The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1907-08-21

velopment By the same evolutionary
law which has produced his physical
structure and intellectual powers, that
his aspirations will become more and
more refined and purified, and his
brute inheritance become weaker.
new meaning is given to the voice of
the old psalmisl from across the CEN
turtles: g shall be satisfied. when
I awake in thy likeness. The
evolutionist is progressive but not
impatient. He is receptive to new
ideas but conservative towards revolu
tionary ones. He is expectant of the
future. but not quarreling with the
past or dispalring about the present.
He knows that everything that has
been, had to be in order that some
thing else might become. He knows
that the institutions of the future
must be slow adaptation of. and
growth out Of, institutions of today.
He does not feel that time is being
lost merely because results are not
directly in sight. He is not eager to
see all his conceptions realized in
laws. He knows that it is possible
to see ahead distance which it re-
quires long time to travel. He
knows the law OF development. He
knows that he must wait. Theodore
Parker was once waited upon by a
committee of clergymen who desired
to interest him In a campaign for
prohibition in Massachusetts. He
hesitated. They urged that it was
Goods work. He replied. "Yes
it is Gods work. but God is not in a
hurry and you are''
In conclusion. have chosen this
theme of the universal order because
it seems to be appropriate for these
stirring times end to this occasion.
lSurely if we know the law, we can
conform more readily to it. 1t is as
we have seen one of the theories of
the doctrine of evolution that with
the dawn OF consciousness in a man
and the development of intelligence
and will. there came new factor in
the movement. Man has attained the
power to consciously cooperate with
this law. The organ of social con-
seriousness To-Day is the press. and as
take my leave of the fraternity.
felt impelled to draw as | conceive
it, the curve of progress.
1t is for you TO be open minded
for you to lead the way: but it is
Just as much your part to be conser-
vative as 1T is to be aggressive; there
are as many occasions when the true
friend of progressive and reform
movements needs to hold back as
there are when he should pull ahead
and broadly speaking the cause of re-
form and progress is embarrassed
and delayed as much by the mistakes
of over-zealuus and unwise friends as
by the efforts Of itssopponents.
Consider the situation now pre-
sented by the enactment of the new
fe1eral rail way Legislation and the
public utilities act of New York
State. These acts undoubtedly en-
body sound public policy. The
control by duly constituted authority of
monopoiles whose service are neces-
sary to the community is inevitable.
The argument is over. but the prob
lem is yet to be dealt with. Nothing
is disposed of by merely turning ie
over to the government. This ques-
ton is much larger than the simple
regulation of profits upon capital now
invested in public service corpora
tons.
1t is obvious that unless this pro-
posed regulatlonproves in practice to
be reasonably acceptable to the In
vesting public capital. will turn into
other channels with resulting incon-
, venience and loss to the public enor-
mously more serious than any prob
able loss to security holders. 1t may
be agreed that the public has no in
tention of being unjust to railroad
properties: that is not the point in
issue. The public cannot be expect
ed to act with wisdom unless it has
, full and correct information. The
best board of directors would 90
, wrong otherwise. Unfortunately the
} public's sources of information about
: any subject of political action. are
4 very uncertain. The average busy
man must form his opinions opon a
= hasty reading Of hastily edited news
papers and nobudy knows the faults
: of the modern daily papers better
than the men who make them. Some
of these faults have been exhibited
t in recent treatment of the relations
t between the United States and Japan.
n There is not the slightest occasion
g Tor war between these countries. The
. governments understand each other
n prefectly. are satisfied with each
: others attitude and have deplored the
sensational discussions of the suhiect