The Glenwood post., 1911-02-11
A. l. DICKSON, ttitsr sat Prsprietot
Saturday, February II, 1911.
THE WORLD GROWING BETTER

The Post is not narrow minded
enough to withhold credit to the man
of ability who accomplishes something
for good even though we may differ
entirely from that man along political
or economic lines. There is tend
ency and likewise temptation to
stand out against a man and to chal-
lenge his ideas along all lines just be-
cause we are unable to agree with such
a man in his views upon political
questions.
The Post has been inclined for many
years to look upon Champ Clark of
Missouri, present speaker of the House
at Washington, as a political pessimst
and as a disturber along political lines.
But Champ Clark is able and Champ
Clark is original and we have just
learned that beyond the horizon of poll
tics he is hopeful and optimistic. We
found that out by reading his message
on "hope and courage" which he de
livered last Sunday to the Y. NJ. c. y.
at Springfield, Mass.
Clark contended it was better to look
upon the bright side of things than
upon the dark, and that "jubilate is
more pleasant music than miserere.
If the world were not growing better,
he said, then the school system which
much was an ignominious failure AMI
all religion was failure, and he did
not believe either to be true. Why so
many good people believe the world is
growing worse was explained by Clark
as a matter of evolution of communica-
tion; that nowadays any place on earth
is in reach of the telephone or tela-
graph and man may do Thousand
good things and never get his name in
the newspapers, but the first time he
does bad thing, in it goes.
Clark said that when he went to
Missouri, thirtyfve years ago, the av-
erage number of homicides in Pike
county was between four and five a
year, and now they averaged less than
one. That he believed was measurably
true of every other county in the
country.
Somebody once said.' continued
Clark, 90 that after all we are simply
veneered savages. l neither affirm nor
deny that proposition. Up to ten or
fifteen years ago prize fight could be
pulled off in any state with absolute
impunity. Now there is not a single
state in which it is not penal offense
"Up to comparatively recent years a
duel could be fought in any state with.
out any fear of serious consequences.
Now there is no state in which it is
not felony. A man who would have
anything to do with duel in Missouri
is stark idiot. 1t is a murder in the
first degree to kill man in a duel
there and a penal offense to fight a
duel; felony to agree in Missouri to
go out of the state to fight duel
"Thanks be to Almighty God, wars
are becoming rarer and rarer. One
thing which the flying machine will ac-
eomplish will be to put an end forever
and forever to all wars. Lotteries
have been stopped. Institutions for
preservations of morals, relief of human
sufferings, for perpetuity of our insti
tutions, are springing up on every hand.
"The idea of reformation of Grim
inals, rather than their punishment, is
taking deep hold on the minds of
men. There is more money today de
voted to charity per capita than ever
before. Controversial religion has
passed and practical religion is at
hand.'
And who is there who cannot agree
with Champ Clark in these conclu-
sions. Where is there the man past
thistyAvs ysars Of age who cannot
remember but feyxyears ago of the
dem0ralizing ehe en'the Louisiana
state lottery and the dreadful and il
legal manner in which it encouraged
gambling in the young. But what of it
now. 1t was forced on by the march
of civilization and the awakening of a
better public conscience. And how
about dueling and prize fighting. They
are looked upon As illegal and dis
graceful by countries that but few
years ago tolerated or defended them.
And who has failed to note the i'm
proved moral tsas thrSsGheut the