And State Papers 109 



one side of that question represents my duty, and 

 the other side yours. 



Mankind goes ahead but slowly, and it goes ahead 

 mainly through each of us trying to do the best that 

 is in him and to do it in the sanest way. We have 

 founded our Republic upon the theory that the aver 

 age man will as a rule do the right thing, that in the 

 long run the majority will decide for what is sane 

 and wholesome. If our fathers were mistaken in 

 that theory, if ever the times become such not oc 

 casionally but persistently that the mass of the 

 people do what is unwholesome, what is wrong, then 

 the Republic can not stand, I care not how good its 

 laws, I care not what marvelous mechanism its Con 

 stitution may embody. Back of the laws, back of the 

 administration, back of the system of government 

 lies the man, lies the average manhood of our peo 

 ple, and in the long run we are going to go up or go 

 down accordingly as the average standard of our 

 citizenship does or does not wax in growth and 

 grace. 



The first requisite of good citizenship is that the 

 man shall do the homely, every-day, humdrum duties 

 well. A man is not a good citizen, I do not care 

 how lofty his thoughts are about citizenship in the 

 abstract, if in the concrete his actions do not bear 

 them out ; and it does not make much difference how 

 high his aspirations for mankind at large may be, 

 if he does not behave well in his own family those 

 aspirations do not bear visible fruit. He must be 

 a good breadwinner, he must take care of his wife 



