The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-09
TIE rLA1Nr OF A rEss1,usr.

truly German1c race on the lmpeFlai
throne.
|
THE PLAINT OF ~ PEssIN1IsT.
DR.. Henry Pratt ludson president of
the University Of Chicago. must be
suffering from mental dyspepsia. lie
made speech to the Northern Baptist
Convention last Friday in which he is
reported to have said that the present
| aga Is the most decadent in history.
with the exception of the days just be-
fore the Fall of the Roman Republic
| and before the French Revolution. In
his opinion, "if' there is to be social
and political regeneration in our Re
| public and in the rest of the world. it
of moral ideals The four prolific
sources of evil in the life of the world
to-day are war which is inteEpational
public and private dishonesty, which
| faint the administration of Justice and
the conduct of private business; drunk
enness, and impurity of word and act
ain every modern society"
This is a very severe Indictment: but
We do not think the conditions are
quite as hopeless as DR.. Judson seems
to think. We are rather inclined to
take the more cheerful view, as
explained to the theological students
by DR.. Vance yesterday, that the world
is actually growing better. DIR. Vance
said that last year. 100000 converts
were made to Christianity in nom
Christian countries. That is fairly
good showing. Last year, also, some
thing like soS,oooooo was subscribed
for the work of missions by the Pro-
testant churches of the world Last
year about s15O,oO0.o0O was given by
| generous men In this country to
worthy objects, educational, religious
D Rockefeller. the founder Of the Chi
caeo University, gave st2I30.500. and
of this amount he gave s1o0O,o0O to
the University, which made something
luke s3o,o00,00o he has contributed to
| that institution. That was doing toll
erahly well. and there is no reason
why good men should lose heart or
hope while men of the business world
are willing to spend their money to
make the world better
Then, the world is swearing less
than in the good old days" and get
ting drunk less than formerly. and is
more careful of it's language than
aforetime, and considering the meth
DDS of doing business and the volume
OF business done, careful comparison
would doubtless show that the sttua-
ton is not quite so black as Brother
Judson has painted it, We are sure it
is not when it comes to war The
nations are much nearer together for
peace than ever before. That is why
the Colonel told them how they could
get out of actual hostilities If they
wish TO, and why the method of arbi-
tration is gradually, but surely, TAX
called decadent age. The nations are
finding that the economic loss far
outbalances the military glory, and
great international issues are settled
now by conversation rather than by
shot and she'll
t was not so in the carly days. We
are informed that a mar by the name
of Samson slew heaps upon heaps
of the Philistines and by the use of a
weapon that is rarely used nowadays
except in public speaking. and then
without fatal results. Then, there was
Joshua, who, fighting by Divine COM
mand, killed in one engagement all
the inhabitants Of A'i-twelve thou
sand in one day, both of men ana
| women" on still another occasion
this same doughty warrior "smote
them from <adesh- barnea even unto
GAIA, and all the country of Goshen,
even unto Gibeon' There has been
nothing like il since that time There
is nothing like it now. The so-callod
improved implements of war keep
people from the bloody work they used
TO do when Greek met Greek,
All. no, Brother Judson; the world
is not half so bad as you think, and
there is no use in saying so. 1t re-
fleets upon all of us, and, working as
the world is for the lettering of con-
ditions, it is discoura ging to find the
head of a great educational institution
down In the low grounds while the
rest of us are marching along in sight
OF the Dclectable Mountains.
--=---------=-------=-
THE SUPERHuMAN COLONEL.
The Coloncls visit to Christania
turns out not to have been so UNI
satisfactory after all. The King did
the best he could. Which was little
enough; the Strothing decreed, him the
greatest man of his day; the people
turned out to gape at his khaki
breeches and TO admire his hat. These
We're the minor Incidents TO the trip.
duly described at the time and known
OF all men. The real event of tho
visit however--one which satisfied the
Colonel for any shortcomings of his
royal hosts, and the one which made