10 Conservative *
They arc unfit. The cosmos is im
partial.
Face to Face With Anarchy.
This is the most profound subject
challenging consideration. Wo are face
to face with anarchy. The condition is
alarming. Theoretically men strive to
follow an unethical priuciplo. Practi
cally they instinctively act as ethically
as they can. None knows the true
ethical principle. All who survive
practice it even though in ignorance.
Civilization is instinctively right in
ethics and intellectually wrong in moral
theory. Self-preservation is the inevi
table necessity. Moral theorists tell us
that self-destruction is the only way to
. Is that not
self-preservation. anar
chistic ?
The Ethical Unit.
The might to self-maintenance is the
ethical unit. He who has it not
is an imbecile. He who has it and yet
uses it not for self-preservation is insane.
Every form of actual self-sacrifice must
weaken the self-maintaining integrity ,
the ethical might , and hence must be a
form of insanity. Actual self-sacrifice
is suicidal in character. Over-play ,
over-work , over-greed , over-ambition ,
dissipation of all kinds , the so called in
toxication or poisonous habits , alcohol ,
opium , tobacco , chloral , cocaine , etc. ,
are all suicidal in nature or tendency.
The lives of the martyrs is but the his
tory of a form of suicidal insanity. The
acme of ethical might , the polo-star of
individual moral integrity , the very best
that man is capable of , is the might to
control might. The cosmic ethical law ,
the moral law of the survival of the
fittest is self-control of their might , by
the mighty , within the limits of the
most sensible movements of the needle
of the compass of self-preservation.
That is the profound morality which
marketh the perfect man. That is being
strong in might and mighty in right at
the same time. Ethical might is the
compass on the sea of self-preservation.
Self control is the moral pilot by which
the survivors show their fitness to navi
gate among the shoals of life. There is
nothing ethical , moral or pleasant in
weakness. The cosmic law of ethics
presupposes the might or ability to sur
vive , or maintain individual integrity
against the vicissitudes of the most
exacting environment.
The Ethical and Moral Man.
To bo ethical , the moral scale of self-
preserving might must be so delicately
balanced , that no action , no exertion of
might , is of such a nature plus or
minus as to be dangerous to the actor ,
through the production of a reaction
within , or from without environment
liable , in the remotest degree , to limiter
or interference with the freest action of
actors' self-preserving might ; that is , in
disturbing the self-maintaining equili
brium of the actor.
The cosmic law of ethics is in con
formity with the fundamental law of
physics ; action and reaction are equal
but opposite in direction. Stated ethi
cally it reads : All exercise of might , to
be self-preserving , must be so intelli
gently controlled that the reactions shall
bo equally self-preserving. Might is
right but it is only mighty when it
weakens not itself by overt or minus
action. When might is not self-main
taining it is no more might. It is a
weakness. Therefore , the ability to do
is right ; the ability not to limit or in jure
one's self-maintaining abilities by an
intelligent self-control of one's actions
is the highest moral might. The ethical
balance is most delicately adjusted. One
beam is the might to act , the other is
the of self-control.
might - Self-preser
vation marks the perfect balance. The
ethical equilibrium between action and
reaction is adjusted. Morality is the art
of maintaining this ethical equilibrium.
When the self-preserving action and re
action are in equilibrium the moral best
is attained , No other best is possible.
The least iota of self-sacrifice destroys
the fine adjustment of the ethical might.
Self-control is lost through altruistic
weakness. This is the ethical basis of
all success. All seek to practice it.
Some succeed better than others. None
really understands it. When man
becomes intelligently moral as well as
instinctively ethical , the advance in
civilization will be something hitherto
unheard of.
The Ideal Bent Is Anarchistic.
There is a morbid condition of mind ,
which looks upon an ideal best as the
peculiar characteristic of invalid life. It
matters not what the individual charac
ter may be , invalidism is not an ethical
condition. The kind of best that is best
fitted for the tomb is certainly not that
of cosmic ethics. It would not be
alluded to here but for the fact that it
"best" corresponds to a most unethical
of the ' ' ' '
yet prevalent conception 'best.
It is a pathological misconception and
not a physiological conception. Suppose
humanity were made up of that kind of
best ? Anarchy would result. The race
would soon perish of cumulating weak
ness. Invalid saints are very beautiful
to look upon when surrounded with
comforts and luxuries by the strong , but
when poor and in like surroundings one
cannot but think they had "best" be
dead. Even this kind of best is not so
unethical as the might which is so lack
ing in self-control as to bo self-destruc-
tive. The strong competent man who
ruins himself by drink is a fitting
example. Another , in an opposite direc
tion , is the strong man who injures
himself by over-work. What better
could there bo than a nation composed
of people except the children and aged
physically and mentally mighty
enough to be self-supportingly useful to
each other , and mighty enough to so
control all their acts as not to weaken
themselves physically or mentally , or by
overt action to encroach on the self-
maintaining ability of each other ?
Charity would be impossible in a com
munity without paupers or criminals.
( CONTINUED NEXT WEEK. )
Th
THE TARIFF _
AND TRUST."Record , " a good
Republican paper
that supported McKinley , and is for him
still , says this of the Porto Rico tariff
bill and its authorship :
"The Porto Rico tariff bill , whose
authorship appears to be a mystery , was
written by Henry T. Oxuard of Grand
Island , Neb. , who represents the sugar
trust in Washington , disguised as a beet
sugar farmer. Mr. Oxnard is short in
stature , but mighty of purpose , and one
of the smoothest lobbyists over known
at the national capital. He owns a
beet-sugar factory at Grand Island ,
which he built with money contributed
by the farmers of that place , in order
that they might have a market for their
beets , and they have been fighting him
ever since for reasonable prices. When
ever Congress is in session Mr. Oxnard
stays in Washington , watching the in
terests of the sugar trust and he has
earned his wages many times over.
This is not the first time that Mr. Ox
nard has written important legislation.
He was the author of the Teller amend
ment to the Cuban resolutions , which
was intended permanently to prevent
the annexation of that island in order
that we might still continue to tax Cub
an sugar. He fought ratification of the
Paris treaty on the same basis , and suc
ceeded in blocking the admission of the
Hawaiian Islands for two years. He is
at the bottom of the opposition to the
reciprocity treaties also. Mr. Oxuard is
the great original anti-expansionist , and
uses members of all three parties as he
needs them. He keeps Senator Allen of
his own state , Butter of North Carolina ,
and Senator Pettigrew loaded with am
munition from the Populist standpoint ;
he keeps Caffery and McEnery , of
Louisiana , alive to the interests of the
cane-sugar growers , and plays on the
high protective nerves of the Republi
cans through the Protective Tariff
league of New York , and personally
represents the agricultural classes of the
country with tears in his eyes and a
tremulo in his voice as ho appeals to the
representatives of the rural districts to
defend the down-trodden farmer. It
was Mr. Oxnard who discovered that
the $5,000,000 invested in sugar-beet
factories would be wasted , and that the
tobacco interests of Connecticut and
Pennsylvania would be ruined if we had
free trade with Porto Rico , and
through Representative Russell and
Senators Platt and Hawley he hyp
notized the committee on ways and
means. "