Las Vegas daily optic., 1907-04-24

Concerned there is no question thai
the woFll as a whole In enjoying a
period Of greater freedom from wars
and their distressing consequences, Of
Tavage. plunder and insecurity 10 the
individual. than ever before In Its
history. II is also true that those
which occur are shorter In Duration.
and attended with less destruction Of
private property and invasion of pri.
Sate rights, than vas formerly the
case. IL IL furthermore true that. u.
ken together. citizens and subjects
everywhere are freer than at any 9th
or time from tyranny and oppression
by their own government. and freer 10
pursue their -vocations without fear
OF molestation or interference. Be.
sides this larger liberty and security
which the people OF today enjoy.
there has come 10 them a. a whole
an immense advance In material com.
fort and In opportunity for education
and enjoyment. Food and convan.
fences which hunderd and fifty years
ago were Iuxuries to the rich. or whol.
ly unknown. are now within reach of
nearly every one. Education and
reading matter which were confined
to the few can be had for the asking.
Then II was the exception for a man
TO go beyond the limits OF his own
country Now travel Is almost uni
versal. anL not many are so straiten'
ed that there does not come to them
at times some form of amusement
and recreation.
1t might naturally be supposed tina;
these improved conditions would tend
TO increase the tranquility and happi'
ness Of peoples, and that. secure In
their homes and possessions. they
would experience a greater degree OF
eontentment and satisfaction In liv'
ing than had been possible at an ear.
lier stage OF development. Such
however. Is not the case. With i'm
provement of material conditions has
come growing mental and spiritual
unrest and discomfort. For genera
tions people lived on quietly aud cop'
tentedly In that condition of life To
which they were taught and believed
1t had pleased God to call them,
They had no religious misgivings or
political doubts. Things as they were
were ordained from on high, and they
never dreamed of questioning or dis
turbing them.
While II may be true that such a
state of things tended to stagnation OF
intellect and arrest OF progress along
every line OF possible advance. 1t was
productive of an atmosphere and men
tai attitude that gave tranquil lives
and much placid enjoyment and hap
piness to large numbers of people
We see II ielineated In the portrait
ure of Sir Roger de Coverley and the
pages of lrving's Sketch Book,
where he describes so attractivcly
tne life Of rural England. There Is
no such existence anywhere today
Then every man provided himself or
rather was born to creed. set OF
political principles. ani an assert
ment of opinions which met all his
wants. which were sacred and unal-
<erable. which carried him through
life without mistrust and launched
him into the next world with serene
confidence.
Now all Is changed. Everything Il
In fiux and ferment. No system of
philosophy Is undisputed. no princi-
pies of government unquestioued or
regarded as permanent or wholly sat
isfactory, and no creed as sacred anu
adequate. The right to property,
once supposed to be the foundation
of the social order, is denied, the
right Of a man to labor as long, and
for as much as he pleases, Is cur
tailed. individual initiative and self
reliance are discouraged and state
control and ownership of all indus
trial activities and distribution ad-
vocatei. Enterprises of all sorts,
commercial, educational, social and
religious, are turning to the govern
ment for guidance and assistance,
and. from having regarded our chief
magistrate as the servant of the peo-
pie chosen to execute the laws, we
are coming TO look at him and appeal
to him as ruler, clothed with impe-
rial powers.
These conditions are indications of
wide charges in thought, theory and
belief, already accomplished, or now
in process of taking place. and neces'
sarily imply anything but state Of
mind promotive of tranquility and