Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-02-13

Elements Of Character.
Speaking of the disposition to criti-
else existing conditions, Mr.. Bangs ad-
vanced the theory that no particular
condition could exist without the re-
sponsibility for it, resting to a great
er or less extent upon each and every
individual. in the community and ar
gued that changes for the letter must
come through the "slow process OF
pubic enlightenment" for as he said
ut is automatic, that right living and
morality is not the subject Of legis-
lation, but is the result Of education.
After dealing with the subject OF
political corruption, and the inef.ect-
i've work of sham reformers, ana
speaking of the absolute necessity
for the element of individual honesty
to constitute one a good citizen and
calling attention to the pred0minance
of that element in Mr.. Lincoln's char
acter he took up the subject of per-
sonal character, painting a picture
along the lines laid down by st. Peter
when he said:
And beside this, giving all dill
gence add to your faith virtue; and
to virtue know edge; and knowledge
temperance; and to temperance pa
tience; and to patience godliness;
and to godliness brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness charity"
Describing faith as the basic principle
of human life on which all domestic
happiness. social life and business
success depended and explaining how
faith inspired faith by a recital of
matters that had come under his OBJ
servation in connection with the mar
velous work of Warden lyman of
Colorado and %recounting an interview
with one Of the inmates Of that Eeni'
tertiary, who in explaining the power
Of lyman said "He, (Tynan) has so
much faith in his fellows that he act.
ua.ly inspires it in them" and calling
to mind this we'll known trait of char
acter in Mr.. Lincoln he passed to the
second trait of virtue, describing it
as vigor, manliness and mental force,
and speaking of Lincoln said: Call to
mind, if you please. the struggle of
Lincoln to train his mind. The night
hours, with faint and glimmering
light, devoted to persistent study.
Then-of his continued strenuous ef-
forts-as a farm hand, as a flat boat
hand, in the store, in the office, in
politics, in the Presidency-every-
where we find him from boyhood
days until the closing of his eyes in
final rest we find him possessed of
unbounded energy and high ambi.
ton Here the speaker took occa-
sion to compliment the people of this
state on the splendid work of Warden
Talcott at the North Dakota peniten-
tiary.
Speaking then of the necessity for
other traits of character, because with
only these two We would have the SILL
perstition Of faith combined with the
fanaticism of energy, which combina-
ton uncontrolled by other traits or
graces often leads to disaster and nat
urally tends towards anarchism, he
took up the trait or grace. Of knowl-
edge, and after dealing with that he
took up the further grace of temper
ance, explaining it as being the pow
err of self control and speaking of the
ineffectiveness of radicalism in
thought, word and action and explain
ing and detailing some of the matters
and things wherein the people are
wont 10 move without proper self
control, and calling to mind the re-
mark that is sometimes heard that
we r not living in the "good old
times" he said:
HAc n f,rrbor rono.oo cor,a o,o
says "sive lis, back the good old times
and we all say-'Give us back the
good old times, completely overlook.
ing the fact that the 'gool cid times
means hand sowing of the fields, tho
cradle and fail for securing the
grain, the OK cart to haul it to mar
ket; it means the spinning wheel and
hand loom. the weary hours with
thread and needle and home spun
cloth, with the house wife struggling
in a faint and glimmering light of the
tallow dip to fashion the clothes for
the family. 1t means no telegraph
or telephone, no railways or electric
light or power. 1t means months of
weary travel to go from one side Of
this country to the other, and that we
in North Dakota would not know what
had happened in New York until
weeks otter the happening"
The Grace of knowledge.
He then explained by illustration
wherein Mr.. Lincoln combined within
himself the grace of knowledge, not
only acquired through the medium of
books but a knowledge Of his fellow
mar which came from a sympathetic
observation of those about him. How
in his private and pubic life he not
only exhibited this knowledge but also
exhibited in a high degree the grace
of temperance, self control and self
restraint .s-rsy,
Taking up the matter of patience,
he discussed at some length the i'm
patient and ,intemperate desire evil
denced by some to shake off the limi.
tatiOns Of constitutional government.
To, in fact place the entire power of
government in the hands of the major
ity, thus leaving the ever shifting fac.
ton or rather the minority of the
ever shifting faction to the uncon-
trolled d%ictation of the majority, a
condition wherein no one could de-
mand the protection afforded him by
the fundamental and elemental prin-
clples laid down in the constitution.
A condition wherein the passions of
an o~verwrought majority might we'll
cause them to trample upon the rights
OF the minority with no one and with
no tribunal to say them nay. In clos.