The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-16

sional dog shows. to chrysanthemum ex-
hibits, to political conventions. for three
days in the year to the May Festival, and
for three or four days of every week TO the
sale of turnips, potatoes and cabbage inns
be turned into beautiful building and put
TO the very highest moral use. 1t could be
tranIsformed into vision OF beauty; mo isI a
10 which young and old could go Tor enter
tainment instruction and delight. In TINS
peoples temple, or in this regenerated hail,
there should be library where any citizen
might go to read; there should be visiting
room and a writing room, kept up at pubic
expense. In this building we should nave q
night school in different specialties, in snort
hand work in carpenter work, in practical
mechanics, in bookkeeping, ana In every ssS,
young men and young women Tor the TASKS
OF life. And all this should be done at puo-
lie expense. We should have in this build
ing restaurant, where any one could get
simple meal at nominal cost, and 10 wnicn
men. young and old, would go in preference
to going 10 saloons. L would nave mere,
also, every innocent diversion, every game
that young men like to play, entlrely oiS-
ISOLATED from vice. 1 would have billiards.
might be in general demand. And TO give
our temple yet greater dignity and efflcacy.
1 should like to see all our Iterary ciG Ie
pers for the benefit of the whole city, anu
not for the benefit of few, as they 90
now We have clubs mere Iy she Centnrv
clubs Conternnorarv clubs. and Fortnightly
clubs--cIubs innumerable, clubs glorious ana ,'
inglorious, clubs distinguished ana clups uli-
DISTINGUISHED. And why should not these
clubs let their light shine upon the worid!
Why should their wisdom, their phllosopns;
be distributed only among the rev! An9
why would ii not be more congruous WITH
their function as dispensers OF light 10 reau
and to discuss their papers on the lnlp s,i
tant social and economic questions OF tne
day i'm the hearing and to the edlncation o,
the general public? Why not give the wor ,id
the benefit OF %s fner BUT Rghf last and most i'm
portant in this temple of whicn L
Speak we should have popular 2SL1ra con,
S %eeS concerts gtys9 to Which the people might
go at a very slight cost, concerts where
they might listen to the music OF tne
to the nocturnes of Chopin. to the songs
of Mendelssohn, to the symphonies OF
Beethoven, to the overtures and operas Oh
Wagner and Weber and to the oraIor Jos
of Handel. For there is power TOT
righteousness in music and an inspiration
towards goodness in the great conposl-
tions of the immortal masters. Next 10
PRAYER I believe there is nothing In tnlS
world that so transports the soul as music.
Literature, science, poetry ana the elo
quence of the orator are powerful 10 move
the world but all of these are inslgnln-
cant powers as compared with the ulVlne
power of music. as compared win tne
majestic harmonieS OF the masters IN the
Ninth symphony, in the overture TO
''Tannhauser'' or in the hallelu1ah chorus.
But this higher order or music. tnls music
that means elevation and redemption, we
cannot have until we have an orchestra IN
Indianapolis. And this orchestra we MUST
have not simply because ii will make for
taste and cultivation, but because or It's
moral bearing. because il will be an In
strumentality for righteousness and most
effective agent in Stemming the spread ana
the conquest of vice.
NOT A CHIMERA.
And now do not say that this peoples
temple, with it's constructive moral tenden-
ces, with its libraries, it's sewing rooms,
it's literary clubs, it's entertainments, Its
orchestra and popular concerts is impossi-
BILE. 1t is nothing of the kind 1t is en-
tirely and perfectly possible-far more pos
sible than was the Ferris wheel or the
worlds fair five years ago. All we want
is the will to make Indianapolis the grand
est and noblest city in this land and then
all things shall be possible. Every in
f1uence that makes for the betterment of
our fellow-men, that makes against wrong
and vice and for the good and the beauti-
full shall be entirely and wholly possible.
Oh, do not talk about Representatives,. The
only iinpossibility should be the bad thing,
the wrong thing. the vile thing. The good
thing, the wholesome thing. the pure
thing, the grand thing should always be
possible, because it has the approval of the
King of kings. And do not say that cost,
that money, that dollars that cents get In
the way of this higher civic life. If you
spend $4,000 year on the police, II you
spend $4,000 on gaolS and courts, If you
spend 100000 year on pavements and side
walks, If you spend hundreds of thousands
Of dollars on physical and material things
without murmur dissent, surely you
should be willing to spend some few thou
sands of dollars on the intellectual and the
moral man. If you are willing to spend
$4,000 for asphalt you should be willing to
spend at least $4,000 a year for music. If
you are willing to spend $4,000 a year to
punish and impriSon the criminal surely
you might spend ten thousand q year to
anticipate the crime.
Oh, let Indianapolis rise above the sordid
material spirit of the age. Let it rise into
great, heroic life. 1t should be ambitious
TO be the greatest city and the noblest city
in all the Union. 1t should be in the fore
front of every great economical and moral
movement 1t should be abreast of all
the social and political reforms of the day.
1t should be the first city in this land to
grant to woman full political freedom and
only in the School Board, but in the
Board of Public Safety, in the Board of
Public Works and In the Board of Public
Health.
1t should deal with the problems Of vice
and evil. of intemperance and incontinence
and all moral disease in a large inteIIi-
gent and progressive way. 1t should stand
the foremost city of Gods earth in all
high ambitions and in all noble works and
it can IL it will only get out of the old
ruts and prejudiceS of the ages and do
some thinking and some planning and
some doing on its own account.