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Show a FOR A NOBLER MANHOOD. (Uy John 1'. Meakln.) Editor Truth: I havo appreciated tho many kindly expressions as to my letter in last week's issue of Truth. Nothing is so cheering as words or encouragement and a lrlendly hand clasp. They go a long way toward making llto worth while. Of course It Is an impossibility to please everybody, every-body, especially those who are very wise,(?) those who are annoyed should n, man walk in any other foot-stops foot-stops but thoso they would dictate. 1 onco heard It said that an Idiot is tho only sure passenger on life's ocean, who holds a non-forfeltable tick et to heaven; and again, he "Who tails to sow tor tear that ho Shall not bo hero to reap Must He In black obscurity Through all his llnal sleep." If not for tho few tho world would remain as dead as a piece of lifeless machinery. Tho man who has no aim In life, no higher purpose than to live tho animal an-imal lite, cat, drink, sleep and appease ap-pease tho passions generally becomes an unthinking thing to stand and snarl nt the onward march ot his fellows. fel-lows. There Is a place and work foi every man. Ho should do it well not expecting rewards In nnother world. I.llo itseir and tho living or It brings Its own rewards. To be generous and give your best efforts, Is sipping the very cream or creation. There is no caerlllco; It is joy. This Is a nobler manhood. It isn't a very long journey from tho cradle and tho crooning song to tho coffin and Its requem. In a few years wo will all bo gone and wo may rest assured, In tho luturc, as In the past, everybody will bo lorgotten. If 1 can bring one human being to seo tho nobler view or lire, ljtt him trom the plain or a snarling growler into the sunlight or tratcrnal love, where no will sing tho words: "Lead kindly light., lead thou me on." Then, though without recognition, I shall die content. Tho civilization or today is in Its boyhood. Ignorance, selfishness and brutal mastciy aro the controlling torccs or tho minds or men. Robert G. ingorsoll onco wroto mo saying, "There Is no grander work than to keep nllvo the memories or tho good und true." 1 agreo with him, but 1 would say there is no grander work In all tho world than to derend or rescue res-cue the good name or an Individual or or a people trom the attacks or a howl, ing, unthinking populace. Such Is my work whorover an occasion presents Itseir, for tho "Mormons" or Utah. 1 havo lmttled since 1 became a man lor the ,)Ows and lor tho Irish against prcjudlco. Tho next to defend may be a race of peoplo or It may be a body of religionists. 1 do not know, but this 1 do know that until there is a higher civilization, a nobler manhood, a race of thinkers Instead ot howlers, there Is plenty ot work to do in aiming to keep races ot people and religious bodies trom abusing and destroying each other. Mr. C. U. Goodwin in Goodwin's Weekly or lssuo or July 7th, In an article ar-ticle "Not An Exclusive Court," aims to piove that the Smoot caso would have been decided long ago it not tor partisan reasons. He cites a number or Instances, especially the Tllden and Hayes election, whero Honor and Justice Jus-tice wero sacrlrtced on tho altar ot partisanship. Men atrald ot their jobs! Think or it, men! Tehy sell out everything that makes us worthy ot the name or man. 1 do not doubt Mr. Goodwin's conclusions, but such sotries, It true, should bring a blush ot shame to both robber and robbed, tor such is a dishonor to the Hag. U our senators wero men when thoy entered tho senate, they should nt least cease to be senators rather than cease to be men. A warrior's grave or a political po-litical ono Is no disgrace to a man who lought and like a soldier tell, or tho politician who battled honestly In tho arena. No man Is bad because a dog barks at him. The courageous men ot all ages have been barked at. There Is barely an Ideal tor human emulation that was not barked at, pulled to pieces on tho rack, burned at tho stake, shot to death, or cruclllcd on the cross. 1 would urge young men to be caretul or a clamorous crowd. A crowd is seldom right and ortcn they commit crimes and do wrongs that take centuries cen-turies to correct. When reason is de-throned de-throned and passion holds sway untold suffering follows in Its wake. The Hon. Reed Smoot and family have been tho target lor a clamorous crowd for several years and tho barking bark-ing Is still on. "iet, Reed Smoot nas injured no one, broken no law, he is a splendid man an honest American citizen. cit-izen. There is no more sense or reason or argument In lighting the Mormon church than there would bo in lighting light-ing any other denomination. It's a religious war with a little dirty poll-tics poll-tics thrown In. Politicians, such as Mr. Goodwin describes, havo Jumped Into the wagon and tor their own selfish sel-fish gains aro turning their eyes heavenward heav-enward like dying gosllns, and aro shouting loud and long. Many or tho shouters havo put on the robes of Christ and so the multitude or unthinking un-thinking peoplo join In tho cry and echo It from shoro to shore, cruelty! crucify! It is easy to call names. Tho gontlo quakers wero called ugly names; they wero branded upon their roreheads; holes wero burned through their tongues; they wero tortured by every devilish instalment thai could bo devised de-vised by the cunning, devilish, human mind. Yet John G. Whlttler, the Quaker poet, whoso soul burst Into song and tho sweet Influence or his gentle folk, still live and cast a divine di-vine rndlance over poor, suffering humanity. hu-manity. Tho founding or every church or a religious body, or of any organization, lias to meet with opposition by tho al-Tfiily al-Tfiily established Institutions. Every iganlzatlon claims a copyright. So each ono gets up and dances a war dance In opposition to tho now which is generally an Improvement on the old. Then again, tho scoffer can always find some ground for derision which generally leads to abuse and vllllllca-tlon. vllllllca-tlon. Havo you lorgotten how tho Christian Chris-tian Scientists were scoffed at a few years ago? You don't hoar much or it now. Thoy aro getting popular and powerful. Too big for the mob, and I am glad or It. Tho simple lalth and evening prayer of .a child Is food for tho scoffer. The devotion and prayers ot a mother. Tho sacredness of home, tho ceremonies or a luneral. Poets and poems and all beautiful things may be food tor ridicule ridi-cule lor men and women whose minds never enter the realmsot Imagination or of the spiritual. Idle gossip Is tho main cause or all w the troublo In the world. "Mothei Grundy" has made Uncle Sam spend seventy-live thousand In an attempt to expoll Mr. Smoot trom the Benate, or to find out what kind ot underclothes under-clothes the Utah people weal1 union suits or what? Promises and ceremonies cere-monies aro but leaves; deeds are trui'ts. it is the manhood within the man that , fe counts, not tho trapping, not the l symbols, not the medals on his breast. w We quarrel on symbols and signs, not on pure religion. There Is but one re- $ llgion, which Is centered in the words, ":Lovo and Hope." "Master, which is the great com- - mandment in the law? Jesus said, un to him, Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heait, and with all thy sould, and with all thy mind: This Is the llrst and great commandment. And tho second is liko unto it; Thou shalt lovo thy neighbor as thyseir. On these two commandncnts hang all the law and the prophets." It the Mormons are so bad take Tennyson's Ten-nyson's advice: "It is better to light tor the good than to rati at the ill. "Soiling another will never mako ono clean." Progression is salvation. Non-progression is damnation. We must go onward. "The heights supreme I may not gain But If I do not leave the plain, The hills my view shall bound. ' Better that 1 should fall half way, Than ever be content to stay Upon tho level ground." Stop abusing the Mormons. They have been lied about long enough. Do something worth while. You'll feel better and be better; give health Instead In-stead of pain; sunshine In place of clouds. The people everywhere need help. Churches are empty. People havo lost confidence in nearly everything and everybody. They are drifting, drifting drift-ing out into seas of doubt. Dissipation is fastening its fangs on our rising gen orations. "We havo thousands or preachers, preach-ers, but few teachers. Tho world Is waiting ready for a great soul to call them up to a higher life, out of darkness Into light. People and children must bo taught honesty, thoughtlulness, equal rights, reverence for old age, .obedience to law, and to cultivate an honest, clean Individuality, backed by both heart and brains. Wo need more Robert Colliers, moro Edward . Everet Hales, more Elmer Goshens, more Peter Slmp-klns, Slmp-klns, moro earnest souls, who will work lor tho weal of man, which will then mean tho glory oi God. Never In human history has there been such a- demand tor pure, earnest honest reasoning men, as now; men who aro unselllsh and fearless; who are ready to lay away ambition and fortune lor the welfare and Intellectual ,, growth and happiness or mankind. ' As for myself , "Let me live In a house by tho side i or tho road, y Whero the race of men go by The men who aro good and tho men who are bad, As good and as bad as 1. 1 would not sit in the scorner's seat Or hurl tho cynic's bans Let mo live in a house by tho side . or tho road. ' And be a Mend to man." JOHN P. MEAKIN. |