The Mena weekly star., 1909-02-25

AoQreSs befcre the OniNSFSity or Penn- syIvania on the Present Relation Of the Learned Professions to Political Government Coupled with Euogy of the Life and Works of George Washington-The First Presidents High Character as Man.
 Philadelphia, Feb. 22.-Hon. William H. Taft, president-elect of the United States, was the principal speaker at | the exercises in the University of Pennsylvania. commemorative of the | birth of Washington.
 He chose for the subject of his ad- | dress the Present Relations of the Learned Professions to Political Gov ernment" He discussed at consider able length the influence which the | learned professions, in this day, have upon national and municipal govern ment. He outlined luminously the part each of the important professions plays in government by the people and compared their influence. one with another In brief part, he said
 | Tt is the duty of every citizen to | give as much attention as he can to the public veal, and to take as much | interest as he can in political matters. Americans generally have recognized these duties, and we find active in DO. ! litical life, men representing all pro | fessiors. all branches of business and all trades. I propose today to invite | your attention to the present relation of each of the learned professions to politics and government
 Ministry Placed First.
 "The first profesison is that of the ministry Time was in New England, and in every other part of the coun- | try under the influence of it's tradi- | tons, when the minister of the Con gregational church, in addition to that | powerful influence, which was of dis | tinctly political character. His views on the Issues of the day were consid- cred of the greatest weight in the com munity in which he lived, and he ranked everyone as its first citizen. | This was in the days when New Eng land might almost be called a 'theoc- racy; when it was deemed wise and | politically proper to regulate by law, to the minutest detail, the manner ot life of men, and as these laws were un- | derstood to be framed in accord with moral and religious requirements, the minister of the community was the highest authority as to what the law should be and how 1t ought to be en- forced Great changes have come over our methods of life since that day. Then the ministry, because of the re- wards in the way of influence, power and prominence, attracted the ablest of educated minds, and the ability and force of character were where power and influence resided. But the spread of education and independent think ing, the wide diffusion of knowledge and news by the press. the enormous material development of the country, the vast increase in wealth. the in crease in rewards and influence of other vacations, the disappearance of the simple village life. have all con | ton and influence of the ministry in the community. To-day 1t is not true that that profession attracts the ablest young men, and this, l think. Is dis tinct loss to our society, for 1t is of the utmost importance that the profes- sion whose peculiar duty it is to main tain high moral standards and to | thof fhar fu in, a ", to stir him to higher aspirations, should have the genius and brilliancy with which successfully to carry out this function. Of course, the profes- sion of r1in!stry is supposed to have to do largely with the kingdom of the next world rather than with this. and many people expect to find in the rep resentatives of the profession only an other worldliness and no thought of this This, of course, is the mar rowest view of the profession. What ever the next world we are certainly under the highest obligation to make the best of this. and the ministers should be the chief instruments in ma king this world morally and religious ly better It is utterly impossible to separate politics from the lives of the community, and there cannot be gen eral personal and social business nor allty and political immortality at the same time The latter will ultimately debauch the whole community.
 Has Made improvement.
 During the administration of MT Roosevelt, and under the influence oi certain revelations of business immor ality, the conscience of the whole country was shocked and then nerved to the point of demanding that bet ter order of affairs be introduced. h this movement the ministers of the various churches have recognized the call upon them to assist, and they have been heard in accents much more effective than ever before in half { century The greatest agency today in keeping us advised of the condi tions among oriental races is the es tablishment of foreign missions. Th' leaders of these missionary branche! of the churches are becoming some O
 our most learned statesmen in respec
 of our proper oriental policies"
 , Judge Taft. discussing teachers. sait
 that their relation to politics and gov
 ernment is of the utmost importance