The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-06-15
FINEST THINGS In US ARE GIFTS OF
ANCESTORS, REV. OSBORNE DECLARES
Nght-TaIks Facing


I'VE like to say we're self made
but the finest things we have in us
we have had given TO us, and they
have been cemented together By the
blood of our forefathers," the Rev
Naboth Osborne said last night IN
his address on the Democracy Fac,
Ing the Future" which he gave at
the Elks' Flag day ceremonies hem
at Sixth and Blondeau streets.
In speaking Of the observance OF
the American flag, Rev. Osborne
called it a flag of opportunity, and
then he continued to enumerate the
things which had been given to u,
American people The public schooi,
originated way back in the beginnms
of our country's life on the hills OF
New England, being the first one ne
mentioned.
In no other country N the world
Is there an opportunity for the aver.
age boy with ordinary intelligence,
the Willingness TO work, given =
chance to work his way through anv
college in its country but the United
States, and this is one Of the things
our forefathers have given U.s." Rev
Osborne reminded the people.
1.-The free church system in which
every man may worship the Diety in
the manner he sees fit, the public
meeting house where the people Of
the town gather together 20 discuss
matters of local interest and the
choosing of leaders for municipal
government Offices, the dissemination
of public prosperity making ;he
wealthy of country lay spme If its
stores at the feet of the many, and
a profound respect for the Individual
personality of it's citizens are all gifts
which have been given TO u.s." ire
speaker declared.
EReorganized Individual Personality.
And in speaking Of the fact that
Individual personality was Recognized
in America, Rev. Osborne quoted
famous European who was asked the
question, What is the most notice
able characteristic of the American
people ?" after he had visited here,
and the answer was, They dent
cringe"
And now that these wonderful
gifts were made possible for us
through the blood shed OF our ances
tors, and through absolutely no effort
upon our own part, what are we CIV
Iu6 u lut WIS Tic AucSllOu
prppounded by Rev. Osborne.
At this point the Burlin gton min
lister spoke at some length upon GER
tain weaknesses in our democracy
which must be remedied if we were
to really give a worth while govern
ment to the future-a democracy
which could face the future. One
fallacy in the minds Of the men 90
ldov fhoF
created equal The constitution or
the United States says they are,
Thomas Jefferson said they were, but
That doesn't make it SO. 1t is written
In the laws of nature that it is not
so, the speaker affirmed. Men are
born with equal opportunities for
development, with equal rights to en-
joy things, but not with equal capa-
cities, and this is one of the weak
nesses OF our democracy, the belief
that one man has as much brains as
another.
The idea that the voice Of the |
people is the voice Of God is another
dissolusion IN our democracy, the
minister told his audience, and re-
minded them that this was SO only |
when the moral opinions of a COM |
nunity have been expressed and when !
the people have been educated to sec |
important affairs in their true Hghts-
The voice OF the people is not the |
voice Of God when the people are mis-
Informed and swept away by the ora
tory of few CONSCIOUSNESS dema-
gogues.
Deplores "cIosed Shop" Theory.
'fBe1ieying also that the majority |
must always rule the minority is an
other weakness in our democracy, &C
cording to the Rev. Osborne, who !
said that our form of government
could never stand if it were to be
guided by this theory. The majority
cr1lcified Christ, stoned Paul, and a
majority bought Paradise Lost from
Milton for ten pounds, but were they
right Rev. Osborne questioned.
And he further explained this
point by giving examples of the
lights between capital and labor, and
Of the policies of the CLOSED shops
which he stated were ~aIl wrong"
Class distinction was scored by the
speaker last night when he mentioned
he growing tendency in our den1oc-
-acy to, spread propaganda n favor
IF this class distinction, saying tina,
his movement had been very strong
n the last five years. whats be-
come OF the advocates of the 'onry
.hree generations from shirt sleeve
o shirt sleeve idea" he asked, when
every man had chance to make