The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-05-12
Roosevelt Says Luxurious Living
Threatens Permanency of
Civilization
MUST KEEP FIGHTING EDCt
In Lecture on "World Movement" De-
livered IN Berlin, Teddy, Admon-
ishes Nations to Work Togeth-
err Toward That End.

|
Roosevelt took as the subject matter
of his lecture "The World Movement.
Colonel Roosevelt said:
"In this world movement there are
signs of much that BODIES i'll. The ma
| chinery is so highly geared, the ten
sion and strain are so great, the effort
and the output have alike so increased
that there is cause TO dread the ruin
that would come from any great acci-
dent, from any breakdown and also
the ruin that may come from the mere
wearing out of the machine itself
knowledge, luxury. and refinement,
wide material conquests, territorial
administration on a vast scale. an in
crease i'm the mastery of mechanical
appliances and in applied science-all
these mark our civilization as they
marked the wonderful civilization that
flourished i'm the Mediterranean lands
twenty centuries ago: and they pre-
ceded the downfall of the older civil
izatlon. The single fact that the old
civilization was based upon slavery
shows the chasm that separates the
two.
Must Avoid Luxurious Lines.
"One of the prime dangers of civil
ization has always been its tendency
to cause the loss of the virile fighting
virtues, of the fighting edge. When
men get too comfortable and lead too
luxurious lives there is always danger
tho 10 al inf N
their manliness of fiber. The barbar-
ian. because of the very conditions OF
his life, Is forced to keep and develop
certain hardy qualities which the man
of civilization tends to lose, whether
he be clerk. factory hand. merchant,
or even certain type of farmer. Now
will not assert that in modern civil
lied society these tendencies have been
wholly overcome: but there has been
much more successful effort to over
come them than was the case i'm the
early civilizations.
what Is the lesson to us today? Are
we to go the way of the older civiliza-
tions? The immense increase in the
area of civilized activity today. so that
IL Is nearly coterminous with the
worlds surface; the immense increase
In the multitudinous variety of its ac-
tivities; the immense increase in the
velocity of the world movement-are
all these to mean merely that the crash
will be all the more complete and ter
rible when IL comes? We cannot be cer-
tain that the answer will be in the
negative; but of this we can be GER
tain. that we shall not go down in ruin
unless we deserve and earn our end.
There is no necessity for us to fall: We
can hew out our destiny for ourselves.
II only we have the wit and the cour-
age and the honesty.
Personally, do not believe that
our civilization will fall. think that
on the whole we have grown better
and not worse. I think that on the
whole the future holds more for us
than even the great past has held.
But assuredly, the dreams of golden
glory in the future will not come true
unless high of heart and strong of
hand. by our own mighty deeds we
make them come true. We cannot af-
ford to develop any one set of qualities.
any one set of activities. at the cost
of seeing others, equally necessary.
atrophied.
Qualities Needed Today
1--WE, the men of today and Of the
future, need many qualities IL we are
to do our work well. We need. first of
all and most important of all, the quail
vidual, of family life, the fundamental
and essential qualities-the homely,
every day. all-important virtues. IL
the average man will not work, If he
has not i'm him the will and the power
to be a good husband and father: IL the
wife. a good mother of many healthy
children, then the state will topple, Will
go down, no matter what may be its
brilliance OF artistic develop ment or
achievement. But these home
Iy qualities are not enough. There
must. in addition. be that power of or
ganization. that power Of working In
common for common end, which the
German people have shown i'm such
signal fashion during the last half-cen-
tury. Moreover. the things of the spir-
IL are even more important than the
things of the body. There has never
been greater need of n high and fine
religious spirit than at the present
time.
Unjust war is to be abhorred; but
woe To the nation that does not make
ready to hold it's own I'm time of need
against all who would harm IT.: and
woe thrice over to the : tion in which
the average man loses the fighting
edge. loses the power to serve as
soldier II the day of need should arise.
Not an impossible Task.
1T is no impossible dream to build
up n civilization I'm which morality.
ethical development, and a true feeling
OF brotherhood shall all alike be d.