lost religion" Some,
he declares, live without religion and
preach the uselessness of any religion
of whatever kind. Others holding to
that distorted form of the Christian
religion which is now preached, like
wise live without religion, protesting
empty external forms, which cannot
serve as guidance for men,"
"The whole spiritual atmosphere, "
said Froude, was saturated with cant
cant moral, cant political, cant re-
ligious; an affectation of high prin-
ciple which had ceased to touch the
conduct, and flowed on in an increas-
ing volume of insincere and unreal
speech" Would it be necessary to
do more than change the tense to
make those words true of US?
Money by Any Means.
The history of the Standard Oil
Co., written by the late Henry d.
Lloyd, is no doubt worthy of all conf
dence as a painstaking and conscien-
tious report of the truth. How can
one help recalling this history when
he reads these words of Froude: ITO
lawful or unlawful--became the uni
versal passion"
In politics it is the same story. Lin
coin Steffen's book, "The Shame OF
the Cities" describes a condition
among US very like that which Froude
described when ne said: THE elec-
tions were managed by clubs and CO.
teries; and, except on occasions OF
national danger or political excite
ment, those who spent most freely
were most certain of success"
II Rome had her mob maintained
at public expense, so has New York
The New York Times states that dur
ing the first nine months of this las
year, $4,000 men sought shelter II
the municipal lodging houses, and 4
was estimated that 100000 people II
the metropolis alone were dependen
upon charity for their Christmas din
ner.
Great Question in Both Republics.
The great economic question in thu
) Roman republic was the land ques