The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-05-21
ARE WE RETROGRADING?

During the reign or KING EuWdru
the Peaceful, of England, beginning
in 958, almost 1000 years ago, 1T was
unlawful to sell even loaf of bread
on the Sabbath day If one sang a
song, other than a religious hymn
sanctioned by the crown, one was
liable to severe punishment. If one
danced on the Sabbath, or had any
enjoyment, other than that prescribed
by the king (and the enjoyment of
this is doubtfuD one was subject for
the stocks, the jail, or some other
form of severe punishment. King
Edgar, the Peaceful, as his name and
title indicate, was a pious man and
regarded himself as the guardian not
only of the morals of himself, but of
all his subjects. He was his brothers
keeper and was determined that his
Brother should not go to hell, unless
he had some punishment on earth
first.
people believed the earth was fiat.
They were densely ignorant, as COM
pared with the people of today. There
are no people on earth today, unless it
be in the densest jungles or in the
Arctic regions, as ignorant as were
the people of King Edgar's day and
ignorance always begets intolerance.
The more ignorant a person is the
Ir+ oh
to dictate to others and make others |
do as he or she deems best. In the |
days of King Edgar the Peaceful, men
were beheaded for disobeying 'relig-
ious" orders of the king. They cut
their wheat with reap hook or pull
ed the heads by hand and the women
tramped it out with their feet. They
plowed the ground with crooked
sticks and women were sometimes
yoked with cows or oxen to pull these
primitive plows.
The world has advanced since the
days of Edgar, the Peaceful. People
have become more enlightened, more
intelligent and, naturally, more toler-
ant But the world has moved too
fast for some minds. There are still
some who would go back to the days
and the methods and the ignorance
and the intolerance and the perse-
cution of 1000 years ago, when the
king prescribed what people should
do and wear and eat and think. But
there are only few such minds. The
great mind of the world is more toll
Grant, more intelligent, and naturally
more kind and Christian like.
- ga "a
The veterans of the civil war here
nave turned over the program for
day, (Nay 800 to the young
sr generation. The Daughters of
Veterans are to have charge. This
means that the program will be of :.
Ugh order and nothing will be left :
lndone to make the day pleasant one y
or those who eft, bled and died" for b
heir country during the darkest days c
his nation has ever known. The old &
eterans are becoming scarce. They Il
re less strong than in former years,
ut their spirits are as strong as ever.
heir daughters have undertaken the
rork Of concentrating what their .
athers did on the battle fields of that o.
reat struggle between the North and h,
lie South, and the old boys will be the ST
uests of their daughters on this me- al
lorable occasion. Moscow citizens
lould see to it that nothing is left w
ndone to make the day all that it is re
tended to be. We owe debt to al
lese old men that we can never pay. ~
ut let us pay what we can on that -
,bt, by kindness, attention and care !.
lring the few remaining days before
e shall be called upon to decorate
cir graves.