Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1906-03-29
The Observer.


Is the present worse or better than
the past?
The answer will depend largely upon
ones point of view, and also perhaps
on what he ate for breakfast. There
are certain influences which tend TO
make us eXalt the past at the expense
of the present, and it is well for us to
try to estimate the force Of these.
One widespread cause of the exalta-
ton of the past is to be found in the
enchantment which distance lends to
the view. God has very wisely and
kindly so made US that we remember
more wildly the noble and heroic and
hopeful things Of the past than we do
the things that were little and mean.
That is why we have such q fondness
for old memories. Wretched would
we be were we to be forever haunted
with the memories Of all the mean and
ugly things of the past. The pictures
of the past which history preserves for
us are not as rule the pictures of the
small persons and petty events, but
rather of the great characters and great
events. History gives US the noble
and grand outlines, but is silent about
the petty details. When we think of
the past, therefore, it is of the great
outstanding characters and events that
we think, and not OF the obscure de-
tails.
But when we turn to tire present,
how different! Here our vision is fair
ly swamped with the petty things of
everyday life which wi find little or
no mention in history. When we come
into close contact with living men,
there are usually some little flaws and
peculiarities which draw our attention
and help to hide from US a deep, clear
perception of their inward greatness of
character; but in the case of the great
men of the past, their essential great
ness stands out, while their petty faults
are forgotten. eve have Luther with
out his violence, Milton without his
scorn, Washington without his anger
and occasional profanity, and Lincoln
without shade of coarseness - 1t is
right that we should thus idealize
the heroes of the past. In doing 80 we
are getting nearer to the real men than
we could ever do were we always to be
thinking Of their flaws and eccentrici-
ties. 1t is righG for us to idealize the
past. The past could not possibly
be to us what it is and ought to be, did
we not idealiZe it, did we not see it's
great and heroic and unselfish features
unobscured by great mass a. uetty
and irrelevant details The view of
| the historian is clearer and truer than
is that of the contemporary observer.
But we should try to be as lust TO the
present as we are to the past. There
is greatness and heroism in the present
just as truly as there was in the past;
| but we are in danger of overlooking it
on account of the many petty and
familiar things which cover il up. 1t
is easy to picture a generous and chiv-
airous heart clothed in shining armor,
with a ieweled sword and waving
| plume; but when that same heart
| passes us in the morning wearing grimy
clothes we are not 80 likely to recog.
nize it. And yet the knight of the
locomotive is as brave as any knight
| that ever mounted prancing steed
| Perhaps many of our public men whom
we criticize freely and whom we accuse
of selfish ambition and weak compro
mise, are as great as we're the states
| men of past ages. The Elizabethan
age appeals to the Imagination of all
English speaking people as an age of
| heroic aspiration and achievement; but
had we lived then perhaps we should
have seen in Drake and Raleigh only
| bold pirates and selfseeking adventur-
ers; we should have seen in the policy of
England only huge scheme of conquest
and plunder; we should have seen cor
ruption and fraud in all walks of life;
all because it was quite as difficult to
| idealize the present then as it is now.
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