The
FEBRUARY" 5; 1 9 d'9
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mmonen
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heart plays as large" a- part as the head in. the :
teacher's work, because the heart? is an impor
tant factor in one's own life end in the-shaping
of the destiny- of. the race; I fear the plutoc
racy of wealth; I respect the aristocracy of
learning; but I thank God for the democracy of
the heart. It is upon the heart-level that we
meet; it is by the characteristics of the heart
that we best know and best remember each
other. Astronomers tell us the distance of each
star from the1 earth, but no mathematician can
calculate the influence which a noble teacher
may exert upon posterity. And yet even the
teacher may fall from his high estate, and, for
getting his immeasureable responsibility, yield
to the temptation to estimate his work by its
pecuniary reward. I am glad to believe' that
this institution sets before its instructors a
standard in which service is the measure of
greatness. I am sure that the distinguished man
who founded this institution, gave his'name to
it, and who for so many years guided its des
tiny, left an example of a high conception of a
teacher's responsibility.
Let me turn for a moment from the profes
sion and the occupation to the calling. I am
sure I shall not be accused of departing from
the truth when I say that even those who
minister to our spiritual wants and, as our
religious leaders, help to fix our standards of
morality, sometimes prove unfaithful to their
trust. They are human, and. the frailities of.
man obscure the light which shines from within,
even when that light is a reflection from the
throne of God. We need more Elijahs in tho
pulpit today more men who will dare to up
braid an Ahab and defy a Jezebel. It is pos
sible, aye, probable, that even now, as of old,
persecution would follow such boldness of
speech, but he who consecrates himself to re
ligion must smite evil wherever he finds it, al
though in smiting it he may risk his salary and
his social position. It is easy enough to de
nounce the petty thief and tho back-alley gamb
ler; it is easy enough to condemn the friend
less rogue and the penniless wrong-doer, but
what about the rich tax-dodger, the big law
breaker, and the corrupter of government?
The soul that is warmed by divine fire will
be satisfied with nothing less than the complete
performance of duty; it must cry aloud and
spare not, to the end that the creed of the Christ
may bo exemplified in the life of the nation.
Not only does the soul question present itself
to individuals but it presents itself to groups
of individuals as well.
Let us consider the party. A political party
can not be greater than its ideal; in fact, it is
good in proportion as its ideal is worthy, and
its place in history is determined by its adher
ence to a high purpose. The party is made for
its members, not the members for the party;
and a party is useful, therefore, only as it is a
means through which one may protect his rights,
guard his interests and promote the public wel
fare. The best service that a man can render
his party is to raise its ideals. He basely be
trays his party's hopes and is recreant to his
duty to his party associates who seeks to barter
away a noble party purpose for temporary ad
vantages or for the spoils of office. It would
be a reflection upon the intelligence and
patriotism of the people to assert, or even to
assume, that lasting benefit could be secured for
a party by the lowering of its standards. He
serves his party most 'loyally who serves his
country most faithfully; it is a fatal error to
suppose that a party can be permanently bene
fited by a betrayal of the nation's interests.
The patriot must desire the triumph of that
which isright above the triumph of that which
he may think to be right if he is, in fact, mis
taken; and so the partisan, if he b6 an intelli
gent partisan, must bo prepared to rejoice in
his party's defeat if by that defeat his country
is the gainer. This is not an unselfish doctrine,
for if my opponent can frame for me and for1
my children a better government than I can, he
is not my enemy but my friend.
The activities of politics center about the
election of candidates to office, and the official,
under our system, represents both the party to
which he belongs and the whole body of his
constituency. He has two temptations to 'with
stand, first, the temptation to substitute his
own judgment for the judgment of his constltu-'
ents, and second, the temptation to piit his pecuniary-interests
above the interests' of those
for whom he acts. According to the aristo
cratic idea, the representative thinks' fbr his
consituents; "according' to the democratic idea,
the representative thinks with his constituents.
A representative has no right to defeat the
wishes of those who elect him; if he knows' theirs
wishes.
But a representative is-not liable to knawing.
ly misrepresent his constituents unless ho has
pecuniary interests adverso to theirs; This is
the temptation to. be resisted' this .is the sin?
to be avoided. Tho official who uses his posi
tion to secure a pecuniary advantage at the ex
pense of those for whom he acts is an embezzler
of power and an embezzler of power is as
guilty of moral turpitude as tho embezzler of
money. There is no better motto for tho public
official than that given by Solomon: "A good
name is rather to bo chosen than great riches,
and loving favor rather than silver and gold."
And there is no bettor rule for the public official
to follow than this to do nothing that he would
not bo willing to have printed iii tho morning
paper next day.
One who exorcises authority conferred upon
him by the suffrages of his fellows ought to be
fortified In his Integrity by the consciousness
of the fact that a betrayal of his trust is hurt
ful to the party which honors him and unjust
to the people whom he serves, as well as In
jurious to himself. Nothing that he can gain,
not even tho whole world, can compensate him
for the loss that he suffers in the surrender of a
high ideal of public duty.
Permit me, in conclusion, to say that the
nation, as well as the individual and the party,
must be measured by its purpose, its ideals and
its service. "Let him who would be chiefest
among you, be the servant of all," was intended
for nations as well as for citizens. Our nation :
is tho greatest in the world and the greatest of
all time, because it has rendered- a larger ser
vice than any other nation is rendering or has
rendered. It is giving the world ideals in edu
cation, in social life, in government and in re
ligion. It is the teacher of nations, it is the
world's torch-bearer. Here the people are more
free than elsewhere to "try all things and hold
fast that which is good;" "to know the truth"
and to find freedom in that knowledge. No
material considerations should blind us to our
nation's mission, or turn us aside from the ac
complishment of the great work which has been
reserved for us. Our fields bring forth abun
dantly and the products of our farms furnish
food "for many in the Old World. Our mills
and looms supply an Increasing export, but these
are not our greatest asset. Our most fertile
soil is to be found in the minds and the hearts
of our people, and our most important manu
facturing plants are not our factories, with their
smoking chimneys, but our schools, our colleges
and our churches, which take in a priceless raw
material and turn out the most valuable finished
product that the world has known.
We enjoy by inheritance, or by choice, the
blessings of American citizenship; let us not
be unmindful of the obligations which these
blessings impose. Let us not become so occu
pied in the struggle for wealth or in the contest
for honors as to repudiate the debt that we
owe to those who have gone before us and to
those who bear with us the responsibilities that
rest upon the present generation. Society has
claims upon us; our country makes demands
upon our time, our thought and our purpose.
The words of Georgia's great statesman, Sen
ator Hill, ought to find a place in every school
room: "Who saves his country, saves himself,
and all things saved do bless him; who lets his
country die, lets all things' die, dies himself
ignoble, and all things dying curse him.''
Our government, conceived in liberty and pur
chased with blood, can be preserved only by
constant vigilance. May we guard It as our
children's richest legacy for "What shall it profit
our nation if it shall gain the whole world and
lose the spirit that prizes liberty as the heritage
of all men in all lands everywhere?"
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NOT. THE TREATMENT FOR HEROES
After the crew and passengers of the steam
ship Republic were landed in New York, and'
within three days after the terrible collision,
the following announcement was made to the
several hundred stokers, trimmers and minor
employes of the Republic whose hard work and
great courage resulted in the rescue of hundreds
of lives:
"You men will receive your -pay slips on
Thursday morning at 11 o'clock, Your wages
will 'date up to the time the Republic sank ori
Sunday night. Any of you who need money
will be1' given a small advance by the company.
This "will be deducted from your pay when you
reach ' Liverpool The White Star officials are
prepared to furnish you with such articles of
clothing as you need. The company expects
to provide accommodatlonsforyou on thfsrship
which sails. on-Saturday."
Referring to this- statement tho Now York
World said: "The announcement was received
with groans-of dissatisfaction. The amazed-expressions
oit the faces of the men. imilcatcdi that
they had expected more from the company
which had been singing their praises;"
A World reporter, who was present at tho
meeting, said that most of the stokers were
afraid to talk for publication, giving as a reason
that tho steamship companies might blacklist
them if they found out who they were. Somo
of tho moro angry ones spoke right out, making
it a condition that their names bo withhold.
Said one big fellow, who was pointed out by
his companions as tho bravest of the bunch:
"All I got to say Is that it doesn't take tho
company long to forget. Wo wero all groat
heroes while wo was saving the passengers and
working like holl to shut out the water. Wo
was cheered ntil wo was dizzy. Not that wo
deserved cheers, because most of this crowd
has been In a tight pinch before: There wasn't
a quitter In that crowd. Why, wo was all sing
ing as we hoisted tho boats over the side. Wo
didn't expect any reward, but there Isn'fa man
on this job who dreamed he'd bo docked for his
tlmo on shore. Wo did all wo could and ex
pected that the company would see that wo
didn't lose any money by the accident. It's no
credit to them to take us home. They've got to
do that."
It is true that the conduct of tho officers
and' seamen as well as that of the passengers
on all of the vessels that took part in the work
of rescue, as on the colliding vessels themselves,
will long live in the best and tho brightest chap-'
ters of sea history. If tho New York World
story concerning the treatment accorded these
faithful men bo true then that story deserves
to be brought to tho attention of every Ameri
can citizen. Every American newspaper should
tell tho story to Its readers.
Every American heart must have beat faster
when the story of that sea collision was told.
The highest bravery was shown on all sides.
Americans wore not slow to compare those In
cidents with the Incidents attending similar dis
asters participated in by the crews of some other
nations in which cases the officers and seamen
were not tho last to leave the sinking vessel.
Tho same Americans would blush to believe tho
story told by the New York World, but if that
story bo true, public sentiment In America
should bo so thoroughly aroused and crystalfzod
that the flesh and Mood officials of a soulless
corporation will wipe out tho foul stain by do
ing justice to the brave men. Without their
heroic efforts Captain Sealby's courage would
have been of no avail in the rescue of the
lives entrusted to his care.
THE RUDOWITZ CASE
Secretary Root did a creditable thing when ho
refused to grant tho demand of the Russian gov
ernment for the extradition of Christian Rudo
wltz. Rudowltz was charged with murder, burg
lary, arson and various other crimes. Ho main
tained that whatever ho did was done as a mem
ber of a nolitlcal party whoso business it was
to strike at government spies. The federal com
missioner at Chicago ordered the extradition of
Rudowitz but he was overruled by tho secretary
of state.
If the case against Rudowltz was really
stronger than it is this government should be
slow in consenting to his extradition for as Rudo
witz's attorneys have well said the Russian gov
ernment can not only make a case but It has
the habit of visiting swift punishment against
men who are guilty of political offenses. Under
the circumstances Secretary Root acted wisely
and in line with American practice.
S $
IN THE EDUCATIONAL SERIES
William R. Kemp of St. Clair, Mich., writes:
"Will you please explain government by com
mission, of municipalities; or, by a 'corporation
manager,' in -which the responsibility is charged
to ' one Individual, rather than to a' common
council or board of works, known as the 'Gal
veston Plan' of city government, and again aa
tho 'Des Moines Plan?' I understand this con
templates the election of the commission, or the
general manager, by the people?"
This plan will be fully covered in the edu
cational series now being published in The
Commoner.
This week The Commoner's educational series
relates to the Carnegie pension for teachers. The
argument presented will be particularly inter
esting because it deals with the proposition
that this pension system be adopted by the Ne- '
braska legislature.
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