The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-04-27

7ttiIC IUr pVISUudI weIIaiV, anu. Nv Il
falal consequence. how destructive
these things are of individual happi-
ness. \ society in which each member
is preocc,Ipied with his own well bein4
is organized disorder. This is all that
we learn from the irreconciiabie con
1icts OF our mcompromising esoism.
We too much resemble -''r-p people
who claim the rights co. :iy only
to cain advantage from t.. not to do
honor u tie connection. ON all rounds
Of tie social i..dder we are forever put
ting forth claims. We all take the
ground that we are creditors; no one
recognizes the fact that he is debtor,
and our dealings with our fellows con
sist in 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, t is the spirit of privilege,
thateternal enemyO universal law, that
obstacle to brotherly understanding
which is ever presenting itself anew
In a lecture delivered in 1882 NJ. Re
nan said that nation is "A spiritual
family" and he added, The essential
Of nation is that all the individuals
should have many things in common,
and also that all should have forgotten
much 1t is important to know what
to forget and what to remember, not
only in the past, but also in our daily
life. Our memories are numbered with
the things that divide us; the things
which unite us slip away. Each of Us
keeps at the most luminous point OF his
souvenirs a lively sense of his second
airy quality, his part of agriculturist
day labOrer, man OF letters, public Off
Ger, prOletary, bourgeois, or political or
religious Sectarian, but his essential
quality, which is TO be a son of his
country and man, is reIegated to the
shade. Scarcely does lie keep even
theoretic notion of it. SO that what oc-
cupies rs and determines our actions is
precisely the thing that separates us
from others, and there is hardly place
for that spirit of unity which is as the
soul of people.
So, too, do we foster bad feeling in
our brothers. Men animated by a
spirit of particularism, eXclusiveness
and pride are continually clashing
They cannot meet without rousing
afresh the sentiment Of division and
rivalry. And so there slowly heaps
up in their remembrance Il stock of
reciprocal i'll will, of mistruSt. of ran
cor. All this is bad feeling with its
consequences
1t must be rooted out of our midst.
Remember, forget! This we should
say to ourselves every morning, in all
our relations and affairs. Remember
the essential forget the accessory.
How much better should we discharge
our duties as citizens if high and low
were nOurished from this spirit! How
easy to cultivate pleasant remem-
brances in the mind of ones neighbor
by sowing it with kind deeds and re-
framing from procedures of which in
spite of himself he is forced to say,
with hatred in his heart. Never in the
world will | forget"
The spirit of simplicity is a great
magician. 1t softens asperities, bridges
chasms, draws together hands and
hearts. The forms which it takes in
the world are infinite In number but
never does it seem to us more admira-
BILE than when it shows itself across
the fatal barrier of position, interest
or prejudice, overcoming the greatest
obstacles, permitting those whom ev
erything seems to separate to under
stand one another, esteem one another,
love one another. This is the true So
cial cement that goes into the building
OF people.
THE END.