Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-04-28

hhoWNl AtbAh a bNANAAh 49, -
pie must be, yes" whatever the
cost. Every honorable effort should
always be made to avoid war, Just as
every honorable effort should always
be made by the individual In private
life to keep out Of a brawl, to keep
out of trouble: but no self-respecting
individual. no self-respecting nation,
can or ought to submit to wrong.
Hits at Race Suicide.
II we of the great republics, IL we
the free people who claim to have
emancipated ourselves from the thral-
dom of wrong and error, bring down
on our heads the curse that comes
upon the wilfully barren, then 1t will
be an idle waste OF breath to prattle
Of our achievements, to boast of all
that we have done. No refinement Of
life, no delicacy of taste. no material
progress, no sordid heaping up of
riches. no sensuous development Of
art and literature, can in any way
compensate for the loss Of the great
fundamental virtues; and of these
great fundamental virtues, the great
est is the races power to perpetuate
the race.
But II a mans efficiency is not
guided and regulated by moral sense
then the more efficient he is the
worse he is, the more dangerous to
the body polite. Courage, intellect,
all the masterful qualities, serve but
to make a man more evil If they are
used merely for that mans own ad-
ancement, with brutal indifference to
the rights of others. 1t speaks i'll for
the community if the community wor-
ships these qualities and treats their
possessors as heroes regardless of
whether the qualities are used rightly
or wrongly 1t makes no difference as
to the precise way in which this sim
lister efficiency is shown. 1t makes no
difference whether such mans force
and ability betray themselves in the
career of money maker or politician,
soldier or orator journalist or popU'
lar leader. If the man works for evil,
then the more successful he is the
more he should be despised and con-
demned by all upright and far-seving
men. To Judge a man merely by
success is an abhorrent wrong: and
if the people at large habitually so
judge men, if they grow to condone
wickedness because the wicked man
triumphs, they show their inability to
understand that in the last analysis
free institutions rest upon the charac-
ter of citizenship and that by such
admiration of evil they prove them
selves unfit for liberty.
Test Love of Liberty.
The good citizen will demand liber-
ty for himself, and as a matter of
pride he will see to it that others re-
ceive the liberty which he thus
claims as his own. Probably the best
test of true love of liberty in any
country is the way in which minori-
ties are treated in that country. Not
only should there be complete liberty
in matters of religion and opinion, but
complete liberty for each man to lead
his life as he desires, provided only
that in so doing he does not wrong
his neighbor. Persecution is bad be-
NdloC II 10 pei oNNuNAcAl' anu NlNhcuN
reference to which side happens at
the moment to be the prosecutor
and which the prosecuted. Glass ha-
tired is bad in just the same way,
and without any regard to the indi-
vidual who, at given time, substi-
tutes loyalty to a class for loyalty to
| nation, or substitutes hatred of
men because they happen to come in
certain social category, for judg-
ment awarded them according to
| their conduct. Remember always that
the same measure of condemnation
should be extended to the arrogance
which would look down upon or crush
any man because he is poor, and to
the envy and hatred which would de-
stroy a man because he Is wealthy.
Applies to Public Life.
Now, the same principle which APP
plies in private life applies also in
! public life. If a public man tries to
get your vote by saying he will do
something wrong in your interest, you
can be absolutely certain that if ever
it becomes worth his while he will do
something wrong against your inter
est.
And now, my hosts, word in part
ing. You and | belong to the only
two republics among the great pow
ers of the world. The ancient friend
ship between France and the United
States has been, on the whole, sin
cere and disinterested friendship. A
calamity to you would be sorry day
to us, But it would be more thar
that. In the seething turmoil of tho
history of humanity certain nations
stand out as possessing a peculiar
power or charm, some special gift o
beauty or wisdom Of strength, which
puts them among the immortals
which makes them rank forever will
the leaders of mankind. France 4
! one of the nations. For her to sinl
would be a loss to all the world
I