Alaska sentinel., 1906-10-25

At time when charges of graft are made on every hand, when wrongdoing has come to be expected from every officeholder, when individuals long trusted and honored have been shown to be made of the commonest sort of clay. It Is easy to become pessimisticl and to see only evil In the path of the republic. The Respondent are apt to be carried away by the storm. and even saner folk, warned of some impending curse by a prophet of III. are swept from their moorings. At such time 1t Is refreshing and hope-inspiring to- hear a clear voice telling of the good of life and calling to the down-hearted to cheer up and see the bright side of things. notable instance of such op- timism was President Angell's bacca- laureate address at Ann Arbor, in which he said that the present reaction of indignation against the public In iqulties which have been exposed has carried the great mass of the people to a moral height which they seldom have attained. The thoroughness with which mismanagement has been investigated. the determination which has been man ifested to eradicate evils, the insistent demand for stricter laws of regula- ton, the dethronement of bosses who have held power for years. the scorn and contempt accorded to public men. long honored, who have been detected In unsavory business dealings-all show the moral soundness of the ma
 jority of the people of the country. "A more sane and wholesome state of pub lie feeling has never been seen." are opened the way for an appeal for en- rollment of college graduates among those who are determined that right and honor shall prevail. On the one hand there is the temptation to get rich quickly by dubious means, per haps. thus adding to the army of cor ruptionists and destroyers of society. On the other hand. there Is the chance for an honorable career among the self-respecting and respected members of a community. In a striking sentence President Angell asserts The lawyer of fair ability, of industry, and of character is sure to be recognized In due time; the physician of intelligence. of fidelity to his patients, of pleasing ad- dress, and of good morals is certain to be In demand and to bind to him the families be serves by the dearest ties; the editor who loves veracity more than sensationalism, and purity In his columns more than the ill-gotten gains of salacious advertisements, Is assured of influence In a decent con- munity; the man on whom political office Is thrust by his fellow citizens because of his intellectual and moral worth dwells In an atmosphere quite above the vulgar and nauseous tempta- tions that captlvate the professional of ficeseeker, and when be finishes his career leaves an honored name behind him." These things are true, and no opportunity ever presented Itself to the aspiring more encouraging than that which Is afforded right now, when the people, tired of exposures and frauds, weary of grafters and corruptionists, and themselves at heart all right. look for the honest and intelligent servant who will be right and do right. It has often been proved in the worlds his tory that an era of seeming wholesale corruption was really, for the great mass of citizens. an age of virtue.