East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-12-18

OREGON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 4;
iellowmen the control of cholera.
Read the story of yellow fever in Ha-
vana and In Brazil If you wish to get
an idea of the powers of experiment
al medicine; there is nothing to
match it in the history of human
achievement Undoubtedly y the most
| prolific achievement of modern times
is the construction of the Panama ca
nal. This Herculanean task Will
make the American people masters Of
| the commerce of the world; masters
of the foreign tariffs and duties of
the world; masters of the economic
policy and destiny of the world But
| IN whom did God vest the power to
pronounce this wedding ceremony,
which is to make the Atlantic and Pa
cifc oceans one? For years the
| French government had toiled and
Law shed money to accomplish that
| purpose. only to sacrifice her sons to
the deathgrip Of tropical fever and
plague. Experts from every Euro
p-an nation declared the enterprise a
hopeless task and the French cor
poration was eventually glad to turn
over the whole horrible hoodoo to the
United States for a consideration Of
! $40, 900 900. For some years the Uni
! ted States met W tn similar results.
Workmen perished n this climate
faster than they could be replaced be-
| caue the atmosphere reeked with
the fever germs of death. The march
of human progress faced it's Water
loo. 1t seemed a hopeless battlefield
to the forces of progress because the
enemy was invisible, yet everywhere
present infinite in number and con-
stant in onslaught with Their fatal
javelins of disease. But there was one
man overlooked in whom rested the
hope of the day. 1t remained for the
doctor of medicine to transform that
tropical climate of filth and fever in
to wholesome and sanitary condi-
tons Through his little microscope
he detected the rebels line of march
and smote the enemies of mankind
with shot and shell of anti-toxine
and germicide. Hence it occurs that
the laurel which crowns the victor
of the mightiest battle of modern
times rests upon the brow of the
faithful and fearless physician. So
much for the theory of prevention in
the world of medicine.
Would to God our preachers and
churches had been equally wise OF
method. AS it is, the comparative ad-
vancement in the respective fields is
rather embarrassing to the minister
all because we have not recognized
the nature and function of salt "Ye
are the salt of the earth" l. e., you
are the to keep society from decay
and give a more wholesome flavor to
human existence. You are not to be
passive; you are to make active in
vestment OF your influence. If the
salt has lost it's SAVIOR, it is only fit
to be trodden under the foot of men.
Men of privilege without power are
waste material Men of talent with
out influence are the poorest kind Of
rubbish. Men who have had Chris
tian training in home and church,
who are not active forces for good in
society, are not worth their salt AS
| a rule the paid professions of law,
medicine, teaching. and divinity in
vest their influence for good But
oh, for that wider, nobler, unpaid
service which Christian laymen all
| owe to society and to the Kingdom
| of God. Men who live orderly lives
| frequently do nothing else. Women
of culture and refinement who move
i like queens in society often wrap
their culture up in little bags of re-
spectability. This might do for some
theories of self-culture or some sell
fish introspective philosophy. But it
is poor Christianity. We are to not
only be good, but be good for some
thing. We are to be "the salt of the
earth" We are not only to be self
preservers, but society preservers and
nation preservers. The finest educa
tion is that which puUs a man in clos
est touch with his fellowmen No
man ought to be too much educated
to serve his country The culture
which leaves a man without flag is
only one degree less miserable than
that which leaves him without a God.
There is a yellow fever of literature
which stirs up the ignorant and sus-
ceptible to wild agitations and insane
theories and fanatic'sm in politics and
government. You balanced men with
sane ideas and conservative thought,
who have been trained in American
ideals, are to lay a steady hand upon
the feverish nerves and be an antidote
to these dangerous influences To the
fermenting activities of ignorance you
are to apply the salt of intelligence.
Every man who wills has it in his
power to make his life count for
something positive. There is nop-
Ter character than that which .
merely incorruptible. 1t is the char
acter which acts as a preventive of
corruption. That is the nature of
salt, and that is Christianity-an ac-
tive, aggressive viglence in keeping
and preserving things pure.
on the theory. therefore, that an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure, let us invest our influence in
the effort to keep the child from
fn int 81, oh; 10, ,1r