The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1913-06-28

part upright, ana down In the DOtI0mS
of our hearts we all know he is cor
rect. The idea is that a good man is
say, 81 per cent good and 40 per cent
bad, and the bad man is 81 per cent
bad and 49 per cent good, by no means
sufficient difference to keep us from
all being brothers. When man goes
wrong in any way, is mean or hateful,
even steals or murders, which of us is
capable of computing exactly how
much of the blame rests on himself,
how much on his forebears, how much
on the conditions of society in which
he was born and grew and lived
Now the fact of the matter is that
every step forward in civilization lis
measured almost exactly by the ex-
tent to which people have co-operated.
While there is a certain amount of evil
in every human nature, and probably
in every nature on the face of the
EARTH because even your dog will bite
you, your horse will kick you, or the
thorn of the rose will prick you, still
there is an undoubted element of good,
and 1t is just as certain or more so and
more efficacious than the evil. The
way for us to attain cooperation is to
look for this element of good in our
neighbor, to find it, and to act on it.
If we do so, the sentiment of brotherly
love will assert itself, and he and we
will become friends. With this we
can accomplish anything Without it,
society is lacking the greatest amelio-
rative force known to man, namely,
public opinion. Without it we may
condescend towards our neighbor and
denounce his faults as much as we
choose, but il we do not get too in
sulting it will probably have no effect
on him whatever, and never a good eff
feet. But if he is our friend and we
see him make one of those slips that
is so common to our human nature and
we go to him alone and take him by
the arm and say: Friend, I do not
pretend that | am better than you, or
that | have any more right to direct
you than you me, but don't you think
that you are too good a man to drive
out of the road and into the ditch in
this way? don't say that | would not
have done it if had been in your place
because | am probably no stronger
than you, but can't both of us work
together and pull together, can't both
of us sustain each other and cooper
ate in sympathy and improve ourselves
little bit and society too?" All the
penitentiaries on the face of the earth
do not have the restraining influence
that this one brotherly suggestion
would carry. There is no doubt that
this is the way, the best way, the most
efficacious way, possibly the only way,
for us to secure permanent co-opera-
ton.
On the other hand we are all more
or less selfish and in a cold-blood5s
calculating disposition we are safe in
saying that it will put money in our
pockets to agree and cooperate. But
if we adopt cooperation only on sell
fish basis our selfishness may be de-
pended on to strengthen itself and f.
nally so eXaggerate our own interests
in our own eyes and depreciate those
of our neighbor, that our cooperation
will ultimately fall through. For a
long time yet we shall have to travel
earthly roads but certainly it is posi-
BILE and within the range of every
man if he so desires, to hitch his char
lot to star.
Keep your feet in the daisies and
your head among the stars"
I'VE know that right is right,
That it is not good to lie;
That love is better than spite,
And neighbor than a spy.
In the darkest night of the year
When the stars have all gone out,
That courage is better than fear,
That faith is truer than doubt.
"And fierce tho the friends may fight,
And long tho the angels hide,
We know that Truth and Right.
Have the Universe on their side"
cleveland Leader.)