Evening journal., 1908-06-08
skNRasI9YN3

I'VE are prone TO dwell on Old Times az
the better times. Even In Genesis. It is
said that there were giants in those days
II Is Gods blessing that we remember
pleasure and forget pain. Old times wore
Eood but they were bad too. Every age
has its evils. which It Is called on to
surmount and which Ia the end 1t dsss
surmount or necessity. II must be 50.
For all life. out OF which the life Of the
world grows Is a progress, and progress
develops new conditions. and now con-
dltions in turn develop new problems;
problems Of which some yield only good,
and others again yield evil, either things
partly evil or some wholly evil Life Is the
over recurring struggle between good
an evil; between the forces symbolised
by God, and the forces symbolized BY the
devil Through the law we inherited from
England. what we know as the common
law from the earliest times, there runs the
thread Of conflict in phases new, against
fraud and crime; the new temptations
furnished by new opportunities the pre-
dntory instinct in conflict with the States
and the courts.
But admitting all this to be true. stili
I ask is civil liberty in danger1 True. ne
sroiler is likely 10 be found foolhardy
enough 20 raise an open hand against Il;
yet from insidlous foe It is nevar free;
and in every sort Of clothing OF the sheep
will the wolf be found At last in the poo
gress OF tho world. we have reached con-
dliiens from which. until within the recent
past, we were singuiariy exempt The
census IN successive decades dlscoses that
up to 1850, the preponderance OF the wealth
OF tho country was In the hands OF the
formers; the largest fortunes were incon-
] siderable I'm amount. compared with those
of to-day. With modern instrumentalities
( exploiting the potentlality Of the wealth
o. such a continent, we now see fortunes
accumulate in an amount and in number
OF which the whole past OF the world fur
nishes no example. Hitherto tho equal
division OF property at death has served
TO keep down occumulations; but the for
tunes Of to-day. rolling like tho snow
ball, defy such limitations. while the cor-
perate fortune in many OF its forms Is
subject neither to the corroding tooth OF
time, nor to the restraint Of the consci-
ence and responsibility Of the individual
proprietor. Other features are added to
less by the owner. and more and more by
the tenant; the population in towns and
cities exceeds that Of the country. Not
only does wealth accumulate. but the
power OF wealth accumulates. and whether
or not men decay viii depend upon the
yiGor retained by the moral forces Of So
ciety We can rely only upon a wholesome
public opinion, not cowardy and afraid.
not drugged and Indifferent. bent enis
upon private affairs and careless OF The
. public interest, like Gallo. caring for nom
Of these things. We viii either Withstand
or yield TO selfish interests. whether
, singly or in the aggregate, that despisine
people lacking the robust vigor 10 pro-
! tect themselves, would WELD and perver
r the public instrumentaiities TO their pri-
, vate advantage. For the courage tn
n moral fibre that will resist such ln9u
cnces and maintain the integrity OF so
clety; that will enable the American Re
public stin to challenge the good oplnlo
o. mankind. we must nelly in the last an
' a,ysls upon the forces that two hundre
, years ago established this church. upor
the Christian morals that are the onl.
a sure foundation OF a free State"