St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-06-10

oOihS lhot Vi OOu. Beautiful and grand,
or rugged and strong, or sweet and ex-
quisite-they tell us something of the
Creator, for into each He has put His
infinite mind.
But in the larger social good there is
to be discerned the same fact. All great
movements that have blessed mankind
can be traced back to their inception in
some one man; and further still. to their
beginnings in his brain where they ap-
peared first as faint, shadowy sug-
gestions. Thus the worlds social move
ments are not simply great institutions
or vast systems, but the embodiment
and development of ideas. We today
are IN the enjoyment of individual rights
as citizens. This is so in all enlightened
governments. The Divine Right of kings
mas IN such lands given way to the con-
ception of common personality of
rulers. Take these two conceptions as
starting point and follow the back
ward track and you willcome to an idea
IN the mind of the famous Oliver Crom-
well. Even so have all reforms started.
But we are not all privileged thus to
influence the world. We are confined
~ oAAoAA~A Sl'hSANSs 1CL Will each Vi us
there is to be discernedn all our activity
our thot. Back to that can our work
be traced, that is, if we are live men and
women.
We can become mere machines in our
labors, or we can be independent, self
directing, progressive workmen. And
the difference between a man who does
his work the same way, day in and day
out, because his hand has become accus-
toned to doing it in that way, and the
man who is wide-awake, alive to the
opportunities of his task, who really
adds something to 1.-THE difference
between these men is the difference of
thot, of intelligence. And in these small
ways,as well as in large undertakings or
great material forms. the little improve
ments, or the new method, or some other
change are evidences of thinking. AS we
thus review life what words can be more
truly pertinent than those of the wise
man OF old, that wisdom is profitable
to directs" We can also see that
mans worth to the world is in consider
able measure determined by the thot
he puts into his living. He who
takes thot, who lives and works intel
ligently is a worthy member of the social
body. Whereas, on the other hand, if
the iron be blunt and one do not whet
the edge then must he put to more
strength; which is but fgurative way
of saying that the dull-minded man. he
who seldom or never thinks, uses up his
energy unnecessarily and so is but a
weak member of society. For, since
thots become embodied in various forms
using which men find living easier, hap
pier, and more profitable, the amount
and quality of the thot man puts into
the world is a criterion of his service to
the world.
But we have thus far only knocked at
the door of our theme. Let US now
move within and seek to know what is
there. 1t is largely by the character of
their thinking that nations become
known. The visible and tangible factors
of civilization in countries are but an in
dication Of the character of the people
Consider carefully what this means. If
you were to place vast number of
| native-born Americans-say 100000
or more--in the heart of Africa, what
would take place? Almost before one
generation had passed the land would be
cleared, agriculture under way. minerals
found and mined, towns and estab-
lished, and houses, factories, banks, hos
pitfalls, schools and churches erected and
in common use. Is not that so2 Why
it has been tried, only instead of hun
dreds of thousands there was but a
handful; and instead of Africa the place
of settlement was our own land-not at
all so we'll known then as Africa is to US.
And what resulted from that experiment?
We today, that is, this republic with
its splendid institutions and systems,
and this in less than ten generations.
But, place a large colony OF Arabs in
some large Western state, enough to
populate we'll that territory, and what
then would result? Probably in the
same length of time there would be those
elements that characterize that Eastern
civilization, indifference to law. the
harem, Incidence, craftiness, the mosque,
and other material indication of Moham-
medan influence. That is, the Americans
would not Africanize, nor, very probab-
", would the Arabs Americanize. For
each civilization is an embodiment of a
certain mental character. So the nation
is what the mind is. And the contrast
between these two great civilizations is
the difference between the investment OF
high intelligence and the investment OF a
low or inferior intelligence. There is no
question as to which nation-Americans
or Arabs-contribut most to the worlds
progress. We all well know to which Of
these two countries the greatest number
of persons emigrate. That land has
ALWAYS presented the fairest, most at
tractive appearance to men that mani
tested in its national life the greatest
amount of brain power, that showed an
high order of mental life. AS the nation
thiuketh in its heart so is it.
Likewise are thots the architects O
usefulness, and so of characters. AS we
have seen, the man who puts his head a:
we'll as his heart, into his work, is by al
means the most desirable workman, anc
the most eagerly sought. There is
period, when we first enter upon any
work, when we must rest upon wha
Others tell us, must follow certain direc
!