The Portland daily press., 1895-12-10
DIR. CHARLES H. PARKHURsT.

Baxter, and just before the evenings
address, mot the clergymen and other
prominent citizens in the Mayor Office
DR.. Parkhurst was applauded when he
appeared upon the platform with DR..
Fenn and Mayor Baxter. Also on the
platform were over 30 clergymen, includ-
ing nearly all the clergy of Portland and
some from our neighboring communities
DR.. Fem began the proceedings by
making brief and as usual, very happy
Introductory remark s. He said first that
DR.. Parkhurst is not in the lecture bust.
ness. He is doing great work like
Nehemiah and can't come down for ordi-
nary occasions. He said that it was due
to the ladies of the High street church
that Ilr. Parkhurst was there. He spoke
at some length of the municipal prob
lens Of this country in general, and of
New York in particular. 70 cope with
the corruption of New York, and success
fully, is to give an example to all the
rest When this can be done. as it has
been by an untiring neyer-giving over
spirit as in the case Of DR.. Parkhlrst,
we need not despair of the Republic.
He compared Tammany to Goliath,
and DR.. Parkhurst to David with his
sling. His remarks were loudly applaud
ed. He asked the audience to rise in
honor Of the speaker of the evening, and
that was done, and everybody applauded
while standing.
DR.. Parkhurst began by speaking in
general terms of the municipal problems
of our great cities and the corruption
that so universally exist in the govern
ing of them.
He spoke of the effort for reform and
said among other things that ''Spasm
Of virtue are quite as racking to the sys-
tenn as chronic iniquity.
He declared that "you cannot reform
city by changing the political complexion
of it's administration any more than you
can a man Of consumption by changing
his suit of clothes"
He had been brought up as Republi-
can, but he wanted to know some thing
more about man than that he was a
Republican before he would trust him
with his pocket book.
/ He spoke of the hypooritical citizen and
politician, and emphasized their iniquity.
He said: "Unmixed depravity I like.
why like Dick Croker and Paddy Diver
| in my city. There is no question as to
their unmitigated depravity. There's
| no Hyde-Jeckyll business about them.
You know where to find them, where
they are at. 1t is the man who is so
per cent depraved and 80 per cent an
angel of light that makes the situation
compl icated."
He spoke with much frankness in re-
gard to the work of the churches in mu-
nicial reform. He said "The fact is that
while church people would really like to
see the devil vanquished they have dis
inclination to dirty their fingers with
him. This situation the aforesaid devil
is exceedingly spry to take advantage
of"
There is q fear of secularizing the pull
pit and the Christian work that causes
to the sins of the people of Bible time.
They put their target so far away from
contemporaries that there is no danger
of a libel suit
DR.. Parkhurst reviewed briefly the
successive stages of his fight against
Tammany. After they had cursed and
sneered at him for making charges with
out proofs, he said, II would have en-
tered into He'll if need be to find the
facts to answer with. l did enter He'll
and found the facts. / had learned that
| it's no use to fire with blank cartridges
| at your enemy. l loaded my cartridges !"
In speaking of tha criticisms aroused
| by his work, he said: "If my clerical
| brethsen had spent asmuch time in trying
to save the city as they did in discussing
my methods of trying, we should be a
| whole year ahead of where we are now"
! The speakers expressions were quite