The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-07-15


9: !: I: J.
Es>Se2i w. impassioned apos-
IN KS trophe to the city of
NRN NJ NM Tyre. It was beau
MN%NA KY tiful city-a majes-
AIYYi se33llA EEJdA4sAsAAj tic city. At the
>WNA EEr - east end of the
~ II Mediterranean it
X7Skzsz4aes-9 sat with one hand
NIN|NMD reckoning the in
f''N land trade, and
with the other the
commerce of foreign nations. 1t
swung monstrous boom across its
harbur to shut out foreign enemies,
and then swung back that boom to let
in its friends. The air of the desert
was fragrant with the spices brought
by caravans to her fairs, and all seas
were cleft into foam by the keel of her
laden merchantmen. Her markets were
rlch with horses and mules and camels
from Togarmah; with upholstery, and
ebony, and ivory from Dedan; with
emeralds, and agate, and coral from
syria! with wine from Helbon; with
Hnest needleWOrk from Ashur and
Cnllmad. Talk about the splendid
state rooms of your Cunard and Inman
and White Star lines of international
steamers-why, the benches of the state
rooms in those Tyrian ships were all
Ivory, and instead of our coarse canvas
on the masts of the shipping, they had
the hnest linen, quilted together and
lnWrought with embroideries almost
miraculous for beauty. Its columns
oVershadowed all nations. Distant en-
pres felt its heartbeat. Majestic city,
situate at the entry of the sea-
But where now is the CLEAN of her
towers, the roar of her chariots, the
masts of her shipping? Let the fisher
men who dry their nets on the place
where she once stood; let the sea that
PUSHES upon the barrenness where she
once challenged the admiration of all
nations; let the barbarians who built
their huts on the place where her pal
aces glittered, answer the question.
Booted out forever! She forgot God
and God forgot her. And while our
modern cities admire her glory, let
them take warning of her awful DOOM
Cain was the founder of the first city,
and l suppose it took after him in NOR
ais. 1t is long while before city
can ever get over the character of those
who founded it. Were they criminal
eXlles, the filth, and the prisons, and
the debauchery are the shadows of
such founders. New York will not for
two or three hundred years escape from
the good influences of it's founders-the
plous settlers whose prayers went up
from the very streets where now banks
discount and brokers shave, and COM
panies declare dividends, and smugglers
swear custom house lies; and above the
roar of the drays and the crack Of the
| auctioneers' mallets is heard the ascrip-
ton, 1--WE worship thee, o thou al
| mighty dollar!" The church that
once stood on Wall st. still throws it's
! blessing over all the scene of traffic,
and upon the sips that fold their white
wings in the harbor. Originally men
gathered in cities from necessity. 1t
was to escape the incendiarys torch
or the assassin's dagger. Only the
very poor lived in the country, those
who had nothing that could be stolen,
| or yagabonds who wanted to be near
their place of business; but since civil
cation and religion have made it safe
for men to live almost anywhere, men
| cOngregate in cities because of the
| opportunity for rapid gain. Cities are
not necessarily evils, as has sometimes
| been argued. They have been the
birthplace of civilization. In them pop
ular liberty has lifted up it's voice. Wit
ness Genoa, and Pisa, and Venice The
entrance of the representatives of the
! cities in the legislatures of Europe was
| the death blow to feudal kingdoms.
Cities are the patronizers of art and lit
erature architecture pointing to it's
British museum in London, it's Royal
| library in Paris, it's Vatican in Rome.
| Cities hold the worlds scepter. Afri-
| ca was Carthage, Greece was Athens.
England is London, France is Paris.
Italy is Rome, and the cities in which
God has cast our lot will yet decide the
| destiny of the American people.
At this season of the year I have
| thought 1t might be useful to talk a lit
| tie while about the moral responsibility
| resting upon the office bearers of all our
| citles-a theme as appropriate to those
| who are governed as the governors.
| The moral character of those who rule
| city has much to do with the charac-
| ter of the city itself. Men, women and
children are all interested in national
! politics. When the great presidential
| election comes, every patriot wants to
| be found at ballot box. We are all in
terested in the discussion of national
| finance, national debt, and we read the
| laws of congress, and we are wonder
| ing who will sit next in the presiden-
tial chair. Now, that may be all very
WELLS very well; but it is high time
| that we took some of the attention
which we have been devoting to ma
tional affairs and brought it to the stu
! dy of municipal government. This it
| seems to me now is the chief point to be
taken. Make the cities right, and the
] nation will be right. I have noticed
that according to their opportunities
| there has really been more corruption
in municipal governments in this coun-
try q ~ fhH c%o 10 q