The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-16
HEART TO HEART TALKS
BY EDWIN A. ME

1 The Ten Commandments are not good | they are old because they are good. 1 And
 The commandments are not good be- cause they are in the Bible. They are in the Bible because they are good.
 Some things are basic. AS Daniel Webster pointed out in his | great speech, the Ten Commandments, together with the Sermon on the Mount, are the fundamentals upon which all our laws and all our morals are based.
 The Decalogue is organic
 We sometimes call the constitution of | the United States or of the states "or- ganic law In a sense they are organic, | but they can be changed. But you can not change moral laws. They are funda- mental, like the laws of mathematics.
 They are primary laws. Two and two are four, and 1t must | | be so l If you try to make two and two three | you go into bankruptcy. If you try to | make two and two five you go to the penitentiary. |
 They are unchangeable and fundamen- tai, immutable, invariable.
 The old time commandments are good | enough for us.
 | There is a fine tradition about Gu
 snberg, the inventor of movable types
 oioneer printer. | Say. the story runs. while the first m or was at work in his cell l i in the 4i -tery of St. Abersgot, he heard sol,9 ~idding him cease his labors becauss Us invention would be
 used by bad men 10 >ropagate wick
 edness.
 He took up the hammer break his types when
 | Another voice was heard hin to proceed, assuring him tiA -ncfe : l good than evil would come fl his | invention and that right would t-- umph.
 Surely the second voice was right | Comment has been made concerning
 the secrecy of the proceedings in some of the divorces in high life. It has been suggested that the evidence Tn all divorce cases be heard in private and a seal verdict returned. | No!
 1 . | ful. There Is more good than harm In publicity.
 | It Is common to inveigh against the I alleged sensationalism of the newspa-
 pers and to deny the right of the press to print divorce proceedings.
 Nevertheless be it said many man,
 many woman. shrinks from divorce
 merely because of the fear of pub l licity.
 Is 1t not so?
 Here is one, say, who has a good
 reputation abroad, but who in his
 home is cruel or a tyrant. He knows
 his reputation will suffer if he gets
 into court He is thus kept within bounds l Publicity is a deterrent of all kinds | of wrongdoing. The dread of the
 l!melight keeps many persons straight. l The newspa per is good policeman. Of course there are individual cases where wrong is done. where the in-
 nocent suffer but it is better that one should suffer than society Occasion ally harm may come. but generally more good than harm. | Turn on the light! Let divorces be public es mar rage. Let the press continue to light up the dark places. l Screening the adult wrongdoer bene-
 fits neither the individual nor society.
 The Master put the whole matter | Men love darkness rather than | light because their deeds are evil"
 Turn on the light!
 It is reported that J. Pierpont Nor gan has paid big price for an old book-"Fox's Book of Martyrs" 1 The reason why this particular vol | ume Is deemed of value is because it | is the identical book John Bunyan had with him in jail, Bunyans signature | appearing on the title page
 Suppose the book is genuine, why | pay the price? Certainly MT. Morgan | is not so anxious to read the contents | of the book, complete copy of which | I may be had at any bookstore for $1. Indeed, one may doubt if Morgan reads the book at all He is financier not a scholar. | He will buy it and lock it up in a | safety vault of his big New York li- | brary, along with other autographs | and souvenirs. | Morgan is not interested in the an- nals of the martyrs. nor in John Bun | l yan--one of the greatest minds of the world-nor in the ideas born in the | brain and heart of Bunyan while he | | head the one book that was allowed | him in Bedford jail nor in "Pilgrim's | | Progress" nor in anything of that sort l He Is mere collector. | He is simply indulging in the fad | of rich man who picks up the cast off things of great men. And the pity of it all Is that we, | | like Morgan. are more concerned about | the shell of things than about the ker- nel Of course we cannot afford to in- dulee in costly souvenirs. but Remember Charon's saying? Ancient poetry has the story of Cha ron's one visit to the earth. Looking down on men and cities Charon said l. "These people are spending their time just in building birds nests. No won der they fall and are ashamed" Is it not true?
 Are not most of us building birds | nests that the floors will soon sweep away?
 Is is not true that we go about buy ing and building birds nests and walk about as if we owned things? Honest. now?
 Is it not true that we care more for houses and clothes and appearances than about the ideas that should fill our brains and the emotions that should overflow our hearts?
 We are merely building birds nests. -e.- The Associated Press From the March Strand. ba ASeo ic |