The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1907-10-04

L (. 4 rs w, y
the trouble was that out Of many such
half truths he made d picture which
as a whole was absurd; for often a
half truth is the most dang false
hood. It would be simply silly to be
angry over Martin ChuzzleWit; on the
contrary, read it, bes amused by it,
profit by it; and don't be misled by
1t. Keep a lively watch against the.
present-day Pograms and Bricks; but
above all, distrust The man who would
persuade you to fesa downhearted
about the country because of these
same Pograms ana Bricks, past or
present It would be- foolish to ignore
their existence, Or the existence of
anything else that is bad in our ma
tional life: hut IT would be even more
foolish to ignore the yaster forces that
tell for Righteousness. Friends, there
is every reason why we should fight
whatever is evil in the present. But
there is also every reason why we
should feel a sturdy and con 4
fident hope for the futur. There
are many wrong to right;
there are amny any powerful
wrong doers against whom to war;
and itwould be base to shrink from
the contest, or to fail Ito wage it with
high, resolute will But I am sure
that we shall win in the contest, be
cause know that the heart of our peo-
pie is sound Our average men and
women are good men and women
and this is true in all sections of our
country and among all classes of our
countrymen. There is no other ma
tion on earth with such vast natural
resources, or with such q high stand
ard of living and of industrial ef-
ficiency among its workers. We have
ais a nation an era Of unexampled
prosperity ahead of its; we shall en-
JOY it, and our children will enjoy it
after us. The trend ofNWell- being in
this country is nppard,sn not down
ward; and this is tsae trend in the
things Of the soul as in the
things of the body.
! Government in its application is
often complicated and delicate work.
but the principles Of government are,
after all, fairly simple. In a broad
general way we should apply in the
affairs of the national administration,
which deals with the interests OF all
our eighty-odd millions of people, just
the same rules that are necessary In
getting on with our neighbors in our
several neigtborhoods; and the ma
tion as a whole should show substan-
/ TALLY the same qualities that we would
expect an honorable man to show in
dealing with his fellows. To illustrate
this, consider for moment two phases
of governmental action.
First as to internalinal affairs.
Among your own neighbors. among
your friends, what is the attitude you
like to see man take toward his tel
| lows, the attitude you wish each or
your sons to take when he goes out
! into the world? Is it not a combina-
| tion of readiness and ability to hold
his own if anyone tries to wrong him,
while at the same time showing care
full regard not only for the rights but
for the feelings of others? Of course
lit is! Of course the type of man
whom we respect, whom we are proud
of if he is l1insfnan, whom We are
glad to have as a friend and neigh1bor,
is the man who is no milksop, who IS
not afraid, who will not tolerate nor
hesitate to resent insult or injury, but
who himself never inflicts insult or in
Jury, is kindly ,good-natured, thouht-
full of others rights--in short. a good
man to do business with or have In
the next house or have as fr1end.
On the other hand, the man who lachs
any of those qualities is sure to be OBJ
iectionable. If man is afraid TO hold
| his own, if he will submit tamely to
wrongdoing,. he is contemplate. II
he is bully, an oppressor, man VINO
| wrongs or insults others, he is even
| worse and should be hunted out OF the
| community. But, on the whole, the
most contemplate position that can
possibly be assumed by any man 1s
that of clustering, of Dragging, OF IN
sulting or wronging other people,
while yet expecting to go through life
tunchallenged, and being always willing
| to back down and accept humilia iatlon
LIE readiness to make good is demanded
Well, all this is just as true OF a ma
ton as OF an individual, and in deal
ing with other nations we should act as
we expect man who Is both game
and decent to act in private life. There
are few things cheaper and more op'
iectionable, whether on the part OF the
|public man or OF the private man, on
| the part OF a writer or Of speaker
an individual or a group OF individuals
/ than course of conduct which Is In
i sulting or hurtfu1, whether in speech
I or act. TO individuals OF another nation