The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-22
The CITY AS A BATTLE-GROUND.
uI.NICIPAL reform THE ISSUE,
SAYS DIR. ABBOTT.

norance and Greed, euo tho Greatest
Of These Is Greed-ChIef Sinners Men
who Live In Drewnstsno Fronts.
-;,- P.v. DR.. Lyman Abbott lectured
an Municipal Reform" before the Political
study League at Is West Forty-fourth
street Yesterday morning. An but a few
Of the audience were women. In part
Of Abbott said
NV object Ia to attempt to show you that
municipal problems make up but ono phase
NJ ,he great problem Of human life. For
tho individual the battle OF life means q
contest from the cradle TO the grave. 1t
Ia a battle between the higher and lower
natures. think that every day Ii q resur-
rection day. All virtue grows out Of the
struegles in life. Virtue Is not innocence,
Il is victory. Temperance 70 not merely
abstinence from wine, beer and cigars.
II is. among other things. control Of the
tongue | am inclined to think that Carrie
Nation is the most Incorporate person In
the United States.
All want to make clear Is that life is
A battle for the nation and the municipality,
A. well "a for the individual. The city is
the decisive battle-ground In this campaign.
|, is its Gettysburg. In great city like
New York there gather the criminals and
the Ishmaeltes, TO rob and to hide. Here
gather the sensual forces. to gamble. to
eat. to drink and TO mako merry. Here
come men eager for wealth. tho persons
who measure all things by the dollar mark.
Here. also. great wealth IL amaseed and the
speculators, the so-cslled reputable gam
bl rs, come TO acquire wealth through the
icius Of the stock ticker.
+ don't quite know where the line is TO be
drawn between the reputable and disrepu-
table gambler, but. according to what APP
pears to be- . general understanding. there
is difference. Here, also, come men and
women fond Of display. who 60 TO the opera
and to church to look at one another. In hne
here come the wolves that run. the swine
that eat and the peaoocks that strut,,
,.lis a s"s fo Ts force. Of swsetness and
light and forces of great commercial en-
terprise. A great railroad is great oom-
mprcial enterprise and its mission 10 some
thing moro than to pay dividends 70 stock
up villages and towns on this prairies and
makes the wilderness to smile like . gar
den. | am not sure that an investment In
a railroad 10 not Of moro intrinsic yaius than
an investment in some OF our ,h oo ars 49,.
mention the newspapers Of to-day among
the civihzing forces. but such they arc.
We could get along without Congress for q
year . su, dGSSs tSs mSrn for
The question OF municipal reform Is
not political question. II cannot be
solved by either the Democratic party or
m Sns ppG reform has been wSTId.lcns
fight and the fight hero in New York has
been one against great odds. New York
has been, with the possible exception o.
Philadelphia, the worst governed city In
we hear much during municipal cam.
paigns from political spelbindes about
The advantage to be gained by turning one
political party out and putting another In.
! tell you, my friends. that nothing TO
be gained for the cause OF municipal re-
form by turning Republican rascals out
and putting Democratic Esscais In their
THE greatest enemies Of municipal
reform are indifference, ignorance and
greed Indifference Is worse than igno-
rance. and greed IL the worst Of all. The
chief sinners are the men. but not the ones
who live In the tenements. They are the
men who live in the brownstone fronts
and are regarded as the so-oalled better
read the parable Of the vine. the olive and
what we regard to-day a. the better ele-
ment in society. They represent the per
sons who prefer to stand aloof from stren-
nous things This reminds me to say
that I think all good citizens ought 70 be
thankful that a scholarly man was willing
10 forsake the quiet pleasures OF q great
university to take up the cares and bur.
dens OF a great municipality. Instead
Of blaming him for what he has not done
In SO short time. we ought to be crate
ful for the much good he has accomplished.
The chief cause Of a bad city govern.
ment il the indifference Of this so-oaiied
better class. The man who sells his vote
Tor job IL not half 80 bad ~ the man who
swears on his taxes and corrvpts Lsgi.la-
turns Now, what are you ladies' going
10 do about it' You are not going 70 vote,
and | hope you never will. because you
have greater and . better work TO DO
What politics cannot do for the reform
Of MUNICIPALITIES can he done by the mothers
81 Americas children In teaching In The
home purity. patriotism and honor. Such
teaching is both a religion and an duo
ton which deals with human hvee In Thu.
country. where the vine. the olive ana
the fg have said We do not care Tor