Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-04-14
POTENT FORCE FOR EVIL
Is The Man Who Never Thinks or
Speaks or Writes, Save Of His
ReatS With The KuCk-Take.
TO ATTACK EVIL is BENEFICIAL
But of Use Only II 1t is Abso-
lutely Truthful.
IT MAY PUT A PREMIUM ON KaAvERY
Associated Press Dispatch by special Wires.

Associated Press Dlspatca by Special Wires.
Washington. April li.--Tn his address
at the laying of the cornerstone of the
office building OF the House OF Represen-
tatives, this afternoon, President Rooso-
welt said:
Over a century ago Washington laid the
cornerstone OF the Capitol in what was
then little more than tract of wooded
wilderness here beside the Potomac. We
now find 1t necessary to provide by great
additional buildings for the business of
the government This growth in the need
for the housing Of the government is but
q proof and example of the way in which
the nation has grown and the sphere of
action of the national government has
grown. We now administer the affairs
OF "a nation In which the extraordinary
growth of population has been outstripped
growth OF wealth and the growth iu COM
plex interests The material problems
that face us today are not such as they
were in Washington time, but the under
lying facts of human nature are the same
now as they were then. Under altered
external form we war with the same ten
denotes toward evil that were evident in
Washingtons time. and are helped by
the same tendencies for good. It is
about some of these that ! wish to say
a word today.
In Bunyans Pilgrims Progress" you
may recall the description OF the "Nan
with the Muck-raze." the man who could
look no way but downward, with the muck
rake in his hand who was offered a celes-
tial crown for his muck-rake, but who
would neither look up nor regard the crown
he was offered but continued to rake
to himself the filth OF the floor.
In Pilgrims Progress" " the "Man with
| the Muck-rake" is set forth as the ex-
ample of him whose vision is fixed on
carnal instead of on spiritual things. Yet
he also typiiies the man who in this life
consistently refuses TO see aught that is
lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn in
tentness only on that which is vile and
debasing. Now, it is very necessary that
we should not finch from seeing what Is
vile and debasing. There Is filth on the
/ floor. and it must be scraped up with the
muck-rabe; and there are times and places
where this service is the most needed of
4 all the services that can be performed.
/ But the man who never does anything
else who never thinks or speaks OF writes
save of his feats with the muck-rake
speedily becomes, not a help to society,
not an incitement to good, but one of the
most potent forces for evil.
There are, in the body polite, economic
and social, many and grave evils, and
there is urgent necessity for the sternest
war upon them. There should be relent-
less exposure of and attack upon every
evil man, whether politician or business
man, every evil practice, whether in
politics, in business, or in social life. /
hail as a beneIactor every writer or speaker
every man who, on the platform, or in
book magazine, or newspaper, with merci-
less severity makes such attack, provided
always that he in turn remembers that
the attack is OF use only If 1t Is absolutely
. truthful. The liar is no whit better thar
the thief, and if his mendacity takes the
form OF slander. he may be worse thar
most thieves. Il puts a premium upoT
: lxnavery untruthfully to attack an homes
man, or even with hysterical exaggeratioI
s 10 assail q bad man with untruth. Al
epidemic of indiscrminate assault upol
character does not good, but very grea
harm. The soul OF every scoundrel !
gladdened whenever an honest man ]
assailed, or even when a scoundrel is un
4 truthfully assailed.
/. Now it is easy to twist out OF shap
= what | have Just said, easy to affect Z
!, misunderstood itand if it is slurred over ]
: repetition no difficult really TO misundei
' stand it, Some persons are sincerel
incapable of understanding that to dc
nounce mud singing does not mean tn
Endorsement of whHewashing; and bot
the interested individuals who necdWhits
> washing. and those others who practiC
- mud Singing. like to encourage such col
2 fusion OF ideas. One Of the chief count
, against those who make indiscrlmlnal
assault upon men in business or men
public life. is that they invite a reactio
\ which is sure to tell powerfully IN favor
- the unscrupulOus scoundrel who real
, ought to be attacked, who ought to be e.
y nosed Who ought. ii possible, to be p'
IN the pentitentiary. If Aristides is praise
in overmuch as just, people get ured
d hearing il; and overcensure OF the unlu
70 finally and from similar reasons results
r their favor.
or Anv excess is almost sure to invite
Is reaction: and. unfortunately the reacuo
II instead of taking the form OF punishme
of those guilty of the excess, Is very apt
"a take the form either of punishment oi q
a unofending or Of giving immunity, al
Al even strength to offenders. The effort
make financial or political profit out oi q
destruction OF character can only rest
I. In public calamity. Gross and reckie
assaults on character, whether on q
stump or in newspaper, magazine,