New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-10
ABOUT REFORNERS AND THElR RE
FORMS

dROTT REFORUERS AND IHEh mr.
FORMS.
BY the very necessity of his being reiormer
mist he an egotist 1t is not enough for him
70 believe that he has a mission he must also
believe Supremacy that he is the one man on
earth who can fulfil that mission. consequent
" every successful refOrmer has lived apart Ill
n world by himself, into which his coad]utorS
and followers never ventured. Ana every re-
former who amounted to anything, IN religion
politics or society has advanced to the accom-
nlishment of his mission with ruthless nsre-
card of all opinions and traditions and con
vcntioual faiths that stood in his way NO
man with \ mission ever holds back because
his course will hurt some peoples feellhss "
make some good souls think i'll OF him. 10 w
Just that is really part OF MS mlSSloh ioi
causes ferment of thought and CLASH %
opinion out of which his propaganda ."N''
shane and grows. To the tlmld multitude looN
inc on. and concerned only with the s'lper'i'.''
ospoct Of things. the reformer must necessarily
annear to be not only fell destroyer, but INC
very incarnation of tymnnous egotlShl. ""'
.bo Anostlo was such Il man so was Luther
co vas Cromwell so was Ignatius Loyola ana
ca wore Garrison and Wendell Phillips Ana
because of this fact they were able to 40 "hat
they did for humanity. Your mealy nhoutneu
moralist who hestates to call things pS 'hoil
right names never does anything worth recoru-
inc. The doctrinairc rcformer, who pauSeS 10
estimate the strength of what he WOULD OPP
nose. who is always ready to make excuses Tor
tbo evils he would reform, who hesitates De-
cause of the rdcule or opposition OF those
whose good opinion the world counts valuable
will never be the leader of victorious cause.
Narrower il is inevitable that the reformer
will make mistakes, many of them, mistakes
which will not only chill the enthusiasm OF MS
friends. but which WILL perhaps, temporarily
retard the cause he represents. Inc multituuc
cannot understand this, and so Jump 10 the
conclusion that he is unworthy OF their sup
mort Led on by his burning enthusiasm ana
self forgetfulness he has made an error OF Judg-
mcnt. he has tramplcd on convention, he has
MT himself in false position, he has 1ailed
70 exhibit that cautious worldly wisdom which
always keeps the average man from doing any
tbino odd or unpopular lie is dangerous
man therefore. whom it would be unwise to
follow or support. How much safer and pleas
anicr 10 most of MS would be the leadership OF
some man who never says foolish thing
even though it follows that he " never does
wise one
What shall we say then? Must the reform
or he condemned because he is frail man?
Is the man with a mission to be tabooed' De-
cause mayhap he diSturbS our SNUG scli-com-
nlaconcv or does something which seems TO
MS unfortunate or unwiSe? Here is DR.. Park
hurst. for instance, Il brave and fearless preach
or Of righteousness, an undauntcd reformer OF
municipal and social evils in this town. Moved
bv the magnitude of the work to be done he
has adopted extraordinary methods to bring
about n reform He has ignored the dignity
that is supposed TO hedge about metropolitan
pulpit he has forgotten self, and, IN trying TO
do what should be done by the paid officers of
the law, he has risked the friendship and the
GOOD opinion If n multitude Of friends and adj
mircrs not only in this city, but in the whole
country. That his motives have been pure and
his aims noble no ono will question. But
maybe he has been somewhat QuiXotic IN his
methods: though rs harmless as the dove, per
hans he has not been wise as the serpent.
Certainly he has shocked many good people,
mo,f Of all those who fashion their lives ac-
cordinc 10 Emersons gloss of a famous Pauline
text. by taste We are sayodn Being human.
he has not been saved from mistakes any more
than have any other refolmors whom the world
pcr.ccutcd while alive and deifcd when dead.
But what of il? shall we, because of that
fact. if it be a fact refuse 10 give him our
sympathy and support in the splendid fight he
is making for pure homes and good citizen
shin? Shall we draw away from him, and
range ourselves on the side of the evil and the
vile who are dcnouncing him? No. a thou
sand times No, Even though the immediate
result of his present crusade should not be
great. he has by his courageous action done
much to make vice more difficult in the future
for he has turned the light on it, and in the
light of publicity it cannot live.
Men and brethren, do not let us stone the
rcformor because in his supreme Sef-abnega-
ton he seems to us TO take too much on him
self But while frankly recognizing the fact
that he may make mistakes, that he may fall
into errors of Judgment let us Loyalty aclinowl
edge his ineStimablc value in the community.
II would be a sorry world if the enthusiasm
and the noble impulse of the rcformcr were al
WAYS TO DO tied up in the grave clothes of
convention and propriety, and if no one dared
to lead forlon hope, because, forsooth, he
might make some mistake
r-i-. Ia Il ap1