The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-07-15

! ~. 45.- : 4
The first evidence Of the absence Of
culture in the American Is the interest
he takes in all stories and spectacles
of cruelty. 70 cultured man, a
humanist, blood is loathsome. Murder
by executions and other denominations
of like character arouse his disgust.
In America such things call forth only
curiosity: The newspapers are filled
with detailed descriptions Of murders
the description is cold, the hard tone
of an attentive observer. It is evident
that the aim is to tickle the weary
nerves of the reader with sharp, pun
gent details of crime, and no attempt
is ever made to explain the social
basis of the facts.
=! To no one seems to occur the simple
thought that q nation is family.
And if some Of it's members are Grim
inals, it only signifies that the system
Of bringing up the people in that fam
lily is badly managed.
I will not dwell on the question of
the attitude of the white man toward
the negro. But it is very characters
tic Of the American psychology that
Booker T. Washington breaches the
following sermon toshis race:
"You ought to be, as, rich and as
clean outwardly ass the whites; only
then will they recognize you as their
equals This, irs fact lis the sub
stance of his teach mas to his people.
Is But in America they only think Of
how to make money. Poor country,
whose people are Occupied only with
the thought of how 20 getsr q, as.5
Danger Of Tie Trusts TRUSTS.
I am never in thu least dazzlea by
the amount of money sa man possesses;
but his lack Of honor, of love For his
country, and of conce rnt for Its wei;
fare always fills me with ga dness. A
man milking his, country ike cow,
OF battening on it like arasite. is 9
that America, whichathsT say has full
political liberty. is utterly wanting in
liberty of SPIRIT When you. ses.. with
what profound interestss and idolatry
the millionaires are regarded here, you
involuntarily begin to suspect the DEM
ocracy of the country. Democracy-
and so many kings Democraey and q
"Higher Society, sAN3this is strange
and incomprehe nsible. IS.
All the numerous4 trusts and syndi,
Gates, developing with a rapidity and
energy possibles only i'm America. will
ultimately call forth to life its enemy,
revolutionary socialism. (which, rin turn,
will develop as rapidly and as ener-
getically. But while the process of
swallowing upg individuals by capitaA
and of the organization of the masses
! isb going on, capitalism will spoil many
stomaehs and sheads, many hearts and
minds. III *fs,
Asz1to Morality.
/ SpeakingH:of the national spirit, I
must also speak of the morality. Of the
nation That side Of life. has always
been poser to me- : I@cannot under
stand it; and when people, speak seri-
ously about lit cannot help but smile.
lat best, a. moralist to- me rs man at
whom wink from 1.-THE corner Of my
eye, and drawing him aside whisper in
! his ear: r.. IL" .E{, 81
=" All; you rascal! IT ism: It that I am
a skeptic, but know the world, j
know it to my sorrow.V II e ". n
The most desperate moralist I have
come across was my grandfather: He
knew all the roads to heaven, and con
stantly preached about them to every
one who fell into his hands. He alone
knew the truth. He knew to a dot
everything that God wanted, and he
used to teach even the dogs and cats
how to conduct themselves in order
to attain eternal happiness. But, with
all that, he was greedy and malicious
HE beat his domestics, and on. every
spare and suitable occasion, with
whatsoever and howsoever he desired