The Portland daily press., 1894-01-27

the public school can give fostering
in him the notion that he is bet er
being OF more fortunate than this otL, r
boy; and it deprives the public schoo .
OF the personal interest of great classes
of our best educated and most influential
people, whose personal interest in the
public school is SO necessary for the
welfare of the state.
There is, | believe, no more useful
WORK being done in Boston today than
that which is being done in the Old
South Meeting House, where prizes are
being offered to the young people of the
Boston schools for the best essays on
subjects in American history, where
these young essayists are organized in
a historical society with its regular
meetings, and here on Wednesday after
Moons, through the long summer vaca-
tlon, hundreds of them are gathered to
listen to systematic courses of lectures
IN American history and furnished with
leaflets, giving them original documents
and directing them to the best books.
am glad that work like this Old South
work is being undertaken in Philadel-
phia and other cities.
We have in Boston a Society for the
Promotion of Good Citizenship which
also holds its meetings in the Old South
Meeting House. and devotes itself to the
work of educating the people in politics;
and it's lectures have been devoted more
than TO anything else during it's exis-
tence to this subject of municipal re-
form, and especially to instructing the
peolpe concerning the improved municipal
institutions of London, Paris, Berlin and
the other great European cities.
The public library in these days is be-
coming an educational institution such
as men did not dream of 80 years ago.
1t was true five years ago, if it is not
true today, that Massachusetts had one
half of the total number of free public
libraries in the United States. do not
mention this SO much by way of praise
of Massachusetts as by way of reproach
of the rest of the country. Let every
State see to it that she can say the same,
that there is no town within her borders
without public library. Let every
municipal league, every city club and
ever town club interest itself in this ex-
tension of the public library as an en-
let it see to it that these libraries are
well stocked with the books that give
historical and political enlightenment,
which make for public spirit and make
for good citizenship. See to it that your
Librarians are men of ideas aud of public
spirit, who will bring the libraries to
bear upon the people. Who can estimate
Foster of Providence, and Crun den of
st. Louis have done for the reforms
which we have at heart
r. Let these municipal leagues make bet
ter use. too, of the newspaper The
press today is as powerful as the pulpit.
Let every influence be brought to bear
TO make the newspaper true teacher
of the people, not pandering to their
weaknesses, but stimulating them to high
er life. Our Boston newspapers is this
latest time have given much space to
questions of municipal reform and
articles giving information non Euro
pean movements A proper pressure, a
proper interest on the part of the mem
bers of the municipal leagues here rep
resented would, l am sure, secure promi.
nent place for such matter in the
Newspapers in all the Cities.
Our maagzines in the last half dozen
years have done a great work for the
education of the people. They would,
am sure, do much more if the people
demanded it.
say nothing here about the work of
the church, because that is to be the
special theme of another speaker. his
only I;would say, That the church in all
these matters by the organizing of good
citizenship classes among its young peo-
pie, and by other means. can exert a dis
tinct educational influence of the high
est value; and few things are more
AOpClQl uudA Uil0 way Ill which line
great Society of Christian Endeavor,
which includes so many of the young
people of our churches,is recognizing it's
duty to train its mem bers for good citi-
zenship. We need more political spirit
in our churches; spirit like that which
was in the old Puritan ministers and
the Hebrew prophets Almost the whole
of Jewish prophecy is politics. We have
made their politics our religion. wish
that we could make our own that.
We are told sometimes that this habit
of appealing to municipal pride. this
strong stress on local matters, is some
thing that tends to make men narrow.
that tends to limit their interests, and
make them smaller men. This is false
and ridiculous. The man whose heart
goes out most warmly to his next door
neighbor is the man who will do the
most always to Tighten the darkness of
Africa and the isles of the sea. Strong
local patriotism does not hinder. Init
only stimulates and feeds the national and
cosmopolitan interests of every true man.
do not come hereto boast Of nv own
chusetts, but like TO think that BOSTON
and Massachusetts,, which surely have
ever had as strong local pride and
patriotism as any city or State in rhe
country, have also been the great centres
of the doctrine of national sovereignty
against all raise notlonS OF State rights.
and also, I believe, centres of the broad
If you would serve America and the
world today. fix your thoughts sharply
on your own city or your own town. on
that particular section of America wirh
which you have day by day the most to
do.
Be very sure that the best way for YOU
TO promote municipal reform in A merica
AND so 70 promote the general cause OF
eral essays on municipal reform,
| nor by national conventions on
municipal reform, but by see
| ing to it that that city wherein
you yourself do dwell is made pure and
good, that its laws are made conformahle
TO 70 me laws OF the kingdom OF God, and
Una! she men VINO are called to admins
1870 stf hIs hign oiilees are the men of the