The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-15

who saturates politics with thought, tho
preacher who satlirates politics with
thought. the citizen In all profe sslons who
thinks steadily and healthily and sanely
on national problems. We desire men OF
light and leading, rather than sons OF
thunder.
II the Christian life Is in It's essence
the activity OF mans whole nature, an
endless expansion, then thought is far
moro important element In character
than we have sometimes thought me
soul feels and wills and thinks. The
man who let's his mind go undeveloped,
whether in college or out OF 1t; the man
who rcflises TO pay the price OF wisdom
Iii the blood and sweat OF the mind may
fail to meet the demands OF his Creator
us much as the man OF weak will or mar
row sympathy. Utmost ligence OF work,
concentration OF mind, memory, clear
ness, penetration, nlertness must be re-
garded as essential to the development,
not only OF the mind. but Of character.
The mind thus trained and disciplined
should be an open mind rather than
prejudlced. There are many pee pie whose
opinions yot1 can predict with absolute
certainty II you know the section In
which they live the party to which they
belong,sthe papers they read. The mind
that weighs evidence and facts; that Is
ikeeny sensitive to fresh Influences: that
is willing to give patient attention to
any new thing. to see whether 1t be Of
God, Is the aim Of culture. Men some
times have prejudice against man OF
history, or o. poet, or classic music, or
a nation, like Germany, or q section, like
New England. 1sknow OF no single study
that is more profitable to q young South
erner OF the present day than the indus
trial, social. artistic and religious devel-
opment OF New England from 1890 to the
present day. Mistakes Were made there
that we need to avoid. but there were
achievements that should be our inspira-
ton In the work that lies ahead of us.
KS We should have at our command the
wisdom OF the ages-especlally as 1t has
found experience in great literature.
4 Gods will is writ large In history--wei
Z are the heirs OF the ages, but we do not
come into our Inheritance Tho strength
of Edmund Burke was in his Knowledge
OF the Revolution OF 1883. IN Russia to-
day. the man who knows the French
Revolution is best. prepared to lead his
people out OF confusion and anarchy
We In the South would do we'll to study
the characteristics OF our great group
I Of Revolutionary Btatesmcn-the icalrn
dignity OF washington. the cosmopolitan
ism and freedom OF Jefferson. the great
natural spirit OF Marshall put to shame
the passion. and excitement and sensi-
stiveness OF SOME OF our later public
men. ST A
One OF the great lessons Of history
Is that there are in every period two
main tendenoies-the conservative and
the progressiye-and that the wise man
Is the one who can take the middle
ground which the course OF history is
sure to N follow. The conservative uses
us weapons sentiment, ridicule and
authority: the radical Is irrcverent, IDEAL
istic, and revolutionary. Can we not
learn the lesson from history that pro-
gressive conservatism and conservative
progress are better than either extreme!
4. 3fs Not c!inging to some ancient saw;
Not mastered by some mo- ern term;
$8gs Not swift nor slow to change.
II We have this point Of view. we can
better understand our own age. One OF
the common mistakes made by men Is
to rail- a gainst the times-these8 latter
days. This is pardonable In older men.
but scarcely in younger men. .Ruskin's
lunquestionably fne work is z. marred by
his scolding. TO him industrialism. science
and democracy-the most notable achieve
ments OF the nineteenth. century--wcrey
3inimicall ito the moral land saesthettcede-i
5velopment Of 1nankin nd We prefer rather
to see IN democracy what Emerson,
Lowell and Walt Whitman found tt.
something fairer than any feudn state
OF society; In industrlsltsm what Klpling
found it-the romance OF steam (; in
science and the scientiticei method
fuller revelat ton OF Gods mind to the
world. There are in all these tendencies
great danger. but there should be o
challenge to tho spirit Of man rather
Hoi ct OF a{raa fha ii
these forces are entering the faith. let
us welcome them rs new powers for the
development Of our people. 1--we fol-,
low Thomas Jefferson In other things,
let us follow him In his remarkable Co.'S
,mopolitanisn1.
Another point In the artSof thinking Is
discrimination. Burke did not know, how
to draw an Indictment against whole
people. but many OF us do. Generaliza-
ton about a nation or man, or a sub-
ject Is the \ hardest part OF thinking, and
the thing most hastily done. 5s
The historian who does not distin-$
guish between types OF Cavaliers and
Puritans, or Northerners and Suothern-
ers, the biorgapher who does not dis
crminate between the virtues and de-
fects OF great man, the preacher who
does not see the wide difference between
Huxley and LIE Ponte, or Ingersoll and
Lyman Abbott, Is wide. or the marx as g
thlnker'and as q leader. It Is Impera-
tive to hold the, balance between the
muck -rnker and the whitewasher.
We need also to lay the emphasis on
the right thing at the right time. We
In the South have heard enough about
Reconstruction, those In the North not
enough. We need at times to emphasize
our weak points In the light OF the
virtues OF other sections or nations. and
Vice versa, The supreme duty OF every
American Is to emphasize not sectional
lam. but that towards natlonalism that
Is now q hopeful sign. We need to en-
iphasize only one. thing about lynchlng,
and that Is the disgrace to our civilian
ton. & a. y 3 F5
&, All thinking moves towords a catholicity
breadth of mind. and Is continued by
freedom. All OF these tendencies may be
carried to an excess. but, rightly related
to. other powers OF the soul. will give you
power and leadership.
Citizens Ticket Won.
s Especial to The Times Dispatch.)
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