The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-03-09


us what life is, but he is certain
that 1t Is not zone damn thing after
another" The man of our times,
however, thinks he is just as badly
to claim the privileges that DR.. Hind
ley would have granted to the af-
fiicted patriarch.
The Spokane clergyman gives the
following reasons for condemning the
popular saying: "The phrase is a
libel on American citizenship and
Christianity. Life is wrong when
this becomes the motto of all kinds
of people, in all walks of life TO
you who have 1t lying on your office
desk, or framed in your homes. say,
Tear it down or play the part 1t
savors of the teachings of Socrates,
and tells of the growth of an un-
healthy opinion that this is n DEVILS
world. The poor and the rich alike
have accepted the grim phase as a
doctrine and a philosophy crystal
lized. 1t is almost q household
term"
II is possible that DIR Hindley takes
the Objectionable phrase too serious
ly. Many who use IL manage to be
pretty cheerful most of the time
and meet the daily succession OF
events with courage, and often with
resignation. And after all, the old
school of preachers used TO tell us
that this earth was vale of tears, q
place of probation and, generally
speaking, an undesirable residence
for anybody who possessed even the
fragments of a Christian hope. From
the point of view of the popular the
ology of fifty, or, perhaps. twenty-five
years ago, life was "just one damn
thing after another" all tending to
ward perdition. The early Christians
themselves were much inclined TO
believe that the world belonged 10
the devil. A trinity of evil is ac-
knowledged in the familiar phrase,
the world, the flesh and the devil"
Men and women really think better
now of the world they live in than al
any time In the past. They have a
right to do so, for the conditions OF
human existence are more favorable
today than they ever were before
There is misery enough in the world
at present, but formerly there was
still more. and much less effort to al
levlate it.
American pesslmism is only on the
surface, and the phrase that ex-
presses it is generally to be taken in
a humorous sense There Is no set
tied conviction here in any class OF
society that life is not worth living
On the contrary, most people would
like to live a century just to see tn,
wonderful things that are going t.
happen. The belief that the presen
Is better than the past and the ex
pectation that the future will surpas
the present Is well nigh universal
Our friends, the reformers, who pain
the present in the darkest colors
are enthusiastically committed to /;
gospel of glad tidings. They solemn.
declare that their views are sure t,
prevail in the near future and tina
the earth will then be a paradise. Il
the meantime there is q great deal o
pleasure to be had in pointing ou
all the evils that accompany our civil
ization.
We do not know whether the peo
pie want a broader religion or no
but 1t appears absolutely certain tha
they want lower prices for the nee
essaries of life. Whatever pessimisi
! exists in the country arises from I'll
present discrepancy between incon
and expenditure. 1t costs much mol
to live we'll than II used to, and fe
indeed are willing to accept a low'
standard OF living. The man WI
goes to market and finds the pri
of foodstuff still soaring. and wi
; finds conditions no better when
visits the clothing store, is likely
remark sadly and wearily: Life
just one damn thing after another
But he hasn't adopted the philosopl
, of Schopenhauer The poor chap
simply sore because he voted 4
Z alIli1r