Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-07-01
The College Man and ths municipality.

Harry Bates Watson Of Oakland The
speaker was easy in his delivery and
rong h sInh;s his enaciation u sh H sgese
and the Municipilitys as follows /.
J. The problem ef the snerican city
the problem of modern Am can peli
are of minor Importance Pd6d4aI at
tention is focused on the 4nlfiicI llality
For the last decade mup4eipM vpAssov
ernmens has been so comin0W thAL1Abtxkt4
of official power so apparent, bfslery All
corrgptforr 50 open and fiagrap 4IxS.fhe
people are demanding reforms 49,
In many OF our large cities greht flHsses
for the purpose of purifying and i'm i'm
city has become the batsle gronMs on
which Is fought. the ffgft for honesty.
justice ard good method IN American
public life. Here. are focused great in
tellectual and material national interests.
Here we are 70 determine ,e whsthsr z
have the mastery IN American public af-
fairs CIR whether the enlightened con-
science apd instructed mind of liberty
loving i,ef1pae are to find their fullest ex-
pressioiS irt "a system of government
which, In practice as JIM. theory. Is Of the
people. by the people, and for the people.
In the thick Of this fight the graduates
1897 are stepping. 1t is our purpose to de-
tcrmine in a measure, the position which
they must oceupy.s
Ii they are amlIito to make thefl
lives count for all that they are worth
and we may assume that their college
training has developed this ambition.
they will prove neither laggards nor cow.
ards in the fight. True, your. average
college graduate has had but little asso-
citation with municipal affairs He Is not
a specialist on any of the questions which
are agltating the public mind-indeed the
nation at present affords but few SUCH
but he has the advantage. of ineXperi--
ente. hid has never known the apathy and
Indifference regarding municipal obliga-
tions which have rendered many of
our good citizens useless in the work of
promoting civic righteousness; but he has
no interests which might be injured ~ q
change of administration or by honest
Then again he has the advantage Of
broad intellectual training, of youth and'
enthusiasm. while the problems which
modern municipal life presents are such.
as to challenge the best efforts OF the,
brightest intellects, and, as Dr. Park
hurst has said "rrhey will not be solved
in a single campaign or at one election.
Their solution acquires life time OF
Thought and the man who enters the held
of municipal reform must prepare Tor q
lifelong service.
And The college man must first grapple
With the elements of the municipal prob
lem. F[e must familiarize himself with
the municipal system of the town or city
OF whish he becomes a resident; he must
investigate Its social intellectual. ana
moral needs: he must STUDY It's local
problems; for while. in general municlpai
lccal variations are innumerable.
The same remedy will not cure all
municipal evils. indeed it IL doubtful
whether it will cure the same evil in diff
ferent places. The reform measure which
works admirably in Watefviile may
prove d fiat and dismal failure in Lewis.
ton or Portland. The true reformer will
seek for the system which is calculated to
secure the best results for the community
as a WHOLE and then will endeavor to elect
good officials. For while 1t will be adj
mitted that there are but few municipal
governments in this country which will
not work well when administered by hon
est public-spirited, capable, and wel
trained men. it is equally true that the
best form of government Will work badly
when administered by bunglers and
knaves, the worse the longer they are in
office.
But there is a vast amount of work to
be done in the community before these
results can be secured. AT first, this
work II educational. The whole world
has come to see in a new and deeper way
the fundamental Importance OF cduca-
ton: has come to see that knowledge is
power. and thar power, which today Is
the people, must have knowledge or can
people must be given a clear idea and
clear ideal of what the modern city ought
TO be. Nothing less than this is going to
give nE radical cure for the evils of
municipal government.
In ancient and medieval times the city
represented all there was of government
all there was of political liberty. ITO be
a Roman was better than a King" for
Rome was the mistress OF the world
But no great city today dictates the des-
tiny of nations iaor of a nation. We have
gained, therefore. in handing over to
larger unit. the state government. part OF
the functions of the ancient city--to the
nation another part. an opportunity for
the city to devote itself to a new set of
problems.
The modern city has as its special func-
ton hat of looking after those conditions
which make life bearable in the daily life
of the community. II must become the
promo Ter and the protector of all that is
materially, intellectually, socially, and
morally cCnau live 10 the, itizens. welfare.
The city in the thought of our citizens
must at once become. not the long. duh
perspective of brick and stone. the chance
agEltlieration OF thousands of uninter-
eS.ing ard unrelated lives. but what ii
really is--the great theatre OF moral anT
intellectual ideas and of progress i'll
which its inhabitants labor together. not
In thirly disguised hostility and rivalry.
but knit together in the warm bonds OF
humaH brotherhood and. amidst all their
individual and separate callings, inspired
by great common ambition, a. single
noble purpose. the welfare of the race.
the 4lltyiation OF human suffering, the
bridging OF dangerous social Ears, the
enjoyment Of q common human inheri-
AffclNaelse Is incidental to the realiza-
tics MEiQur civic ideal, but two things are