The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-06-04

es made on his recent trip To the west
TO exhortations that are almost sermon,
The hieslander Boer, who prayed befor
he went into battle, was not nor
sturdy OF soul than the American chic
executive and in nothing does his Dutcl
blood more strikingly manifest itsel
than in uncompromising moral hardi
hood.
Such man along such lines can do /
vast amount of good. The idol of IN,
people today, every word is given stten
tion. His semi.sermons are Of NOR,
weight than the combined pulpit of the
nation. So long as mis- popularity re-
mains at the zenith, his theories OF life
here and hereafter will be unquestion.
ably accepted by millions, No other
leader of mighty people since Crom.
well has taken this stern trend. Mr..
Roosevelt, who wrote Cromwel's life,
some years ago, and has been an en-
thusiastic admirer of the founder of
the Commonwealth both as a man and
a soldier, has something of Noll in his
personality.
Rarely has more powerful exhortion
come from the mouth of an American
that the address delivered by the pres.
ident on the occasion of the unveilins
in Brooklyn of the monument TO Gen.
eral Slocum. Character was his key.
note and ii he recognized the laudable
traits that have made the nation what
il is, he did not hesitate TO give a
scathing denunciation of national faults.
His strong term in describing the Amer.
lean habit of talking too loosely must
go home, in an age in which the sensa.
tional preacher, the sociahstic dema.
gogue, the self,seeking politician. the
publisher of the cheap yellow maga.
zine, and the mobocrat blackmailer, all |
talk loosely on the things that concern
the very existence of the nation. In
his peroation, he said:
In this day when civilization tends
20 make life easy, We can not afford to
gnore these hard and stern virtues. In
he word-a.day world, as it is not only
n war, but in private life and in pub.
ic life alike, man has to have the
trength of fiber or he can not put into
fleet even the best of his efforts, and
Ie can not afford to let the generation
hat is coming up grow up with the
ceiling that any quality will serve as a
ubstitute for the old and essential quail.
ty of manliness in a man or womanli.
less in a woman. Much, very much.
as been done in this country by edu-
alton. No one can over.estimate the
ebt that this country is under to the
ducators, but in taking advantage of
Il the improved methods, let us not for.
ct that there are certain qualities to
i've which are eternal because they are
ternally true, and the failure to live
p will cause loss which can not be
ffset by any merely intellectual and
rental gain. A sound body is a first,
lass thing, sound mind is an even
etter thing, but the thing that counts I
,r most in the individual as in the ma
on is character. The sum of these
ualities which make a man a good man.
nd woman good woman" "
The sentences take us back TO the day L
hen the Christian propagandist went
nth with the Bible in one hand and
le sword in the other. They breath ?
re, violence is threatened, justice to y
!, including oneself, sturdy manhood, G
accomplishing virtue, deep-rooted-piety
e modern preacher has forgotten his
inning or it may be that in the aver 3"
,e pulpit such exhortions no longer 81
aw a congregation. Certainly it is I"
at such implied and open rebukes up.
defects in the national character
'uld be accepted by few Americans Ia
thout resentment. A man must at u
in the high position In public esteem
ioyed BY the president before he dsres
liver himself of such criticisms Of Si
bic short -comings. Preacher and ia
.sident, Mr.. Roosevelt is living up to
strenuous ideal and if some fear that
impetuOsity and enthusiasm may ~
d him and the nation too far, some u
ne or on some question, his bitter
foe and most prejudiced critic can
but acknowledge that his policy 10
e his character, rings true. Oh
- it,
OUT OF THE ORDINARY.