The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1906-12-20

meDt. Inc appeals now are not SO
much to the state capitals as the ma
tlonal capital For practical purposes
Il matters little in what state a man
now lives, has liberty and pursues
happiness. Hundreds OF thousands
OF men live In one state and earn their
incomes in another. Industry and
commerce regard states as geographi-
cal expressions. All OF us live by
some sort of industry or commerce.
and there Is llttle more significance
now in going from Massachusetts to
Ohio, except the fare, than in going
from Suffolk county into Essex. The
thoughts of stateshood do not grow
nowadays; certainly the ideals do not.
But the thought OF nationhood does
grow. and its ideals fix themselves in
the minds of all men. Whether We
like 1t or dislike 1t, the supremacy
Of the national idea is shaping our
politics, guiding congresses. inspiring
the administration. II is not likely
to cease in growth. II means CEN
trafization, of course. But our mod
ern way OF life is forcing that. II Is
not the president, nor any man; 1t is
not a party, nor a propaganda. but
every tendency OF modern life which
strengthens the powers of the ma
tional government, and which brings
to Il new duties. This stream OF ten
dency Is encountered everywhere
President Roosevelt sails gayly on II
His opponents sit on the banks ana
bewail the speed at which he travels;
they do not see the flood which car
ries him along.
Old Earth Still Spins.
Many have been the changes OF a
year. A little year, ere yet the Fifty
ninth congress was a month old. why
he, even he of the vast majority,
faced instruction at his capital. And
In the country, too. there We're muir
murs and mutterings and some down
pours OF wrath. Now we can see that
they were showers and squalls, not
storms. The skipper Of the craft held
on his course and read the weather
better than his critics did. The coun-
try Is still intact. Those terrible
measures were not so terrible after
all. The sun is in its place, the stars
swing In their coures and this merry
old earth spins just as 1t ever did in
space.
Popularity? Oh, we'll, the prophets
,a.a.,.. Eva,, ID m, nj Aa1 cfss11f N %
has not altered 1t. The presidents
popularity IS as great as ever, so far
as sam Weller's patent double-mil-
hon microscope might reveal any
thing to the contrary. Popularity
Well. peace be with it.
There are some men whose souls
are unwrung because other men are
popular. Their brains warp and sag.
Now you know, and | know, that no
body else can be so good, and wise,
and courageous, and disinterested. as
you are, and as | am. For that rea-'
son We should have lenient souls, and
patiently, tolerantly, reckon with the
rest of the world. Why haven't We,
and why don't We? Because we are
gravelled for lack OF generosity and
Imagination. There are men of vir-
tue and narrowness. brains and preju-
dices. who, seeing the popularity OF a
man, conceive an instant fear Of him.
and whip it with green spray of
jealousy. They would like to- block
the path OF the popular man, pull
down that favored one. and dash the
little, broken pieces OF him among
the devouring dogs OF wreckage and
Oblivion. Dear. doubling. pessimistic
creatures, They are good Christian
folk, and say their prayers; eminent
citizens to whom, some day, We shall
erect tablets and stained-glass win
dows, but another mans popularity
shrivels 'em and they get sort of
mental blindrstaggers. Few OF US in
this world ere wholly immune. But
most OF us can strengthen our intelh-
gent muscles, and put our generosity
in the sunshine to grow. aud cultivate
Imagination. II We can't, and don't
nature has smal use for us. The
world moves by and leaves us mark
ing time.
Narrow Folk Can't Grasp Him.
I've heard men say, men who know
their world and who have a broad
outlook on II, that the more they saw
Of, probed into and understood the
opposition to President Roosevelt, the
more they were drawn toward him
in spite OF traits. characteristics In
him, that they didn't like. That. In
the words of Socrates. is about the
size of II. This man takes lot OF
understanding. Narrow folk can't
grasp him. and they see only the
shadow Of him as the sun rises. II
you want to know the mountain in its
relation to the landscape, get away
from II and don't look through the
big end OF telescope. Over in
Europe they have a bigger. broader
view Of President Roosevelt than we
have at home, than anybody has at
Washington. We are too near the
mountain. They see the mass in its
relation TO the rest of the human