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Show I THERE IS NO REAL CAUSE FOR ' THE BLUES, i There is less cause for popular dis- I content in the United States today than there has been for many years. I That is the statement of Henry' Clews, Wall street banker, In his review re-view of the business events of the I years, and he adds that a recognition of that fact would do much to restore j confidence, business activity and a more genuine goodwill. "No Intelligent observer taking mental stock of the closing year," sayB the financier, "can escape the conviction that we have positively entered a new era of great political, social and economic possibilities. I This remark does not apply to the United States alone, but to all Europe and to the Orient quite as much as to the Occident Civilization Is progressing pro-gressing at a tremendous pace, and the year 1913 will go down Into history his-tory as one of the most marked In social and political changes in several sev-eral generations. The striking feature feat-ure of this movement has been the rise of democracy, and an almost un.1-I un.1-I versal effort to bring government and people closer together. Education has been the mainspring of this movement, move-ment, Now ambitions and new wants have been awakened by this silent I but uplifting force; while art, science, Industry and capital are doing their I utmost to satisfy ever increasing demands. de-mands. New ideas have been spread I broadcast, a few of which are certainly cer-tainly llluslonary, dangerous and unworkable un-workable whilo human nature continues con-tinues what It is. This movement towards democracy, usually styled social so-cial unrest, like all social movements jp, exceedingly complex and has many reasons for Its existence. Chief of these is the desire for material betterment. bet-terment. In this respect there Is a steady advance; the average man never having had more to enjoy than today, and this in spite of the so-called increased cost of living, which not Infrequently has been duo to higher standards of living and lack of thrift What the outcome of this movement will be, it is of course impossible to lt- T Ik. I Man U to lllrnlir to prove beneficial and to lead to higher standards of conduct, and a wider distribution of material bone fits than heretofore. To those In the thick of the battle it is not always easy to see the progress already made. Nevertheless, within the past decade big forward strides have been taken. In 6pitc of popular denunciation, denunci-ation, business standards were never so high as today. Many abuses have been permanently eliminated Much legislation ha been enacted for benefit bene-fit of the masses. Benevolence and humanitarianism were never upon such a wide and intelligent scale as today. Social betterment and science ."ire doing much to Improve moral and hygienic conditions, and if the average aver-age man could only be induced to stop and take account of these various var-ious gains he would find much less occasion for prevailing pessimism, and a great many reasons for a moro rational optimism." |