Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-07-05


most illustrious example known to his
tory of great population working out
its destiny through laws of its own
making and under officials of its own
choosing, although. l may add, we
Iscarcely go beyond England in recog-
nizing the omnipptence of parliament
fresh from the people.
Has Great Influence.
1t is difficult to overestimate the po
Itency of this conception of government
upon the progress of nation, and, in
turning the thought of the world away
from despotism to the possibilities of
Iself-gOvernment, the pioneers of free
dom made western civilization possible.
An idea will sometimes revolutionize
an individual a community, a state, a
nation, or even a world, and the idea
that man possesses inalienable rights
which the state did not give and which
the state, though it can deny, cannot
! take away has made millions of hui
man beings stand erect and claim their
| God-given Inheritance While the era
of constitutional liberty is ever widen
ing. while the tyranny and insolence
of arbitrary powers are every year de-
thought. not only the English speak
! ing nations, but the other Christian
nations as well. have yet much to do
in teaching reverence for the Will Of
the majority and respect for the public |
servants upon whom the people bestow |
authority.
The Christian nations must lead the
movement for the promotion of peace, |
Is.4S,
der the banner of the Prince of Peace |
! but also because they have attained
such a degree of intelligence that they |
can no longer take pride in a purely |
physical victory The belief that moral |
questions can be settled by the shed |
ding of human blood is a relic of bar
! barism ito doubt the dynamic power
of righteousness is infidelity to truth |
itself. The nation which is unwilling |
to trust its cause to the universal con- |
science or which shrinks from the pre-
sentation of its claims before a tri- |
bunaL where reason holds sway, be-
trays lack of faith in the soundness
| of its position.
Would Promote Peace.
| venture to suggest that the worlds /
peace would be greatly promoted by an
| agreement among the leading nations
that no declaration of war should be
made until the submission of the Ques-
tion in controversy to an impartial
court for an investigation, each nation
reserving the right to accept or reject
the decision. The preliminary investi-
cation would in almost every instance
insure an amicable settlement and the
reserved rights would be a sufficient y
protection against any possible injus-
tice
Let me go a step farther and appeal
for a clearer recognition of the dignity
of labor. The odium which rests upon
the work OF the hand has eXerted a
baneful influence the world around.
The theory that idleness is more hon
orable than toil-that it is more re-
spectacle to consume what others have
produced than to be a producer of
wealth-has not only robbed society
of an enormous sum but it has created
an almost impossible gulf between the
leisure classes and those who support n
them. TOlstoy is right in asserting /
that most of the perplexing problems It
of society grow out of the lack of SYM q
pathy between man and man. Because |
some imagine themselves above work t
while others see before them nothing {
but life of drudgery there is constant !
warning and much bitterness. When II
men and women become ashamed of I
doing nothing and strive to give to so e
ciety full compensation for all they re- L
ceive from society there will be har- {
mony between the classes
Work Necessary to Health. +
While Europe and America have adj t
vanced far beyond the orient in plac- 5
ing proper estimate upon those who D
work, even our nations have not yet !
fully learned the lesson that employ "
ment of some useful avOcation is es- {
sential to the physical health. intellec- t
tual development and moral growth. II
If America and England are to meet I
the requirements of their high posi- /
tons they must be prepared TO present "
in the lives of their citizens examples, "
in number, of men and wo- S
men who find delight in contributing to
the welfare of their fellows and this
ought not to be difficult, for every de-
partment of human activity has fas-
of its own The agricultural
colleges and industrial schools which
have sprung up in so many localities
are evidence that a higher ideal is q
spreading among the people
And now we come to the most inn g
portant need of the Orient-a concep- =
ton of life which recognizes individual
to God, teaches the broth
erhood of man and measures great
ness by the service rendered. The first
a rational relation between
the creature and his Creator, the sec
Ond lays the foundation for justice be-
tween man and his fellows and the
third furnishes an ambition large
enough to fill each life with noble eff