The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-01-21
General Comment


The Richmond Journal says:
Tho Roanoke world-News thinks that a re-
cent editorial ox ours leads 1t to hope that
eventually va may be made into good re
former eager to seize upon and apply remedies
suggested for every evil. and ready to ally our
selves with every association. club and league
claiming to possess tho power to make men and
women be good. We think not. Indeed. we
are sure that our Roanoke friend Is wrong and
wrongs us. Our heart might be with him some
times, but flesh would shrink. The Rev.
Sydney Smith. writing In his Edinburgh Review
over hundred years ago. told why tho could not
ine up with every reform which came along
His reasons are our reasons- 1t was In this
cogent manner that he expressed them:
1T is hardly possible that . society for the
suppression OF vice can ever be kept within the
bounds Of good sense and moderation. If tnere
many members who have really become
, 30 from a feeling OF duty. there will necessarily
be some who enter the society to hide bad
character. and others whose object 1t Is to re-
commend themselves TO their betters by a sedu-
lous and busting inQuisition into the imrnorAli
ties Of the public The ioudest and noisiest sup
pressors will always carry It against tho moro
prudent part OF the community; tho most vio-
lent will be considered as the most moral: and
those who see the absurdity will, from the fear
OF being thought to encourage vice, be reluc-
tant TO oppose It.
I'VE often have thought that our reformers
wax and flourish not because of the sincere be-
lief which the average of their followers have
in them, but because they lack the common
courage to say what they think OF their leaders
and 60 their way. Were to put into
plain English most intimate thoughts
pressing our opinion OF number of those who
are looked upon by the Roanoke World-News
bearers Of the torch or righteousness far in
the van of human progress and uplift. should
depart far from the teachings OF our childhood.
In addition to colliding with the United States
postal regulations"
All OF which, submit proves the Rich
| InCnd Journal a curiously hard cruSted tnsti
| tuition. In its belief. tho man who stands for q
reform Is either a coward Or Is atrocious that
words suitable to describe him would violate
the postal regulations The most intimate
thoughts Of The Journal would DO vicious and
brutal in tae extreme. with not one touch OF
t charity, with absolute condemnation of every
man who happened to differ from 1t. and with
vile language for any cause that did not har-
monte with The Journals ideas.
newspaper that thus frankly sets forth its
opinion has at least one merit 1t makes IT.
self plain. We do not have to puzzle to arrive
at its convictions. With It's views Of men and
events 1t is supremely content and for the
Views OF others 1t cares not . straw unless those
views happen to be strictly in line with what
The Journal believes to be right.
We are thankful, indeed. that not many men
| or newspapers are built along such lines. We
1 are thankful that the vast mat rity of them
are able to study what others think and can
analyze broadly the various problems that present
themselves. They see and admit that the
man on the other side be at least sincere
and that he II not always a coward. thief. or
| liar They do not attribute to themselves a
monopoly Of wisdom and common sense, but
are able to sopen the windows sometimes and
| see that the light CLOVIS over all the world, and
to know that nothing is so absurd as to think
that any one spot corral all beauty and
! intelligence that Coz has made.-Roanoke
World News