Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1909-02-25


II. 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;
1T 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 po-
litical life, men representing all pro
fessions, all branches of business and
all trades. | 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 profession is that of the
ministry. Time was in New England,
and in every other part of the coun-
try under the influence of its tradi-
tions, when the minister of the Con
gregational church, in addition to that
of his sacred office, exercised a most
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 theoc-
racy;' when it was deemed wise and
politically proper to regulate by law,
to the minutest deta.l the manner of
life of men. and as these laws were un-
derstcod 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 it 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
other vocations, the disappearance of
the simple village life, have all con-
tributed to change radically the posi-
ton and influence of the ministry in
the community. To-day it is not true
that that profession attracts the ablest
young men, and this, think, is a dis
tinct loss to our society, for it is of
the utmost Importance that the profes-
sion whose peculiar duty it is to main
tain high moral standards and to
arouse the best that there is in man,
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 ministry 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
should be the chief instruments in ma
king this world morally and religions
ly better. 1t is utterly impossible to
separate politics from the lives of the
community, and there cannot be gen.
eral personal and social business NOR
ality and political immortality at the
same time. The latter will ultimately
debauch the whole community.
Has Made Improvement.
During the administration of Mr..
Roosevelt, and under the influence of
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. In
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 a
century. The greatest agency to-day
in keeping us advised of the condi-
tions among oriental races is the es-
tablishment of foreign missions. The
leaders of these missionary branches
of the churches are becoming some of
our most learned statesmen in respect
of our proper oriental policies.
Judge Tat, discussing teachers, said
that their relation to politics and gov
ernlsent is of the utmost Importance,