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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the widest possible scope for spontane- 

 ous social activities. We are well aware 

 that, even in this enlightened commu- 

 nity, not every citizen takes this view 

 of tlio matter ; that the old idea of gov- 

 ernment as a kind of earthly Providence 

 to whom prayers may be addressed on 

 all possible subjects, and whose powers 

 of interference with the natural course 

 of things are, and should be, unlimited, 

 more or less prevails. We trust, how- 

 ever, that this antiquated notion is on 

 the wane, and that within the next few 

 years our people will take a decided 

 step in advance in freeing themselves 

 from the thrall of unnecessary state in- 

 terference with individual action. We 

 shall never know what, as a people, we 

 are capable of till we take our industrial 

 and commercial activities into our own 

 hands, and instruct our legislators that 

 we shall not in future consider it one of 

 their tasks to make this country wealthy 

 and prosperous. 



MORAL ENDEAVOR. 



Theke has recently sprung into ex- 

 istence a society of vast extent, the pro- 

 fessed purpose of which is to promote 

 the doing of good deeds by its mem- 

 bers. We refer to the Society of Chris- 

 tian Endeavor, a monster convention 

 of which was held in this city two 

 month ago. So far as its main object 

 goes, it is impossible to find any fault, 

 even were one so disposed, with the 

 Society of Christian Endeavor. One is 

 only tempted to ask a little mournfully 

 why it should be thought necessary to 

 join a society in order to feel prompt- 

 ed to good deeds. We all belong to a 

 society far vaster than that of Christian 

 Endeavor we are all members of the 

 great human society. Through our 

 membership therein we reap a constant 

 succession of benefits of the most im- 

 portant character ; and the question we 

 should put to ourselves, if we have not 

 already put it, is whether our personal 

 attitude toward that great society is 



what it ought to be. It can not be 

 what it ought to be unless we vividly 

 realize the benefits our membership en- 

 tails. To the human society we are in- 

 debted for peace and security, the pro- 

 tection of life and property, scope for 

 the development of family and personal 

 affections, access to the means of intel- 

 lectual and moral growth, opportunities 

 for aesthetic enjoyment in a word, all 

 that enters into the great name civiliza- 

 tion. Without this society into which 

 we are all born members we should re- 

 cede into a barbarism more primitive 

 than that of our flint-fashioning ances- 

 tors, for even they lived in societies. 

 Language would leave us, and, with 

 language, all higher rationality. 



This great human society, like other 

 organizations, works under conditions, 

 and, vast as are the benefits it now con- 

 fers upon us, they are not what they 

 would be if each member consciously 

 endeavored to advance the ends for 

 which the society exists. It is worth 

 while to pause a moment and think 

 what life would be if every member of 

 the human society were a working 

 member in the best sense ; if, by a faith- 

 ful performance of duty and a kindly 

 bearing toward our fellow-men, we were 

 all trying to briDg our society to per- 

 fection. Does any one say that the 

 human society is too big for one to feel 

 any affection or loyalty toward it? If 

 so, it is not wisely said. The Society of 

 Christian Endeavor is getting to be 

 very big indeed running into the mill- 

 ions but is the interest in it lessening 

 on that account? We do not hear that 

 it is. In point of fact the human so- 

 ciety is not too big for many to feel a 

 deep interest in it already; and we are 

 persuaded that, if only its claims were 

 properly presented, multitudes could be 

 brought to profess their allegiance to it. 

 Every day of life thousands, nay mill- 

 ions, of deeds are done consciously or 

 unconsciously in the name of human- 

 ity that is to say, with no other 

 feeling or motive than a desire to do 



