Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-02-28

patent OF immortality and Of the
great passive power to take on that
grace which could make him a bet
perfect citizen of the kingdom of
eternal peace, and the proudest
philosopher of Athens when the
light broke in upon his mind saw
the new light, human dignity, and
he venerated, not the powerful
alone, but the poor, all his brothers
in God That false ideal and false
philosophy which exaggerates the
civil relation of the individual had
destroyed the old idea of domestic
society. Woman had become
chattel. She had no rights because
the philosophy and best thought of
the day regarded her as an inferior
being.
Under the most perfect form of
law she might have been sold at
any hour and on any pretext, and
when the man who was her master
died she became the personal prop
erty of an older son. Hers, too,
perhaps, but yet her master. A man
or woman is not slave by wearing
chains. Men or women are slaves
when their spirits are broken, when
they acquiesce in the misery of their
condition and have lost hope and
lost ambition In the world, and in
that day there was no higher hope,
there was no stirring of ambition
for better things until the light and
grace of the Nazarene stirred the
conscience of the slaves into a
realization of human worth, meas
ured not by earthly standard, but by
divine. Then man began to regard
his helpmeet as his equal Wise not
only in speculation, but in the choice
of expedients, and they threw the
Amazon, the harsh, brutal woman.
from the pedestal and niche of honor
and enthroned there the sweet, ire
sistible form of the Virgin Mother
of the incarnate God. Passing men
gazed, and as they looked they saw
the lips move, evangelizing and
bringing to their thoughts and
hearts this new truth that woman
was mans equal, she was mans
superior. Once man understood his
dignity he respected his fellow-man.
and that mutual respect, growing of
better knowledge than pagan phil
osophy ever thought, introduced into
the world new force, new light
of itself shining, and the steel
manacles melted from the slaves and
the world was great brotherhood.
And now all can gather at the foot
of the same altar and feel their
hearts unite in the common love of
the common Father. the Father of
all the units of the race.
Guizot, who loved not the Chris
tian creed, testified as the historian,
Had it not been for that Christianl
church the world would have a /
hundred times been crushed beneath
the insupportable weight OF
Citizens Of this great republic.
open up your hearts, to the image
that walks out into this generationl
from the page of the gospel. Hear
that great truth which solves the
social problem Of a more hopeless
age.
Learn to respect one another, and
through common mutual respect
yield not to the impulses of right
eousness, and we shall continue in
the possession of our cherished lib
critics. With the incentives of
exceptional gains, stimulating men
of superior talent to greater efforts,
we shall go on from progress to
progress under the leadership and
expert direction of those who must
be exceptional in every generation.
af
who create new ideals. There are
not many who can crystalize the best
impulses of generation to further
any great high project. They are
the few. And that exceptional talent
is discovered only when exceptional
reward is offered Sor its exercise and
and the entire gain OF
the community is enhanced by the
greater talent of the few. Take |
away from men that incentive, tell
them tomorrow that the State must |
own and control all sources of gain |
and product, the machinery OF the |
country, you intend to make them |
equal. but you reduce and lower |
their earning power, and in the end
you pauperize the people by robbing
them of that one great source OF
greatness. exceptional talent or
heroic endeavor.
Away then with this new revolu-
tionary spirit. For me | kiss the
blessed constitution which has SO
benefited, not the citizens OF one
but the people OF
the world, through four or five gen
erations, and which has proved by |
its workings that 1t is capable OF
still advancing the interests OF the
race and making for them brighter
and happier world.
shall not detain you longer. Our |
is the embodiment OF
an idea The constitution is not a
law. II is rather an idea. II was con-
ceived in liberty. II was formed to
safeguard that great fact which
excited the fathers of ante-Revolu-
tionary days to give their hearts
to achievements that they and the
world might profit by their sacri-
fices and be made happier and better
in fruits Of their victory. the embodi-
ment in action of the glorious
conception OF the largest measure
Of personal liberty possible with a
minimum OF government
FORTY HOURS.