Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-04-23

Finally, even more important than
ability to work, even more important
than ability to eight at need. is It to
remember that the chief OF blessings
for any nation is that 1t shall leave its
seed to inherit the land. The greatest
of all curses is the curse of sterility,
and the severest Of all condemnations
should be that visited upon willful
sterillty
The first essential in any civilization
is that the man aud the woman shall
be father and mother Of healthy chill
dren, so that the race shall increase
and not decrease. IL this Is not so, If
through no fault of the society there
is failure to incrense, It is a great mis-
fortune. If the failure is due to de-
liberate and willfu fault. then 1t is
not merely a misfortune; It is one Of
those crimes Of ease and self indul-
genee. Of shrinking from pain and ef-
fort and risk. which in the long run
nature Furnishes more heavily than any
other
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 willfully barren. then 1t viii
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 sordld
heaping up of riches. no sensuous de-
velopment of art and literature. can in
any way compensate for the loss of
the great fundamental virtues. and OF
these great fundamental virtues the
greatest is the races power to per-
petuate the race.
Mans Chief Duty.
Character must show itself In the
mans performance both of the duty
he owes himself and Of the duty he
owes the state. The mans foremost
duty Is owed TO himself and his fam
fly. and he can do this duty only by
earning money, by providing what is
essential to material well being. 1t
is only after this has been done that
he can hope to build higher super
structure on the solid material foun-
dation. It is only after this has been
done that he can help in movements
for the general well being.
1t is not good to excite that bitter
laughter which expresses contempt,
and contempt is what we feel for the
being whose enthusiasm to benefit
mankind is such that he Is a burden
to those nearest him. who wishes to
do great things for humanity in the
abstract, but who cannot keep his
wife in comfort or educate his chill
dren.
decline to recognize the mere mul-
the man of mere wealth.
as an asset of value to any country,
and especially as not an asset to my
own country. If he has earned or
uses his wealth in a way that makes
him OF real benefit, of real use-and
such Is often the case-why, then he
does become an asset of worth. But
It is the way In which it has been
earned or used and not the mere fact
of wealth that entities him to the
credit
There is need In business. as in most
other forms Of human activity. of the
great guiding inteligences Their
places cannot be supplied by any num-
Der of lesser lnteligences.
: II is a bad thing for nation to raise
and TO admire a false standard Of sue
cess, and there can be no falser stand
ard than that set by the delfication of
well being in and for itself.
The power of the journalist is great,
but he is entitled neither to respect
nor admiration because of that power
unless 1t is used Alright. He can do,
and lac often does. great good, He can
do. and he often does, infinite mis-
chief. All journalists, all writers. for
the very reason that they appreciate
the vast possibilities Of their profes-
olOus buoulu DehI ltStluhouy hBdluSl
those who deeply discredit It. OF
fenses against taste and morals. which
are bad enough In a private citizen,
are Infinitely worse II made into In
struments for debauching the com
munity through newspaper.
Mendacity. slander. sensationalism.
inanlty, vapid trlviallty. all are po-
tent factors for the debauchery Of the
public mind and conscience The ex-
cuse advanced for vicious writing, that
the public demands It aud that the de-
maud must be supplied. can no more
be admitted than II It were advanced
by the purveyors of food who sell poi
sonous adulterations.
Virtues Of the Household.
The homely virtues OF the household,
the ordinary workaday virtues which
make the woman good housewife
and house mother, which make the
man a hard worker, good husband
and father, good soldier at need.
stand at the bottom Of character. But
lf course many others must be added
thereto II state is &c bO not only free,
but great
Good citizenship Is not good citizen
ship II exhibited only IN the home,
There remniu the Duties of the indi-