The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-01-10
THE WORLD GROWING BETTER

way-more refined, more religious,
more benevolent.
We have a habit of running down
and discrediting the age in which we
live, and like the children of Israel,
are ever looking backward for the
/ 1esh-pots of plenty and happiness.
But we are leaving back of US not
only the relics but the spirit of bar
/ barism and intolerance, and in front
of US the world holds out a picture of
! gorgeous beauty.
To realize our growth, toward what.
/ is better compare the Christmas of
1907 with the Christmas of fifty years
! ago or more.
Santa Claus had hardly crossed over
on this side Of the ocean then, but see
how lavishly he now visits every
home. Not only were presents given
to the children Of the rich last Christ
mas but were universally distributed
to the children Of the poor, and the
poor were also looked after in other
ways.
See the numbers of dinners that
were distributed to the destitute by
the Salvation Army in New York City,
and in nearly every big city in the
| United States, and in the smaller cit
les the Kings Daughters and other
benevolent societies were busy in the
performance of the same mission.
Abiding to charities of this kind
the Montgomery Journal said the day
after Christmas:
And last night the browning event
of the week so far as charity is con-
cerned, took place in the criminal di-
vision of the city court, when the Sal
walton Army gave away three thous-
and useful articles to the deserving
poor. The articles included suits of
clothes for men and boys, dress pat
terms for women and little girls,
stockings galore for everyone need
ing them, some articles of adornment
for the poor girls that would make
them have a better opinion of them
selves and the world, and baskets fill
ed with provisions, including every
thing necessary to live on for a small
family for several days during the
Christmas festival"
Abused as no other man perhaps
has been, Mr.. Rockefeller stands to-
day as the greatest philanthropist the
world has ever known, and future
ages will do him the justice that is
now denied him and will mention his
name in praise.
Carnegie, and a whole lot of others, |
have made this century known as the
benevolent age, and their donations
for the establishment of schools, Ii
braries and hospitals are here to
brighten future ages in reality, and
as an example to actuate others in |
well doing.
In politics, too, we have the same |
tendency towards higher ideals.
After quoting from Jefferson, Ran
dolph and others, who "despaired of
the republic" the New York World, |
quoted from the late Senator Hoar of |
Massachusetts, as follows:
Il have seen in the state in the I'm |
on foremost in power and wealth four |
judges Of her courts impeached for |
corruption and the political admins
tratiOn of her chief city become a dis |
grace and a by-word throughout the |
world. l have seen the chairman of |
the committee on military affairs in |
the house, now a distinguished mem |
Der of this court, rise in his place and |
demand the expulsion Of four Of his |
associates for making sale of their Of |
fetal privileges of selecting the |
youths TO be educated at our great
military schools.
when the greatest railroad of the |
world, binding together the continent |
and uniting the two great seas that |
wash our shores, was finished, l have |
seen our national triumph and exulta- |
ton turn to bitterness and shame by |
the unanimous reports of three COM
mittees of congress-two of the /
house and one here-that every step
of that mighty enterprise had been |
taken in fraud.
4 have heard that suspicion haunts |
the footsteps of the trusted compan-
ions of the president"
And yet the World says:
Yet Senator Hoar. after a careful |
study of the first sixteen years of the
federal government, which included /
the administrations of Washington !
and Adams and the first term of JEFF |
fersOn, reached the conclusion that |
there was not only more corruption |
in proportion than there had been IN
der Grant, but that there had been
more in amount, Notwithstanding the |