Newark post., 1910-06-29

This IS the age el 'He S"'' i
s;t;ve. prving mind. We are unwilling
that any secret of Nature should es7
cane our scrutiny. We are unwilling
that any force or power should exist
that we do not fully understand we
watch the movement OF events prob
ably more closely than ever men did
before. Having records kept OF what
has happened previously on the ear'h,
we are able to observe what Is happen
ing today and prophecy OF what IS TO
happen tomorrow. More than ever
before in the history OF mankind
dwelling on earth, we are unwii''hs
TO let things take their course, we
seek to inject the compelling force OF
thought, words, experience, to shape
the future by influencing the present.
There are prophets among us, TOO
men who are Seers, who have the 1ac-
ultv of knowing the tomorrows by
what happened yesterday and is hap
pening today. There are men who.
with rare vision, can forsee things that
never vet have existed in the world,
and, ioreseeing, can, by the clearness
of their vision, the force OF their wills,
the tirelessness OF their energy, help
these things to come true.
Here is Gods world as He made II
and as Man has bettered or nlarred II
We do. we must feel, Gods thought,
at least, we rule and use the world and
give it what care it gets from animate
forces. How are we to use 1t! How
are we to walk on it? What attitude
are we to have toward it, and toward
each other? What duty are we to owe
to this world? What thought shall we
give to him who shall come after us
These are some OF the thoughts thai
il seems to me are worth concerning
ourselves with today.
Theodore Roosevelt in taking ac
count of the state OF mankind IN THESE
United States OF America i'll 1908, tel
that there was something wrong Will
country lie and country living. L
seemed to him that farmers were no
living as we'll as they should, that the,
aid net dress we'll enough, eat wei
enough, make money enough, hav'
high enough ideals, give right atten
ton to education and morals, and II
short, they fell down below the higl
standard that we set for American citi
zenship. This is a serious indictmen
against the American farmer.
| will not take time here to discus
mvhether the indictment is justified b.
the facts or no. Certain it is that iey
OF us, whether we live in town or coun
try, live up to our opportunities. w
do not always think rightly. We d
not always have right ideals. righ
aims. We are all, perhaps, as lazy a
our condition in life will permit us t
be- And, God help us, we can not al
ways do so we'll as we feel we ougl1
to do.
think it is true, however. that tn
man in town. has, as a Class, had a bet
ter opportunity than the farmer. Th
life OF the farmer has been hard. Hig
prices for work in towns have draw
away his laborers or forced him to pa
higher wages oitentlmeS than he cOul
afford. What the farmer has had t
sell has been offered in the markets {
the world: what he has bought hs
largely been made OF higher price bt
cause of protective tariff.
That more than most other cause
has perhaps, made the farm unprofi
able in the past. The mighty develop
.ment of the West suddenly threw G
the worlds markets such a food {
food as never was before That ais
depressed prices From 1870 ill Iot
was the era OF too rapid developmei
Of new and fertile lands The iarmt
OF the Atlantic coast-lands could NJ
compete with his brother in Kans;
or Dakota i'll growing wheat and cor
Because his labor was poorly rewar'
ed his boys lett him to go to towns
to newer, richer lands. During the
80 years the farmer merely held o
He could not do more The traditiC
OF the past upheld him; fatalsm al
hope that is born every spring wi
the coming OF the birds made hi
continue to SOW and reap; stern eco
omy kept him sometimes free fro
debt. 1t was impossible for him
get adequate pay for his toll. T
learned some bad habits, maybe. /
failed to give his sons as good an ed
cation as he had himself, very oite
He let his farm go down in iertilit
He formed a habit OF feeling hims,
second rate man, engaged in Sc
ond rate calling He formed hal
of bad farming.
lhen, about the year 1000, the II
turned. Then prices for farm pr
ducts began to improve and farme
to take new courage, feel new hoI
Then farm lands began to increase
price. Then farmers began to wa
more erectly, hold their heads lit
more proudly. have money in the ba
instead OF keeping only their indel
edness there. Steadily since that til
their material condition has improv,