The Irish standard., 1906-04-07

ought to reign in the world; and tina
on the order of ideals depends tn
5 order of events; and that when thes
great problems are called in question
the dcstinies of mankind are involved.
Nor should we, in passing, fail t.
mention the great moral infiuenc,
which is ever eXertcd by Il free an.
} untrammcled press, nor the advantage:
to be obtained from the general diff
fusion of knowledge, work which ha.
been splendidlH performed by oul
schools and colleges.
IN contrasting u Christian with I;
Pagan civilization, it must be renlem.
bered that we are not likely to MAKE
any great advance over what was ac-
complished in ancient times along the
lines of intellectual and material de-
velopment. Those splendid empires and
republics which existed in Pagan times
still arouse our wonder and respect,
not alone because of the extraordinary
length to which they carried their ma
teral wealth, glory and dominion but
complishments in philosophy, poetry,
| literature and science, and which, down
| the ages, have excited the envy and
| admiration of the scholar and the sage
| Wherein we have exceiled and wherein
we must maintain the distinction which
marks true civilization is along the
lines of what is good and true and
free: or, differently expressed. our chief
aim must be to promote in private as
in public life virtue, TRUTH and Justice
This, however. IS but asserting that the
great spiritual forces upon which our
Christian civilization is built are to be
carried onward and upward until we
reach the goal "f our national destiny.
Til" greatness Of Il cit" or OF a nation
does not depend. therefore. upon the
its population or it's material grandeur;
but more upon its intellectual ideals.
and more still upon the existence of
moral principles. which are alone the
forces that in the end make for the
progress and civilization Of man.
II has been well said that truth.
opinion. ideals, spoken or written. are
not merely facts or entities, they arc
forces, and il is easy Ia discover their
material world " st Humanity
grows from mora; and intellectual in
SEPARATION. i " Whatever touches
the nerves of motive, whatever shifts
mans moral position. is lnigh,icr than
steel or electricity. 1t projects us into
another sphere, IT throws us upon Il
higher or lower plane of activity.
"Onc great principle will tell more
upon the life o: Il people tnan I'LL its
discoveries and conuucS,s. Its char
acter ana history will be decided not
by its geographic conformation. but
by its ideals IN the great sum of So
cial destiny England is not that Empire
whose right arm cncirclcs the northern
lakes and whose left stretches far down
into the Indian Sea. but an influence
Bacon and Locke and Shakespeare and
Milton. And our own America. which
reaches from ocean to ocean. crowned
with its many stars. is not II mere ter
ritory on the map. II material weight
among nations, but II sentiment we will
trust and believe. IL sentiment to so
abroad to other people and into other
cities caught from the apostles Of
liberty and kindled by champions of
human rights.
In considering American civilization
ii will be found that IN the main it
was established and built by men of
severe and rugged virtues, who We're
deeply imbucd with religious principles,
and that the laws and manners and
customs of the people We're pervated
With, IT not controlled by high moral
ideals. that in the past great social
problems have been adjusted IN II way
consistent with truth and justice. and
thus we have acquired the garnercd
fruit of tho civilization of the ages,
and the promise in the twentieth
century nf n theatre wherein can be
exhibited the highest achievements of
man.
If There should be II failure To realize
this seeming destiny it will be due To
socialism. materialism. irrcligion. and
the inOrdinatc growth OF the vices and
tendencies to which we have udvcrted.
but which as yet. because of the
prevalence of right principles among
our people, have had no serious effect
upon our growing civilization. and
which, though they are mcnuccs and
like the spots on the sun may at times
produce :; shadow can never unless
they assume much larger proportions.
obscure the splt9dor OF our civilization.
which is the highest and hest that the
world has ever known.
Standing on the threshold OF II now
century. we should remember that the
future is in our hands. to be formed
and rounded in harmony with the
eternal fitness of things. or so unsllil-