Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-06-29

much In business ana III Such Pto-
fessiou as the law. We can by statute
establish only those exceedingly rough
lines of morality. the Overpassing OF
which means that the man is in teo-
pardy OF the constable or the sheriff.
But the nation Ia badly off II in addi-
ton to this there Is not very much
higher standard of conduct, standard
impossible effectively 10 establish by
statute, but one upon which the COM
munity as a whole, and especially tho
real leaders Of the community. insist.
Take such a question as the enforce
ment Of the law. 1t is, of course, ele-
mcntary to say that this is the first re-
quisite in any civilization at all. But a
great many people in the ranks Of life
from which most college men are drawn
seem to forget that they should con-
denim with equal severity those men
who break the law by committing
crimes of mob violence. and those who
cvadc the law, or who actually break it.
but so cunningly that they can not be
discovered, the crimes they commit be-
ing not those OF physical outrage, but
those of greed and graft on the largest
scale The very rich man who con-
he were law unto himself. thereby i'm
mensely increases the difficulty Of the
task of unfolding order when the dis
order is menace to men Of property;
for if the community feels that rich
men disregard the law where ii affects
themselves. then the community Is apt
to assume the dangerous and unwhole-
some attitude of cOndoning crimes of
violence committed against the inter-
ests which in the popular mind these
rich men represent. This last attitude
is wholly evil: but so is the attitude
which produces it. We have a right to
appeal to the alumni of Harvard. and
to the alumni of every institution of
learning in this land. to do their part
in creating a public sentiment which
Sl.1ll demand of all men of means. and
especially of the men OF vast fortune.
that they set an example to their less
fortunate brethren, by paying scrupu-
lOus heed not only to the letter but to
the spirit Of the laws. and by acknowl-
cdging in the hcartiest fashion the
| moral obligations which can not be ex-
pressed I'm law, but which stand back
of and above all laws. 1t Is far more
their business affairs decently than
that they should spend the surplus of
their fortunes in philanthropy. Much
has been given to these men and we
have a right to demand much OF them
In return. Every man of great wealth
who runs his business with cynical con-
tempt for those prohibitions Of the law
| which By hired cunning he can escape
or evade, is a menace to our commun-
ity; and the community is not to be ex'-
| cused If 1t does not develop spirit
which actively frOwns on and Discount
| tenances him. The great profession of
| the law should be thu whose members
ought to take the lead in the creation
of just such a spirit. We all know that
| as things actually are, many of the
| most influential and most highly re-
| munerated members of the bar in every
| centre of wealth make it their special
| task to work out bold and ingenious
scheme by which their very wealthy
clients. individual or corporate. can
evade the laws which are made to reg
| ulate in the interest of the public the
use of great wealth. Now, the great
| lawyer who employs his talent and his
learning in the highly remunerative
| TASK of enabling a very wealthy client
to override or Circumvent the law is
doing all that in him lies to cncourag"
the growth in this country Of spirit
| of dumb anger against all laws and of
disbelief in their efficacy Such a
spirit may breed the demand that the
laws shall be made even more drastic
| against the rich. or else it may mani
n Z, In,
ly Harvard has the right to expect
| from her sons a high standard OF ap-
piled morality, whether their paths
lead them into public life. into bust
| ness or into the great profession of the
| law. whose members are so potent in
shaping tho growth of the national soul
But in addition to having high ideals
| 1T cannot too often be suiG to a body
such as is gathered here today, tina.
| together with devotion to what is RICH:
must go practical efficiency in striving
for what is right. This is a rough.
| workaGay. practical world. and il in 1t
we are to do the work best worth doing.
| we must approach that work in a spirit
| remote from that OF the mere vision
AIRY, and above all rei"ote from that
of the visionary whose aspir-
ations after good find expression
| only in the shape of scold-
ing and complaining. 1t shall not help
us If we avoid the ScyIla of basenes,
| Of motive. only. to be wrecked on the
Charybdis of wrong-headedness, OF
fcebleness and inefflciencv. There can
be nothing worse for tie community
than to have the men who profess lofty
ideals show thcms elves so foolish, so
narrow. SO impra cticablr. as to cut
| themselves off from the communion
with the men who are actually able t.
do the work of governing. the work OF
business. the work Of the professions
1t is a sad and evil thing if the men
with Il moral sense group themselves
as impractical zealots. while the men
Of action gradually grow to discard and
laugh at all moral sense as an evidence
Of impra ctical weakness. Macaulay,
whose emincntly san" and wholesome
spirit revoltcd not only at weakness
but at the censorious folly which
nasGucrades as virtue. describes the
condition of Scotland az Tire end of the
seventeenth century in passage
which every sincere reformer should
keep constantly before him.