Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1910-06-09

came FAR quicker tsa1 n needed % come.
because % Shortcomings on her part to
which both Great Britain and the unfted
states would be wise 70 rav heed II-r
government Was sirgulariy neTectfs@. the
decentralization being such as often 70
permit the ssparatist. the partieuiarf-s
spirit % the provinces 70 rob tho central
authority = all efficiency. This vas bad
enough But the fatal weakness was that
- common Ia rich. loving societies
where m-n hate - think % var a po-si-
BE. aud Try 70 justify their own reluctance
ta face Il either ty high-sGurdlnE moral
riafiiudrs cr else ~ A philosophy of
shoft-sigAted materiamsm The Dutch
we're very wealthy. They grew to be-
heve that they could hire others % DO
their fighting for them on land. and on
sea. vher- they did their own fxhtinx.
and fought very well. they refused IN
time q pace 70 raks ready fleets 80 es-
ncient e. either n insure the nutcn
against the peace being broken or Else
IN xive them the victory when VA
came To Be oruicnt and unarrusd is TO
secure ease IN the present at the almost
certain cost Of disaster In the future.
II is therefore easy % see why Holland
io-t when she did her position among the
powers. bu, II T. far more diricult 70 ex-
plain why at the same time there should
have come a. least a partial loss of posi-
tim IN the world % ART and letters some
. srark % divine tifu burned Itself cut In
IRE National soul An the lire % xrra.
Statesmen. 81 great warriors. BY land ana
SEA came 70 an end. - TIRE Ire % the
great Dutch painters entsd The los of
/ pre-eminence IN the schools followed the
loss % pre-erinence In camp and In
council chamber
In the little republic % Holland. a. IN
the great empire % Rome. u vas ro,
Death which came. but transformation
Both Holland and Italy teach ua taa;
races that fan may rise again.
Danger Of Race Suicide.
Thers arr questions which We % the
great civilized nations are ever tempted 20
asS ot the future. Ia our time % growth
drawing 70 an end Are Ne a. nation.
sucr 70 come under the rule % that great
law nf death. which 10 Itself but part % the
great Law q ufef None ear tell Forces
that We can see and other forces that are
hidden Or that can but dimiy b. appr~-
hendsi are az work all around u. both
for good and for evil The growth IN lux
ury. In love OF ease. in taste FOR vapid
and frivolous exeitement. is both evident
and unhealthy The most oruianus sign
10 N. diminution In the hirth-rafe. in the
rate % natural Increase. now 20 larger
or lesser degree shared BY most % the
civilized nations % central and western
Europe. Of America and Australia. n dim
inutiuu 80 great that u u continues for the
next century at the rate which has OBJ
fained for the last 3 years. all the more
hi<hly civilized people will h- stationary
or else have begun to 80 backward In
population. while many of them viii have
already gone very far backward.
There Il much that should give us con-
cern Tor the future But there - much
also which should give - hope. No man
l. more apt 20 - mistaken than the
-
heart That great future remains for Us.
but whether u does or does not, our
duty 10 not altered However the bat
ue may 60. the soldier worthy % the
nan- viii with utmost viEnr do his al
latsd task. and b.ar himself as valiant
" In defeat as In victory. Come what
VIII. We belong 10 peoples who have not
| yieidesf 70 the craven fear % being great
| In TIE ages that have gone BY. the
great nations the nations that have ex-
panfcd and that have played a mighty
| part In the world. have IN the end
wroNn oil and weakened and vanished
hut 80 have the uatious whose only
thought was % avoid ali danger. all et-
/ fort. who would risk nothing and who
therefore gained nothing. In TIRE end the
same fate nav ovsrwheirl all alike. hug
the memory Of the one typ peri-bes with
/ u while the other ieeNes it, marx deep
on the history of all the future Of man
kind
=. -te- ns-f part "a 49, i-ssur- I srax
CURED 70 forms of animal ufe through
the procession q the ages On this planet
L and what has occurred ard iH occurring
/ 70 the great artificial civilizations which
l have gradually spread over the worlds
surface during the thousands % years
that have elapsed since cities % temples
and palaces first rose beside the Nile and
D - - =
| Minoan Crete brfstis.f With the masts q,
| the Aegean craft But of course the
| parallel Is true only In the toughest
and most general way Moreover, even
between the civilizations of today and
| the civilizations of ancient times there
are differences 50 profound that We must
/ be cautious In drawing any conclusions
/ for the present based on what has hap
psned in the past. While freely admit
| ting all Of our folnes and weaknesses Of
today u Is yet mere perversity TO refuse
/ TO realize the incredible advance that
has been made In ethical standards do
not believe that there Is the slightest nee
essary connection between any weaken
I ing OF viriie force and this advance in
the moral standard. this growth OF the
sense OF obligation to ones neighbor and
OF reluctance TO do that neighbor wrong.
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 tuxtaposition Of poverty and
riches. but especially from the self-con-
seiousness OF both poverty and riches.
Each nation must deal with these mat
ters In It's own fashion. and yet the spirit
in which the problem Is approached must
ever be fundamentally the same II
must Be a spirit OF broad humanity; OF
erotherlY Kindness. OF acceptance Of re-
spousibility. one for each and each FOR
all: and at the same time a spirit as re-
mote the poles from every form Of
weakness and sentimentaiity. As IN war
20 pardon the coward Is % do cruel
wrong 10 the brave man whose Efe his
eowardice feopardizes. 50 IN civil Affairs
II Is revolving to every principle Of
Justice 10 give to the lazy the vicious. or
even the feeble and daIl-witted. a reward
which Is really the robbery OF what
Drawer. wiser. ablsr men have earned
The only effective way TO help any man
Is to help him to help himself; and the
worst lesson 10 teach him Is that he can
be permanently helped At the expense Of
some one else. True liberty shows Itself
10 best advantage in projecting the rights
OF others. and especially Of u1inorftles
Privilege should not Be tolerated because
II Is TO the advantage OF a minority. nor
yet because IL Is to the advantage Of a
majority. No doctrinaire theories Of
vested rights or freedom Of contract can
stand In the way Of our cutting out
abuses from the body polite. Just a 1T
tie can we AFFORD to follow the doctrin-
aires Of an impossihie-aud incidentally
OF n highly undesirsbie-sociaI revolution
which. in destroying individual rights
dnciueing property rights and the fam
iiy. 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