Our Poorer Brother 243 



the corruption caused by rich men because a certain 

 judge was suspected of giving information in ad- 

 vance as to a decision in a case involving the in- 

 terests of a great corporation. Now this judge had 

 been elected some years previously, mainly because 

 he was supposed to be a representative of the "poor 

 man"; and the socialistic reformer himself, a year 

 ago, was opposing the election of Mr. Beaman as 

 judge because he was one of the firm of Evarts & 

 Choate, who were friends of various millionaires 

 and were counsel for various corporations. But 

 if Mr. Beaman had been elected judge no human 

 being, rich or poor, would have dared so much as 

 hint at his doing anything improper. 



Something can be done by good laws; more can 

 be done by honest administration of the laws; but 

 most of all can be done by frowning resolutely upon 

 the preachers of vague discontent ; and by upholding 

 the true doctrine of self-reliance, self-help, and self- 

 mastery. This doctrine sets forth many things. 

 Among them is the fact that though a man can oc- 

 casionally be helped when he stumbles, yet that it 

 is useless to try to carry him when he will not or 

 can not walk ; and worse than useless to try to bring 

 down the work and reward of the thrifty and in- 

 telligent to the level of the capacity of the weak, 

 the shiftless, and the idle. It further shows that 

 the maudlin philanthropist and the maudlin senti- 

 mentalist are almost as noxious as the demagogue, 

 and that it is even more necessary to temper mercy 

 with justice than justice with mercy. 



