1889.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 275 



cellaneous benevolent and social organizations, seem to me 

 essential parts of the machinery of progress. Life is uplifted 

 and enlarged by their agency. Never in the world's history 

 have they been so numerous, so active and so powerful as 

 now. Every sign of the times points to their continuance 

 and increase ; and those who would do their part of the 

 world's work need to use the most effective machinery in 

 existence. 



I wish now to notice another very general characteristic 

 of these associations. They all do, with more or less 

 efficiency, the work for which they are designed, but they 

 do not stop with that. They do other work ; and this un- 

 planned and unforeseen outcome of their action is sometimes 

 of greater importance than any other. In general, it may be 

 said that men form associations to expend their force outside 

 themselves, upon some resisting body or against some oppos- 

 ing force. But the disciplining force of association com- 

 mences instantly to work upon its own members, and this 

 work is never for one moment intermitted. Without inten- 

 tion, almost without consciousness, men in association with 

 each other are being wrought upon by a transforming force, 

 which produces such change that we can hardly imagine what 

 sort of creature an isolated human being wou.d be. Of one 

 thing we may be sure, — he would be immeasurably inferior 

 to the associated man. This indirect, unplanned, almost 

 unnoticed, work of association, is not only great, but good 

 as well. The ideal man is never the one who stands alone, 

 but always he who stands in the ranks of the great army of 

 humanity, battling there for dominion over the forces of 

 nature, and for conquest over the powers of evil. It would 

 hardly be in common humanity to subject itself to this dis- 

 ciplining force, but for the need to use the power of associa- 

 tion in external relations. Here, as in many other matters, 

 those who work for good ends accomplish other and better 

 things than those which came into their plan. Those who 

 build well, build always better than they know. 



In the campaign of life there are truces and treaties, but 

 never such a lasting peace as will permit us to lay our armor 

 down and disband our forces. We would gladly do so, if 

 we might. We hate to be always on guard ; we thoroughly 



