News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1905-10-11
CHARITY AND JUSTICE


Sunday evening, Sept 23d
At first thought there seems to be
an incongruity in treating the sub
ject of Charity and Justice in one
talk, either of which would AFFORD
scope for the discussion of an evening
but upon second thought the two
may be considered as somewhat
analogous. In the first place it re.
quires great moral courage and
acumen to enable one to deal Justly
at all times, under all conditions
Just dealing is not by any means
confined to mere money matters or
financial affairs. 1t also requires in
some cases great courage and love OF
justice to exercise that degree OF
charity which has been pronounced
the greatest OF all virtues. There is
an innate sense of justice in every
human heart, but it does not always
enable people to deal justly them
selves, still the most selfish and
grasping are quick to detect what is
just or unjust or Unfair i'll Others and
where self interest is not a moving
motive, are as ready to insist upon
Justice being administered. 1t is
about the same with individuals as
with communities and nations.
When the question arises, what
is right, what is just, people are
quick to perceive. But when the
question is, what is to be done, then
individuals, as we'll as nations, begin
to look around to see how they are
to be effected by the turn likely to be
taken, begin to consider how the
decision, right or wrong, is to effect
their standing in society, or among
business people. In this way pub
lie opinion is somewhat moulded,
and public opinion is a mighty lever,
hence the necessity of keeping jury
sitting upon important cases during
trial, by themselves, away from the
influence of the public. The Press is
another all important factor or
power in creating public opinion and
in influencing nations as we'll as indi-
viduals. What would have been the
fate of the Innocent soldier, Dreyfus,
hadit not been for the press? We will
say the keen, searching critical eye
of the American ne wspapermen, who,
when he was being imprisoned. tor
tured and tried in the courts for a
crime OF which he was not guilty. has
tened across the waters to France,
to be present at the trial to do all in
their power to see that justice was
done.
At first France would have con-
demned an innocent man to save the
honor and good name of the French
army, but the wife of the imprisoned
soldier, after many desperate at
tempts to save her husband, found
one man bold enough to defy the
whole French army and all of France
and the whole world to save an in
nocent soldier from a fate worse than
death. That one man was Colo, a
French writer. The God-like quality
o. justice in Colo was stronger than in
most mer and enabled him to suffer
abuse andimprisonment in his efforts
to vindicate and save an innocent
man. He aroused the sympathies of
all Europe and America in the poor
mans interests. The powers had
nothing to lose, America and nothing
to lose and so were moved by sense
of justice in behalf of the prisoner.
The courts and the French govern
ment could not withstand the pres
sure of public opinion and as more
would be gained than lost by acquit-
ting him, they gave him his liberty
and in part restored to him his good
name and his honor.
Many times people who kno W they
are in the right and that great injus-
tice is being done them, give up and
submit to unjust treatment rather
than to contend, not only with the
offending guilty party, but with
those whose associations, business
relations or political afinities, would
naturally lead them to take sides;
then again to be popular, to be in the
swim, to decide with those in power
is human and natural for some who
never give much thought to questions
of right and wrong where they are
not losers. The fact that the estab-
lishment of right principles, founded
on justice to each and all, and it's
strict enforcement, is the foundation
rock on which God himself stands
and on which all must eventually
stand, is a thought or principle 100
remote or too incomprehensive for
the present generation. although the
Grafters, polite word for certain
kinds of theft and dishonesty which
cheats people out of their just dues
and swindles the public by obtaining
rebates from railroads, another po-
lite word for cheating the farmer in
REGARD RI freioht nc well a. +ba co,,