The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

they are more common today than ever
before because more money can be made
out of them. Many well meaning busi-
ness men permit themselves to be drawn
into practices which are not only inde-
fensible in the realm of conscience, but
which violate the statutes The officers
of the law are constantly engaged in an
effort to prevent the monopolizing of
trade.
1t is strange that any one should at
tempt to defend a private monopoly, for
its plan and operation can be easily un-
derstood by any one who knows either
human nature or history. No judge
would be permitted to preside in his own
case; no juror would be allowed to serve
in a suit to which he was a party, and
yet the head of monopoly arbitrarily
decides every day questions where his in
terests are on one side and public in
terests on the other. Can he be trusted
to decide impartially and to exact only
reasonable profit? 1t is absurd to expect
him to do justice to those with whom he
deals.
We need laws making private monopoly
impossible. but we must have back of
these laws a moral sentiment which will
condemn the club welded by the monop-
olist, as moral sentiment now condemns
the highwayman' bludgeon.
The third temptation to which the COM
mercial man is subjected is the corrdp-
ton of politics Just in proportion as a
corporation secures a monopoly of the
h,ui,asu IL, x,,biatI n Go onoaoed in that
proportion the necessity for government
regulation increases, and l may add, the
difficulty of securing regulation increases
in proportion to the necessity for it. Mu-
nicipal corruption has become a byword,
and the lobbyist has made his evil pres
ence felt at the national and state capi-
tails. Bribery is becoming fine art, and
neither the voter nor his representative
is spared The one lesson that must be
taught is that the man who gives a bribe
is as wicked as the man who accepts it
I am not sure but that he is more wicked
for the necessities of the man who ao-
cepts the bribe-if need can pallate such
an offense-are usually greater than those
of the man who offers it.
In the counting room as well as in the
EDITORS library and in the lawyers Of
flee one hears the heart-searching ques-
tion: What shall it profit a man If he
shall gain the whole world and lose his
own soulT-and happiness, honor and
usefulness all hang upon the answer
I would not be forgiven IL l failed to
apply my theme to the work of the in
structor. The purpose of education is not
merely to develop the mind: it is to pre-
pare men and women for society's work
and for citizenship. The ideals Of the
teacher, therefore, are of the first i'm
portance. The pupil is apt to be as much
influenced by what his teacher is as by
what the teacher says or does. The meas
ure of a school cannot be gathered from,
an inspection of the examination papers :
the conception of life which the gradu-
ate carries away must be counted in es-
timating the benefits conferred, The pc
cuniary rewards of the teacher are
usually small when compared with the
rewards of business. This may be due
in part to our failure to properly appre-
ciate the work which the teacher does.
but it may be partially accounted for by
the fact that the teacher derives from
his work satisfaction greater than that
obtained from most other empioyments
The teacher comes into contact with the
life of the student and, as our greatest
joy is derived from the consciousness of
having benefited others. the teacher right
y counts as part of his compensation
the continuing pleasure to be found in
the knowledge that he is projecting HIS
influence through future generations. The
heart plays as large part as the head
in the teachers work. because the heart
is an. important factor In every life and
In the shaping of the destiny of the race.
| fear the plutocracy of wealth; | respect
the aristocraey of learning; but I thank
God for the democracy of the heart. And
yet even the teacher may fall from his
high estate. and. forgetting his immeas-
urable responsibility. yield to the tempta-
tion to estimate his work by it's pecuniary
reward.
Let me turn for moment from the
profession and the occupation of the call
ing. l am sure shall not be accused of