Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1906-02-26

alz
stands in direct proportion to the full
er and more highly developed posses
sion of truth.
Christianity the Vital Force.
eve boast in our day that never
| has civilization been found ct any
| time on the earth as in modern times.
Whatever side or element of modern
civilization we study, the material or
the intellectual. the moral or the So
cial, or even the religious, every
where we behold a stupendOus devel-
/ Opment from former imperfect stages.
la quick advance by mighty strides
far beyond the past. Where do we
! find the rich fountain spring of all
this mighty life? In view of certain
| features of modern civilization what |
am going to say may sound we'll nigh
| irreverent and absurd. Yet | hold it
as sacred conviction that in order to.
find the all-pOwerful source of our
| present civilization we must wander
across the plains of Judea to the hal,
lowed spot where in that blessed
night when first the angels brought
| the message of universal peace, Eter-
nal Trues became incarnate to dwell
among men. Ever since that night
the sun of truth has spread more
abundant and brighter rays all over
the world, and in proportion as it
rises on the heavenly sky, the dark
ness OF error much gave way
True civilization does not consist
in art and literature for its own sake
nor in philosophy and science as
such,-much less in the material prog
ress of commerce and industry,-but
above all in the intellectual and NOR
al development of man which will en-
able him to put forth, for his own
good and for that of his fellow men,
for present and future generations, all
that is true and good and great in
him. The external elements Of civil
izatiOn are only the results and mani
festatiOns of the civilization in mans
own mind and heart. Hence | main
tain that the glorious and splendid
achievements of modern civilization
are mainly due, directly or indirectly,
to the wonderful light which Christi
anity sheds over all the fields of hui
man knowledge and aspiration"
Mission of the Lawyer.
In considering the various depart
ments of learning and the purpose
that should animate the student of
the professional schools as we'll as
those in purely academic work, Arch
| bishop MesSme; discussed the pro
! fession of the law. Unfortunately
there are people who seem to believe
in the we'll known ALTERATION of law
| yer and liar" he said But it is
| calumny on a most honorable profess
sion. Unfortunately there are people
! Ignorant enough to think that The
study OF law IS simply to furnish the
student with knowledge of all pos
sible legal tricks to catch the unwary,
! to save the criminal, to twist the law
! into q snare Or to escape from its
sanction, This also is Islander. To
my mind the study of law is the pur
! suit of truth upon one Of the noblest
fields of intellectual investigation and
activity; for it implies the knowledge
of the true relations between the diff
| ferent members of the commonwealth
as determined by law, the true nature
and bearing of the public actions Of
man as viewed by the law. In the pur-
! suity of truth in the defence of the
! innocent and in the prosecution Of the
criminal. in the suit for damages and
! in the award of just wages, in the
maintenance Of lawful possession as
we'll as in the condemnation of prop
erty. When we see over the judges
bench the picture of justice, her eyes
blindfolded and the evenly balanced
| scales in her hand, we know that the
meaning is not a blind judgment, If
/ respective of law, but that in render
ing judgment she must not look to the
persons surrounding her court, but
must read within her own mind the
verdict of truth. The pursuit of law,
unless it is guided by the pursuit of
truth, becomes the pursuit of crime.
Some prefer to call it an unQuench-