The Irish standard., 1906-04-07


moral forces. the most important being
the home. the church. the school and
the press. In growing cities, because
of hotels. department stores, Office.
buildings, and the great demand for
! manufacturing Sites land is so valuable
| that there is it'll. room for homes OK
| rcpt for the Very rich and the very
poor. People ot moderate means are
| driven into suburban homes. This is {,
| great mlsf"rtun@. because it is upon the
| great middle class. comprising those
who are independent ana conservative.
and whose wealth. instead of being dis
sirated in luxury, is devoted to lcgiti-
| lnttr objects, that we can safely rely
| for those examples of virtue and thrift
and character which develop the hes,
side of Il people aud are the corrective
against the weaknesses or eXcGSscS of
the other two classes. With the very
rich there Is tn Il considerable extent
the substitution of the club for the
| home. and with the very poor it is diff
| Ilcnh to affirm with any certainty that
| the Influences of Il good home cnn be
created or maintained in the midst o!
| the ov"rcrowdcd conditions that prevail
in Il modern tenement.
With respect to the influences of the
observed that there has been IL lessen
ing of churches in our cities us com
pared with the increase in our popu-
lation. In a free country religion must
necessarily be the halldm;ld OF liberty,
for ii Is aXionatlc that the strength
of a republic rests upon the virtue
of its citizens. and virtue is essentially
based upon religion.
AS we'll might we expect Il tree torn
up by the roots and thrown by the
w;tyside to blossom and flourish as to
expect virtue separated from religion
could long survive. Intellect standing
alone is not sufficient to make Il vir-
tuous people. Tho forces that move
mankind rs well as the three great
factors in every civilization are the
spiritual. the intellectual, and the ma
tcrial: and the growth Is best where
there is parity Of development be-
tween the material. the mental and the
moral
The nineteenth century has been
conspicuous for its marvellous mnteria,
growth and for the general diffusion
of knowledge. But have these eradi-
Gated corrupt politics, financial faith
essncss OF official corruption in private
ana public life? And have not social
ism. muterinlism and Indifference to
the sanctity Of the marriage tic and the
integrity of the home been scrlOusl.
mcnaced by lax divorce laws? DO not
immortality, gambling and intemper-
ance continue to exist? And what are
the present tendencies in our business
and social life? 1t has been said by
man OF affairs that we arc IL pronigate
nation. And in commenting upon it
one Of our daily papers has said that
the phrase Is one of such happy coin-
age that it might DO styled an inspir-
alton. The conditions which make it
apt would be far from inspiring if we
were forced to look upon them as en-
during. For we are u profligatc nation
because spendthrifts not only Of our
natural resources, but of our physical
and mental energies as well. We are
money reckless, work-rcclsless, am
bition-rcckless. play-recklcss, social
reckless, according to our spheres and
our callings. We are cutting down
our forests and our nerves, exhausting
our mines and our mettle, piling our
speculations and our aspirations to
the tottering point. Literally in the
heat of the day. we take no thought
for the morrow. 1t is not the sane life
any more than it is the simple"
The important question, therefore,
is: Are we to advance or retrograde
during the twentieth century? To as
sert that, having advanced to GER
tain point We can then remain station
airy, is to utter an absurdity, for
nation can no more remain passive