The news & observer., 1905-12-15
THE SALVATION
Of OUR COUNTRY
Thompson Seton Pleads
for Simple Life.
HE SCORES ATHLETICS
Said in a Wonderful Lecture Yester.
day Before the State Association OF
County Superintendent That Col
leqe Athletics are Gone Mod,
and Hazing is Devilish.

Mr. Ernest Thorn oson-Seton, one of
the most celebrated of modern authors
lectured before the State Association
of County superintendent yesterday,
and the hous was one of the pleasant
est these educators and the hundred
special visitors ever enjoyed. Mr..
Thompson-S -Seton's fame is Worldwide
He is a master and a genius. and all
the world listens to him with love and
pleasure. 1t was through his kindness
and generosity an evidence of the love
from his warm heart for al of Gods
created beings, that this noted author
and lecturer spoke before the superin-
tendentS yesterday
He has a master voice as well Il
hypnotic pen. and mighty mind. His
whole body, mind, heart and soul are
attuned to nature, and his address was
a message from the primitive life,
which he declared was the salvation
Of America and all peoples of the
earth. He said he would feel that he
had Influenced tremendously the high
destiny of this nation If he could in
duce the American people to camp at
least once a year. to get newt to earth,
to nature, end thence to natures God.
He proclaimed the downfall of the
this country. and said they were
'damnable" He called haZing 'cruel.
barbarous, deViish.' He said haZins
should be crushed limb, trunk and
root"
The Lecture.
Mr.. Thomnson-Seton said in part:
81 am very proud of the opportunity
of addressing the men who are the
cultiVators OF tha mOSt important
thing in North Carolina. the characters
Of the children. | feel that three
things belong to me. the wild boy. the
wild animal and the wild landscape.
1t So happened that my wild animals
were first heard by the public. We
see in our land today large number
of cranks who want us to do all kinds
of foolish things. and follow . thous-
and doctrines. They are prophets to
their own, but cranks to Us. A thous-
and years ago there was a crank in
Egypt which alarmed the government,
and the people went to Il wise man to
find out what they should do. Let
him alone, he replied. If what he says
is true beware but if he speaks false
what he saws will come 10 naught.'
keep this in mind with the crazy Deo-
pie today. O try to find the vital
truth All things seem to tend in the
same direction. against an over-com-
plexity in our civilization. All seem
10 be looking fo- On ideal primitive
condition. Thev realize first the ami
NAL in man. All around we are
hunting for the simplified life Where
are we to get it9 We have a man
preaching the simple life, and what he
says IS absolutely solved t is true. In
the world today we are nearer to
truth and Justice than we e-'er were
before. But YOU men, teachers, how
complexities of your duties? You
have one man who is doing it. and
that man is the tramp. The way that
Wagner does ii is dream. There ism
woman in tho country that would
not fight It 70 the death. This thing
was discovered long ago. ! asked Du-
vail who was the greatest cOnStitu-
tionaI LAWYER that the world ever saw
and he said Moses. | am convinced OF
that He took that mass of ragged
runaway slaves and wove them into a
nation that has not lost strength he
gave them q constitution thai is the
wonder of the world; he built W 9
race that IS e.-er growing. He COM
mended his people to quit their COM
plexities and get next to the ground
He established the Tabernacle as an
essential organization. essential t1
their well being. They had to get
back TO the primitives. or die. When
they get away from the land they die
Get back to the earth or die. We
must remember that. Moses imcorpo-
rated that a. en- essential in his con-
stitution l know no better solution tc
the question than to camp: go out once
a wear. If could make this nation go
camping once q year / should think
had done a great deal towards the
salvation of this nation. The great
white mans disease IS consumption
and the physicians say it is a house
disease.
"In 1861 q large number of Indians
We're sent to prison and they began u
die, and the government said .et them
go home and die. Those who went
home recovered. and in Q few years
they Strengthened out, they recovered
in the woods the streams. the storms,
and the sun. We ignored that 1acl
coming from the InG.an then but now
we send them TO the white mountains,
to New Hampshire or the Adirondacks.
When a man desires to preach new
life Il is strength TO be able to point to
good example. Where are we to get
a good illustration of the proper sim
pie life | looked lon~ | could not
find such a race - hiStorH. There
were two courses one 10 build one,
which would take an age and the
other. the sensible. was to find one in
ItCliO1. L lOuilO IiliIl, ana ne WAS the
ideal | don't care Il snap whether he
ever existed or not. He WnS an out
door man. the embodiment of hero
ism and manly virtues; he was the
master of woodcraft. and every man
and boy in the country is eager to
/ accept that and take him to the out
door life. Every boy at the age from
10 to Is is nothing but a little brute
sava~e; he is going through that age
n ideas a
his instincts animal. His ideal is Sui
livan His ideal is the outdoor life.
Except that and take him TO the out
doors. / believe General Booth. OF
the Salvation Army IS doing a great
work. he is great in many great
things but made one mistake: but if
he had had bonnet made b. a Paris
milliner for the women in the Army he
would have gotten the entire female
world and we know where the men
would have gone 1t seems that we
are going after the uglification. 1t is