Duty of Manhood

The Jaina Gazette reprints an abstract from President Roosevelt’s address at Wilkes‑Barre outlining the ‘Duty of Manhood’. Roosevelt contends that the best way to help someone is to enable him to help himself; charity is needed only in exceptional cases. Governments can enact wise laws and citizens can cooperate through honest organisations, but success ultimately depends on personal qualities such as knowledge, foresight, thrift, courage and, above all, self‑respect. He emphasises temperance, arguing that sobriety protects not only a man’s livelihood but also his family. A man must govern himself before he can help govern others: he should uphold his own rights while respecting the rights of others, obey the law and live by higher principles. These duties apply equally to capitalists and wage workers. In labour disputes both sides should consult and treat one another fairly. Roosevelt includes an extract from a Catholic priest praising temperance unions for their role in preventing disorder and urging that increased wages and leisure be balanced by social and moral improvement. While acknowledging that neither honesty nor temperance guarantees worldly success, Roosevelt insists that sobriety, industry and foresight greatly improve a man’s prospects. He advocates trade unions and temperance organisations that teach people to help themselves and stresses the dignity of labour. Above all, he urges individuals to cultivate self‑reliance and self‑control, as responsible citizenship is rooted in integrity, temperance and service to others.

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