The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1910-11-25
Signs Of the Times.


The wealth per capita Of the United
States has increased about one-third in
the last twelve years. The expenses of
the Federal Government have doubled in
that time, outstripping our increase of
population or wealth. Pride and high
living are keeping pace with our grow
ing riches.
The dfagnet for the nobility of
womanhood is evidently becoming more
lcompelling and its victims more fire.
fquent. Inideity to the marriage vow
is deplorably common, one out of every
twelve married couples being divorced
annually A superficial knowledge of
| science such as most Of us have, joined
with a proud, disdaining ignorance of
the Bible, is seriously affecting our
Christian faith. High institutions Of
learning seem to be becoming more and
more hotbeds Of the higher criticism
and agnosticism. The pulpit has GER
tainly lost some of its primitive tone of
authoritative faith. The Sabbath, es-
pecially in our cities, is a day of recre-
alton, picnics and ball playing; the
theatre is far more attractive than the
church, and it is a problem to fill the
'pews. Is it any wonder thens.that we
are'~becoming one Of the most lawless
nations on EARTH and that crime is
steadily and rapidly increasing, while
the courts are becoming more sub
servient and incompetent.
There are ten thousand murders in
the United States annually, which is
four times as many per thousand OF
population as twenty years ago, and but
small per cent (some authorities say
two) are ever convicted and punished
The rottenness in high official circles
sends out a stencil over the whole ma
ton; most men, it seems, have price,
and money is powerful factor in the
legislatures, the court, the church. A
few thousand dollars will clear man OF
most any crime in most any court.
So it is evident that for us this is an
age of great financial prosperity, of in
creasing pride, fast living and shameful
irreverence for the laws of man and
God; and it is easy to see that the ten
dency is something very serious and
should challenge every sensible persons
consideration and investigation. 1t is
useless to say that our money, armies,
nayies and good sense will take care OF
us, regardless of our personal concern
or effort. Armies are no protection for
character, which is the only durable
foundation for peoples greatness and
perpetuity; and great wealth tends to in
iate with pride and to foster idle and |
voluptuous habits OF life, sue has newt
ably weaken the moral fibre of human |
nature, and lack Of moral stamina soon
tells on peoples will power and men
tality, and then the decline is swift.
The Greeks we're valiant, gifted and
brilliant and Athens became a marble
palace; the Romans were heroic and /
level-headed aud Rome became filled |.
with barbaric treasures; the Babylonians
were powerful, proud and warlike and
Babylon was the center of the worlds
wealth, beauty, power and glory; but
they became corrupt, declined and FELL
And so far, are we not travelling mainly
in the wake OF the Empires of the past?
When one talks thus, some beautiful
anguid-eyed optimist is apt to cry out
'pessimist" and that settles it.
Now a wise optimism is not blind to
Ill evils and dangers, but hopes by he
roic action to surmount them. A man
need not be fool to be an optimist-I
mean blind to all dangcr-but the fool
sh disposition that we have Of closing
our eyes to all grave abuses, and boast
ng Of our greatness and glory until we
ire knocked down, argues us unwisely
optimistic, and is itself, one Of our most
serious and dangerous deficiencies. We
ire somewhatintoxicated with our pros
oerity, callous with greed and blinded
md deluded by the glamour Of cheap
floss and extraneous ornaments Of soei-
'ty We Judge people mainly by their
tyle, not by their intrinsic qualities