The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1910-06-08

sea. where they did their own lighting.
and fought very well. they refused in
time OF peace TO make ready fleets SO ef-
fcient as either to insure the Dutch
against the peace being broken or else
to give them the victory when war
came. To be opulent and unarmed Is TO
secure ease In the present at the almost
certain cost OF disaster In the future.
II is therefore easy to see why Holland
lost when she did her position among the
powers. but IL Is far more difficult to eN-
plain why at the same time there should
have come at least q partial loss OF posi-
ton in the world OF art and letters. Some
spark OF divine fire burned itself out in
the national soul As the line OF great
statesmen. OF great warriors. by land and
sea. came to an end. SO the line OF the
great Dutch painters ended The loss OF
pre-eminence In the schools followed the
loss Of pre-eminence in camp and In
council chamber.
In the little republic OF Holland. in
the great empire OF Rome. IL WIS not
death which came. but transformation.
Both Holland and Italy teach US thai
races that fall may rise again.
Danger Of Race Suicide.
There are questions which We Of the
great civilized nations are ever tempted To
ask OF the future. Is our time OF growth
drawing to an end? Are We nations
soon TO come under the rule OF that great
law OF death. which IS Itself but part Of the
great law OF life? None can tell. Forces
that we can see and other forces that are
hidden that can but dimly be appre-
hended are at work all around US. both
for good and for evil. The growth in lux
ury. i'm love OF ease. in taste for vapid
| and frivolous excitement. Is both evident
and unhealthy The most ominouS sign
Is the ,iiminufion in the b!rth-rate. In the
| rate OF natural increase. now 10 larger
or lesser degree shared by most OF the
civilized nations OF central and western
Europe. OF America and Australia: dim
mutton SO great that IL II continues for the
next century AT the rate which has OBJ
| tanned for the last q years. all the more
highly civilized people will be stationary
| on Else have begun TO go backward In
population. while many Of them will have
| ALREADY gone very far backward.
There is much that should give us con-
| Germ for the future. But there IL much
also which should give us hope. 40 man
| is more apt to he mistaken than the
prophet OF evil ] hclirv. with all my
heart that great future remains FOR us:
hut whether II does does not. our
| duty is not altered. However the bat
| tie may go. the soldier worthy OF the
| name will with utmost viGor do his al
; Ioied task. ard bear himself valiant
| " in defeat az in victory. Come what
Will. We belong To peoples who have not
Yielded To the craven fear of heinc great.
In the ages that have gone by. the
great nations. the nations that have EN-
| pandcd and that have played a mighty
part I'm tn" world have In IN. end
CROWN old and weakened and vanished.
| but so nave the nations whose only
| Thought WAS To avoid all danger. all Of
| fort. who would risk nothing. and who
| therefore gained nothing. In the end the
| same fate may overwh-lm all alike: hut
the memory OF the one type p.rsh.s with
| IL while the other lea .es iis mark deep
On the history OF all the future OF IMAM
| kind.
In the first part OF this lecture ] drew
| certain analocics between what had
CURED 10 forms OF animal lie through
the proc. SSion OF the ages on this planet.
and what has occurred and is occurring
| 10 the great artificial civilizations which
| have gradually spread over the worliS
surface during the thousands ~ years
| tha; have elapsed since cities Of temples
and palaces first r"S'. beside the Mic and
the EuphratrS and the harburs OF
! Minoan Crete bristl.d with the masts of
| the Aegean craft. But % course the
parallel is true only in tie toughest
ard most general way. Moreover. even
| b"tween the civilizations OF today and
| the Civilizations Of ancient times there
are differences so profound that We must
be cautious in drawing any conclusions
| for the present based on what has hap
| p"ned in the past. While freely admit
| ting all OF our f"llies and Weaknesses OF
| today. 81 is Yet mere perverSty tn refuse
! 30 realize the incredible advance that
! has been made in ethical standards, ! do
not h"leve that there is the slightest fec
| eSSary connection brtwecn any weaken
| ing 81 virile force and this advance in
| the moral standard. this growth Of the
sense OF obligation TO ones ns-ishbor and
~
| We need have scant patience with that
| silly Cynicisr. which insists that kindli-
| ness OF character only accompanies
| weakness o. character On the contrary.
| jusf in private life many OF the men
| Of strongest character are the very men
| Of lofiiest and most exalted morality. 80
| ! believe thai In national III. as the ages
| go by We shall find that the permanent
| national types will more and more tend
| towards those in which. while the intel
| lect stands high. character stands higher:
| in which rugged strength and courage
| rugged capacity to resist wrongful ag-
| gresson by others. will go hand in hand
with lofty scorn OF doing wrong To 9th
ers. This is the type Of Timoleon. oc
Hamrden. OF Washington and Lincoln.
Problems Of Modern Nations.
| Every modern civilized! nation has many
and terrible problems to solve within its
| own borders. problems that arise not
| merely from tuytaposition OF poverty and
| riches. but especially from the self-"on-
| seriousness Of both poverty and riches.
| Each nation must deal with these mat
| ters In its own fashion. and Vet the spirit
in which the problem is approached must
| ever be funda mentally the same. II
| must be a spirit OF broad humanity: Of
! brotherly kindness: OF acceptance 81 re-
sponsibility. one for each and zach for
all: and AZ the same time a spirit ~
| weakness and seniimcntaliiy. As in war
! To pardon the coward Is To DO cruel
| wrong to the brave man whose life his
/ cOwardiCe jeOpar,liZes. so In civil affairs
| IL IL revolving To every principle OF
! justice TO give TO the lazy. ia. vicious. or
! even the feeble and tiull-witfrd. "A reward
! which is really the robbery Of what
| drawer. wiser. ADLER men have earned.
! The only effective way TO help AIRY man
Is to help him To help himself. and the
worst lesson TO teach him Is that he can
| he p.rma nently helped at the expense of
| some on. else. True liberty shows itself
| Ia best advantage in Protecting the rights
/ Of others, and especially OF minorities.
| Privilege should not be tolerated because
| IL is TO the advantage Of a minority. nor
! Vet because IL is TO the advantage OF a
| ma jority. No Soctrinaire theories Of
| vest ed rights or freedom OF contract can
| stand I'm the way Of oar cutting out
! abuses from the body polite. Jus; n lit
! tie can We afford To follow the dnctrin-
. aires Of an iInpossble-and incii-ntaliy
7 of "A highly undesira bl.-snCiai revolution
: which, In destroying inii.i dual rights
! GnC!u9!ng property rights and the fam
. ily would destroy the two chief agents in
! the advance OF mankind. and the two
chief reasons why either the advance or
. the preservation Of mankind Is worth
hsade