West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-10-12
THE WORLD GROWS BETTER
Paper read by A. NJ Moore nj the
Educational Meeting In Function
September 30, 1905.
PnhlIshed hr Rcnncsl.

Published 10y Request
We are living Ia a coarse aud cruel age .
! capitalism " rampant aud the competitive
system IS remoIslessly crucYfing It's millions
ON an industrial cross. Superstition and fear
still possess the minds of men aud poverty
aud vice stalk like grizzly phanloms through
! the land.
Everywhere we behold the result of selfish
grced-oi mans inhumanity TO man. Great,
strong men ATE compelled To foIswear their
inalieuable right To life, liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness and humble themselves i'm
the dirt before an irresponsible corporation
boss m order to obtain bread. Women are
| Often forced to abandon their homes aud
] htesidcs aud enter into the SURVEYING
scramble for something upon winch to
! subsist
Little children upon whose shoulders will
soon fall the responsibility Of petfectinp the
social fabric OF our civilization are driven
out OF the schools into the wage slavery of
the FIELDS, mines and factories.
But however terrible, to contemplate these
conditions are not quite so revolving as were
the conditions of men 500 years ago. Then
was the age of Feudalism, Religious aud
political liberty were yet to- be won. Free.
dom of expression was absolutely prohibited,
aud the peasanlry Of every land were the
| most ignorant scrfs uor were the conditions
OF this age OF Feudslism as bad as the age OF
barbatism that preceded IL. 1000 years ago
| even among the most enlightened nations of
| the earth cruellies uuSpeakable and outrapes
infinite were common among mankind.
The workers were the verest slaves and
their lives were altogether dependent upon
their lords and masters. Then they worked
in blocks of five and were spitled to their
work by the spears of a heartless soldiery.
Au.rV 100 !. a..
them. They herded together like cattle and
swine Before this epoch authentic history
records system Of anarchy leased upon brute
force which was the order of life.
Canibalism rcigned red handed and
murder, rapine and savagery made confusion
worse COMPOUNDED, many drank the blood Of
innocenis out of the skulls of their enemies
Back Of these conditions we have only the
Hypothesis of speculation. Scientists nut
forth the claim that evolved from the lower
forms ot life which in turn, countless millions
OF years ago, had their origin in the fire
muses. of the universe. However that may
be, we know that during the last Q, 900 years
the conditions OF mankind have passed
through the following suceesiyes changes
Ist-Canbalism or savagery 2nd-Bar-
barsm or slavery, 3d-Feudalism or serfdom
aud from that TO the present system of
capitalism or wage slavery. We also know
that during all this stretch of time the
religious. political, social and economic con.
dilions OF men have improved, that although
there have been war and blood shed and
wasleful Obstruction OF property aud life, the
human mind has grown nobler and broader
aud the human heart more responsive to the
emotions of JOY and pain. The sweep of
the centuries have been grandly upward.
We are today heir Of all the ages and
occupy the summit OF intellectual develop.
ment and understandable Achievement We are
yet just on the verge of the great ocean Of
discovery. With the unanswerable logic Of
sceInce to back our argument, we know that
continued political, social and economic
progress is not only possible but inevitable.
The steady trend Of history has been from
anarchy 10 order aud at this time the transi-
ton from individualism to collectiyism is
more rapid and more certain than ever he.
fore. What does this mean2 Nothing less
than the fulhlment Of the universal dream of
the poet, prophet and seer the unihcalion Of
the race the realization OF the time, when the
war drum shall be muhlrd and the battle
flags be furled, in the parliament Of nations,
the federation Of the world.