The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902, September 26, 1901, Page 2, Image 2
13be Conservative * on minds of peculiar structure , reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles. "It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popu lar government. The rule , indeed , ex tends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who that is a sincere friend to it can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric ? "Promote , then , as an object of pri mary importance , institxitious for the general diffusion of knowledge. In pro portion as the structure of a govern ment gives force to public opinion , it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened. " From all the foregoing comes the conclusion that the essential element of usefulness , which the scholar in politics should develop and exercise , is moral courage. In the presence of frenzied and clamorous ignorance demanding that government shall run railroads , telegraphs , farms , and warehouses , or confronted by combined and arrogant avarice , commanding that taxes shall be laid upon all to make incomes for a few , the patriotic scholar must , with unruffled equanimity , and unwavering courage , standfirmly defiant in defense of the limitations of powers , which our Constitution provides. JAiid though a majority of millions declaim for a debased circulating medium - dium , and declare the government capable of creating Value by a mere fiat , it is nevertheless the duty of the rightly educated citizen to firmly stand for the solid and established truth that governments con create time and mem ory and reason , suspend the law of grav itation , and abolish eternity by statute , just as successfully as they can , by mere edict , create a coinage which the commerce of modern civilization will accept at a mint valuation which is more than twice its commodity valuation , in the very country which emits it. Only educated and conscientious citi zens can conserve and perpetuate this Republic. The To Conserve scholars in Ameri- The Republic. can politics are the peaceful but potent guards to whom is confided the continu ance of constitutional government , and asserting their intellectual independence , with courage , they will prove the trust wisely imposed and triumphantly ac complished. He who wavers from his conviction of Right and Justice for the noisy ac claim of the Present , loses forever the gratitude and regard 'of the Future. The men who , in all ages , do most for the elevation and advancement of hu manity , pay least attention to the clamor , prejudice , and fallacies of the times in which they act. And ho does most and best who all the time bravely , studiously , and conscientiously , con tends for Justice and Right , because he incarnates in his person the duties and privileges of the enlightened citizenship of this Republic , and demonstrates them to bo the best and choicest results of our civilization. Strive then , educated men and wom en of America , to become honestly and efficiently "A part of that the Beautiful , the Sacred Whichin nllclimes.men that have hearts adore By the great title of their Mother Country. " One of the worst THE DECLINE OP features of the con- INDIVIDUALITY. ceutrated life of modern times is the loss of individuality and personal characteristics. We do not find in our national life , at the present day , the striking , strong in dividuality of early history. The hew ing , polishing processes of modern civil ization seem to grind away all of the sharp corners of individuality , and ev erything tends to assume a conventional form. People seem to be run in the same mold. A strong , striking character is a rare thing in these days. The individual is lost in the mass. Cities grind away and erase independence. Unfortunately , there is many a man who seems to be content to be one of the crowd , and not a leader of the crowd. With some notable exceptions , news papers lack individuality. Their opin ions are impersonal , and the editors are lost. Few people know who writes the editorials or the leading articles. The days of Dana and Greeley and Bowles seem to have gone forever. Nobody in particular is responsible for any opinion or policy. Everything is referred to the stockholders. Not only do the editors lose their individuality , but so also does everyone who is connected with each paper. Concentration in large centers is largely responsible for this. The dis semination of knowledge through news papers , and the multiplication of books , magazines , and libraries , has added very materially to this unfortunate loss. The strength of a nation lies in the stalwart individuality of its citizens. When this is lost , civilization becomes insipid and powerless. Orison Swett Harden , in October "Success. " Butter is a good OLEOMARGARINE , article with which to spread bread and grease the machinery of deglutition. But Adam and Eve frequently gathered around the domestic feeding board with out a speck of butter in sight. In their day of low-necked raiment for ladies and diaphanous pantaloons for gentle men , oleomargarine was. unknown and the Jersey cow had not become a lobby ist for a bill to protect creamery butter from all sorts of price-reducing compe tition. Things have changed since the pro- prietors of Eden had a monopoly of the dairy trade of the whole earth , and bestial Packing Houses have arisen like mammoth caruivora all over the land. These tremendous monsters have undertaken and accomplished the task of getting a butter Short Cut. by the short-cut route. They kill the bovines , snatch the fats from their cadavers and by mechanical processes , in a cleanly and wholesome manner , produce oleomargarine. It is as palata ble , as digestible , as healthful as butter made from milk distilled by the Jersey or any other siugle-uddered cow. But oleomargarine is a product of talent , tallow and capital combined in large bulk. The common cow confronts a trust. The common cow cannot compete with the combine of A Trust. capital , tallow and automatic machin ery in producing an edible fat with which to appetiziugly veneer the bread which goes into Ameri can mouths for daily mastication. Therefore the common cow , like a com mon communist or populist , appeals to congress for a "be-it-enacted"protection of her output of butter against the steer- tallow output of oleomargarine. Even the brute creation in the United States maintains a lobby at Washington to work for laws which shall tax out of ex istence the exchangeable products of one set of brutes so that those of another set of brutes may have a monopoly of the market. Thus butter fights oleo margarine. Thus the gentle and guile less cow is dragged into political discus sions and all the economic calves and vealy publicists in congress , with filial affection , stand up for the cow aforesaid and denounce and legislate against oleomargarine. "The common WISDOM. people form the in dustrious , intelli gent and patriotic element of our popu lation. They produce the nation's wealth in time of peace and fight the nation's battles in time of war. " The foregoing could have been uttered by only one peerless populist. An anx ious and curious reader desires to know under which head the peerless aforesaid ranks himself among the common people ple ? Does he get in under the division of the "industrious ? " Is he admitted as one of those who produce the nation's wealth in time of peace and fight its battles in time of war ? If so , does he include the mouth-worker as a wealth- producer for the nation , or the soldier for-photographic-purposes-only as the one who fights its battles in time of war ?