Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-06-04

a man has a right to call himself by
whatsoever name he pleases. Person.
ally we have no objections to offer
against such apractice, but we cannot
but feel that the pride of such a per-
son has outweighed his generosity.
He has permitted his egotism to
dominate when his beneficence ought
to be very much in evidence. If we
must renounce that which has been
in order to possess the modern spirit,
are we not losing more than we
gain? Is it not true that we have
made ourselves somewhat harsh and
illiberal? Is it not true that we
have made ourselves a bit too prom1-
nent and violent? We think that
these questions are of more than
passing Importance, and we also
think that they should be considered
carefully by every one of this class.
There might be place for the icon-
oclast in this fair universe, but we
are sure that his attitude is not as
ways correct and helpful. 1t kills oft
ener than we can tell
1t is very evident that thus far
we have failed to satisfy ourselves
with a definition of modernity One
is too superstitious and shallow, ana
the other too superstitious and bigov-
ed, and the third too boisterous ana
destructive. But in the words of
Shaler Mathews we have a definition
which appeals to us. and since we
accept it as being fair and true, we
take lihertv to present it. "a for
NAL definition of modernness is not
difficult. He is the modern man or
any period who is controlled by the
forces which are making for To-
morrow. In a period like that of the
Maccabees he was the modern man
who embodied the ideals which made
the little city state of Jersusalem into
the kingdom of John Hyrcanus. In
the days of julius Caesar he SYM
pathized with the growing unity
which eliminated in the imperialism
of the Antonines and the legislation
of Justinian: in the twelfth century
he championed the rise of the free
cities; in the sixteenth century he
was swayed by the forces born of
new learning, the new individualism,
and the new world: in the eighteenth
century he enforced the political con-
sequences of the doctrine of natural
rights and had a share in freeing
thought from ecclesiastical control
and the state from an outgrown
feudalism and an absolute monarchy.
"The modern man of today is he
who is controlled by those ideals
which are Transforming his inherited
world into the newer order which his
children will inherit He is the child
as well as the maker of Tomorrow.
That is to say, he is the man who Is
controlled by the four outstanding
transforming characteristics of the
age which have already been de-
scribed. Such control may be con-
scious or unconscious, but he can nc
more help thinking of God as finding
eternal self-expression within the
universe than the Hebrew could
think of Jehovah directing the af-
fairs of the world from heaven. He
thinks as instinctively in terms or
process as the ancient world thought
in terms of static being. He may be
neither a socialist nor a social re-
former, but he feels the growing
sense of brotherhood and cannot
think of social relations in terms of
insulated individualism. He may not
be technically scientist, but he
knows that truth cannot be based on
authority other than that of reality
itself"
This is a rather lengthy quotation
but it is worth very inch of the
space we have devoted to it, because
it shows clearly the attitude of the
person who is modern; and it is es-
pecially valuable because we are en-
abled to see the spirit of our own
time and place. "The modern man
of today is he who is controlled by
those ideals which are Transforming
his inherited world into the newer
order which his children will inherit
In other words, the modern man is
, he who is living for To-morrow-whe
| is living to transform his inherited
, world into the newer order of fair
ness. He is neither selfish nor idle
but in humbleness and determination
! seek the kingdom of God first is il
/ keeping with the eternal order o.
the Heavenly Father. His thoughts
are thoughts concerning the so
3 cial welfare of the world
and his deeds are in accord with hi
. thoughts. He thinks in behalf o
/ the wide world, putting forth hi
, efforts to transform his inheritet
) world in such a way that will har
: monize with the will of God. He i
! not superstitious, destructive no
: boistrous, but in patience and joy h
e labors for the benefit of all concern
E ed. His sympathies are social.
He is more or less controlled b,
s four basal elements. The concep
I ton of process; the conception o
E God as immanent in this process
I rather than an extra-mundane mon
T arch; the growing sense of socia
S solidarity; the refusal to accept a
= the basis of truth authority or met
: aphysical deduction. These element
n form the foundation on which
g builds. They are the principle
/ that govern his life, and if he is in
a tense, he is intense because he re
n alizes their significance. They ar
q to him the mighty powers that shap
h his day and age, and to be selfish an
L unfair he cannot be. He is askin
/, no favors, but in all sincerity h
n tolls for the wellbeing of his fellow
re In short, he loves the children {
l. men.
y PYTHIAN MEMORIAL.
ID Wauseon Lodge, Knights of P,