The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-11-28

the city ana tncHunt tnat tney Wouiu COLI
tinue to dwell ia the same condition. But
other cities grew and prospered. They
built new houses and demolished their old
walls in searching for more room. Great
and costly houses went up as IL by magic
and the rulers built streets and improved
their cities SO that the people were not
ashamed to build fine houses.
Then the city In the Land of CLANS
rubbed its eyes and the people said; "We
must build us better streets and get us
parks and do many things. We cannot
always live here without any new people
coming to dwell among us, and what is
the good of all our wealth IL we hoard IL
and get only 2 per cent INTEREST," Let us
make our city modern like the big towns
in the far Western part of the land, and
let us not be afraid of putting out few
paltry pieces of gold, for see how the other
cities have grown even more wealthy with
their new improvements"
Then they said to their rulers Take
gold and build us streets, make sewers
and build waterways. Give us parks for
our children to play in and for our wives
to walk in."
Then the public servants did as was asked
and, 10, the city grew apace and f1ourished,
SO that the people thereof were amazed.
Land that had lain idle for ages was sold
and houses were built thereon and new
people began to talk of the city and came
to buy homes in It.
Then certain people Of the kind who like
not to see things go well unless they them
selves direct the going, began to talk
among themselves, and took counsel how
they might pursuade the good people to let
them manage the city and have the spend
ing of the money, for they said: "Lo,
all these new Improvements will teach the
people how great they are and they will
learn to despise us and turn away from us,
so that we may no longer fatten on the
confidence of the people,"
So they hired to themselves certain oily
tongued liars and certain shrewd lawyers
beside and sat down and invented marvel
Gus tales of fraud and corruption in the
public affairs to draw the people away
from their rulers, for they said: "When
once they harken unto us we will handle
their gold and, instead of using it to i'm
prove the city and TO cause it to grow, we
will build us houses of our own and put
money into our cellars for future refer
ence."
So they shouted on the street corners
and many people heard and some believed,
for there are always many who think loud
takers are wise and know what they are
saying. There were those who followed
these brawlers and those who followed not,
and certain false prophets arose and
shouted Reform !"
The end Of the allegory is not written.
The pen is poised in the hand. Shall it be
set down that the people deposed their
wise public servants and took the loud
shouters into the temples' Then must it
also be written that the money which
should have made the city strong and
prosperous in the land went to make the
loud shouters fat and able to oppress the
people so that they wept in the streets,
and the strangers came no more to the
city because the saying had gone abroad
that few fattened upon the substance of
the many, until they said in their sorrow,
40, we were well off aud we knew it not"
Or shall it rather be set down that the
people were clear-eyed to see that the
brawlers brawled without reason, and
that their city was growing beautiful and
strongs Shall it be set down that they
arose and spoke to the loose-tongued,
"Cease ye, say true words or be still. We
are not fools that we should not know
when we are served we'll"
What words shall the writer write'
Choose ye. The story must be told to its
end.