The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1910-05-18

on q vaster scale than ever before In MIS-
tory. This is SO among the military mon
arches of Europe.
In our own Civil war Of the United
States the same thing occurred, peaceful
people as we are. At that time more than
two generations had passed since the
War of Independence. During the wnole
of that period the people had been en-
gagged in no life-and-death struggle; ana
vet, when the Civil war broke out ana
after some costly and bitter lessons at
the beginning, the fighting spirit OF the
people was shown to better advantage
than ever before. The war was peculiar
ly war for principle war wageo
by each side for an ideal, and while faults
and shortcomings were plentiful among
the combatants, there was comparatively
little sordidness Of motive or conduct In
such a giant struggle. where across the
warp of so many interests Is shot the
wool of SO many purposes, dark stranos
and bright, strands somber and brilliant
are always intertwined; inevitably there
was corruption here and there IN the ClvN
war; but all the leaders on both sides,
and the great majority Of the enormous
masses Of fighting men, wholly disre-
garded and were wholly uninfuenced BY
pecuniary considerations.
Wealth and Politics.
Another striking contrast in the course
Of modern civilization as compared with
the later stages Of the Graeco-Roman or
classic civilization is to be found in the
relations Of wealth and politics. In clas-
sic times, as the civilization advanced to-
ward its zenith. politics became recog-
nized means Of accommodating great
wealth. Caesar was again and again on
the verge of bankruptcy; he spent an
enormous fortune; and he recouped him.
self by the money which he made out OF
his political-military career. Augustus es-
.1-H Ary|n a.
lions by the use he made of the huge
fortune he had acquired by plumber. what
a contrast is offered by the careers OF
Washington and Lincoln! There were a
few exceptions in ancient days; but the
immense majority of the Greeks ana the
Romans, as their civilizations eliminated
accepted money making on large scale
as one Of the incidents of a successful
public career. Now all of this is in sharp
contrast to what has happened WITHIN
the last two or three centuries. during
| this time there has been a steady growth
| away from the theory that money-maklns
| is permissible in an honorable public ca
reer.
| In this respect the standard has been
| constantly elevated, and things which
| statesmen had no hesitation IN doing
! three centuries or two centuries ago, ana
which did not seriously hurt public ca
| reer even century ago, are now utterly
/ oSAAA
| large, and sometimes an improper, lnf1u-
ence in politics, but it is apt to be an In
| direct influence; and in the advanced
| states the mere suspicion that the wealth.
| of public men is obtained or added to as
an incident of their public careers Will
| bar them from public life. Speaking
generally, wealth may very greatly 1nf1u-
ence modern political life, but it Is not &C
quired in political life.
Optimistic for the Future.
Mr.. Roosevelt called attention to
the fact that hitherto every civillza-
ton that has arisen has been able to
develop only few activities, its field
of endeavor being limited in kind as
we'll as in locality, and each Of these
civilizations has fallen. What is the
lesson to us of today? he asked. Will
the crash come, and be all the more
terrible because of the immense IN
crease in activities and area? To this
he replied:
Personally, do not believe that ou
civilization will fall I think that on tn
whole we have grown better ana no
worse, I think that on the whole the flu
ture holds more for us than even thu
great past has held. But assuredly tn
dreams Of golden glory in the future Will
not come true unless, high of heart ant
strong of hand, by our own mighty deed
we make them come true. We cannot at
ford to develop any one set of qualities
any one set of activities, at the cost o
seeing others, equally necessary afro
phied Neither the military efficiency o
the Mongol, the extraordinary bushes
ability of the Phoenician, nor the subtl
and polished intellect of the Greek availe
to avert destruction.
| ~
; ture. need many qualities If we are to d
!, our work we'll. We need, first of all an
, most important of all, the qualities Whlc
, stand at the base of individual, of famil
} life, the fundamental and essential quail
, ties-the homely, everyday, all-importar
virtues. If the average man will nc
work, if he has not in him the will an
l the power to be a good husband and ia
l Their; If the average woman Is not goo
housewife a good mother Of man
, healthy children. then the state will tor
> pie, will go down, no matter what ma
be it's brilliance of artistic developmel
I or material achievement. But these home
e ly qualities are not enough. There mus
in addition, be that power of organization
that power Of working In common for
common end, which the German Peep
u have shown in such signal fashion durln
. the last half-century. Moreover, II
things of the spirit are even more impo
|
. well do without the hard intolerance ar
9 arid intellectual barrenness of what W.
9 worst in the theological systems of tt
> past, but there has never been great
!. need Of high and fine religious spir
i than at the present time. So. while
. can laugh spontaneously at some
a q the pretensions of modern philosophy
u its various branches, 1t would be Wor
y than folly on our part to Ignore our net
= of intellectual leadership.
n Must Steer Middle Course.
). Never has philanthropy, humanitaria
y ism. seen such development as now; al
Is though we must all beware OF the FOL
If and the viciousness no worse than fol-
ID which marks the believer In the perfe
n tibility of man when his heart runs aW
y with his head, or when vanity usurps t
N place of conscience, yet we must reme'
le Der also that it Is only by working alo
8. the lines laid down by the philanthropis
le ! by the lovers of mankind, that we G
1T be sure Of lifting our civilization to
IN higher and more permanent plane OF we
e. being than was ever attained by any pl
t.