The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-11-22
ADAMS SOUNDS
WARNING NOTE
DELIVERS coNvocATIoN AID.
DRESS AT A. c. AND LIKENs
MODERN TREND IN THIS couN-
TRY TO EVILS WHICH CAUSED
RoME'S DOWNFALL.

Rev. c. r. Adams of the First Pres
byterian church was the speaker al
the regular convocation exercises al
the Agricultural college yesterday and
his talk which was a very interesting
one covered a great deal of ground
but taken generally served as good
Thanksgiving lecture.
| The speaker selected several of the
most important questions before the
American people today and illustrated
the surrounding conditions which
nave brought about the problems and
compared them with similar conditions
during the life of the Roman empire
during it's ascendancy. The menace of
concentrated wealth was the first
problem presented.
Concentrated wealth is a great
menace of this day." said the speaker.
Senator LaFollette declared on the
floor of the senate that the money
power of the United States today is
in the hands of 100 men and his ar
gument could not be refuted. The
condition surely is an abnormal one
and it is a bad one. 1t is not a new
one for 1t has existed in every civil
ization that exer existed. Egypt.
Babylon and Rome all passed through
1t. 1t surely is more of an old insti-
tuition than new one.
Social caste is more of an institu-
ton of the old country than of this.
Yet it has gained a foothold here and
is growing. And it is more q serious
question here because Of the fact that
our government Is builded upon a So
cial democracy and the caste system
is in direct opposition.
THE immigration question today is
also great problem of the day. DR..
Edward Stiner of Grinnell college. Ia.
is one of the most able thinkers on
the immigration question OF the day.
However, not to dwell on the question
of immigration, for you know Rome
had her immigration just as well as
we are having ours, the gladitorial
contests of Rome come to mind and
the great and brutal contests of the
old days and in the minds of all who
know anything at all OF Roman his
tory. People today admire fine cour-
age in man just as well as they do
in animal life. But there is not the
same brutality in athletic contests of
the day as there was in the Roman
gladitorial contests.
The last ten years has forced
schools and colleges In general to in
vestigate athletics. No more than the
admiration of the athletic hero has
brought about these conditions. In
the east more so than in the west have
college athletics invaded the school
life until today, in many schools it
occupies q place never meant for ii
and that it should not occupy. Mich
iga1, Chicago. Harvard, Princeton.
Yale and many other big schools have
been forced to legislate to keep ath-
letics in their place.
DO any of you recall prize fighter
before the time of John l.. Sullivan?
Not many of you. Well there were
not very many before Sullivan's time
in this country and there is iust an
other example of what a tremendous
growth prize fighting has had during
the life of just one man. Todr there
is hardly person but what knows OF
some prize fighter or other. Magazine
and publications OF all kinds have
given space for the fighter. The Goth
century has brought to us the SEM
blance of the Roman gladitorial cons
bat. The great strong beast like man
has an interest today and literature
indicates that such stories as the
Cave Man and many other similar
ones are flooding the market and they
are In great demand. People OF this |
day are thinking along the lines that
the Romans thought along when the,
were at their height of power we ali /
thirst after that which we do not pos /