Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-17
Outside Point of View

| Very few people realize the influence
for good or evil of the uttered or writ
| ten word Our children grow up, as
we admit. their whole future moulded
by their environment. And that long
| word expresses air. water, food clothes,
a building we call home, other build
| ines that we name church, school
! house, public building, ana even
what we walk upon. dirt. or pavement.
| 1t is true these inanimate things in
| fuence, mould and change PERSONAL
| tiles. but they themselves are the re-
| suit of words, of uttered thought, so
| that environment is after all. nothing
but words put into form. This line of
reasoning brings us back to this state
ment: That the words written or
| spoken our children hear, are the real
factors that make the good or bad
man or woman. And such influence is
continued till life ceases. The human
mind never ceases to be receptive.
Admitting all in the preceding para
graph, it by no means follows that all
words are accepted by others as true.
the sentiments exposed by a Roosevelt
or a ,Tillman. The anarchist utters
his creed, and the law and order lee
turer his thoughts. Both are in one
sense absorbed by nearer and reader.
An Ingersoll fills the papers with his
words of infidelity. but at the same
time Moody breaches christianity.
Every question of morality. of religion.
of public policy has able debaters both
for the negative and affirmative The
big audience, the world listens, and ten.
fifty or hundred years after, these
debaters produce results. The freedom
of the black man dates back even be-
fore the words of the abolitionist in the
city of Boston. No one ever knows
what one word does. And what we
know as the bible. is merely history
of the world in this. 1t is the words OF
Moses and Jesus that really makes the
book of books The actions of the
peoples as related are merely the re-
suits of the spoken and written words
of these foremost figures of old and
new testament times.
To get back once more to that big
impressions that come to the mind of
the child. 1t is the words of the father
and the mother. Principles of right are
inculcated in the mind of the child.
never to be entirely eradicated. This
followed by the words of the teacher
in the public school. Include also Tho
words OF the preacher and the sun
day school teacher. Add to all this The
words of the other school children
Then complete the sum of addition
with all the printed words In paper
and book, and you have at maturity
product of humanity, that is a pro-
duct of words. This product is re-
suit of assimilation of thought that
makes the good or bad citizen. The
murderer, Winter. sentenced last week
at Eldora. is a forcibie Illustration of
this statement. Find out what man
reads and where and with whom he
associates and you know the man.
Naturally woman listens to and enjoys
using different words from man. As
long as, she keeps in this rut, she Will
play with dolls when girl, and with
the babe in after years. The boy reads
stories OF hunting, exploration and
war. and in after years becomes tho
actor in all Of these things.
SO far nothing has been said of true
or false words. Strange to relate ev-
cry age has different scale of meas
urement. Slavery was divine institu-
ton in the words of many pulpits less,
than 100 years ago Today where is
there one preacher using words to
prove such doctrine? Words proving
suicide under certain circumstances,
are accepted as sound logic in China
today And the code of the duel was
anl1onorable combination of words in the
United States fifty years ago. SO that
we have evolution even in the matter
of words, l. e.. expressed thought The
sitting process is going on continuous
/ y We may absorb much that is in
furious, with the good necessary for
better living, but out of it all by the
slow processes of time. we assimilate
the better, and thus the world gains
every year. Slowly but surely we APP
proach the millennium, in this, the only