Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-23

cent wears anywhere here or abroad, which
contains SO much that we OF America ought
to take to our hearts as Is contained in
The Simple Life / like the book because
1t does not merely preach to the rich, and
does not merely preach to the poor. 1t is
a very easy thing to address a section of
the community in reprobation Of the forms
of vice to which it is not prone.
What we need to nave impressed upon
us is that it is not usually the root prin-
ciple of the vice that varies with variations
In social conditions but that 1t is the mani
festation of the vice that varies, and Mr..
Wagner. has we'll brought out the great
fundamental truth that the brutaEarrogance
of rich man who looks down upon poor
man because he is poor, and the brutal
envy and hatred felt by a poor man toward
a rich man merely because he is rich, are
at bottom twin manifestations of the same
vice. They are simply different sides of the
same shield. The arrogance that looks
down in the one case, the envy that hates
in the other, are really exhibitions of the
same mean base and unfovelY spirit which
happens in one case to be in different sur
roundings from what 1T Is in the other case.
The kind of man who would be arrogant in
one case is precisely the kind of man
who would be envious and filed with hatred
in the other.
Just, Generous and Broadminded.
1.-THE ideal should be the Just, the gener-
Gus, the broad-minded man who is as incap-
able of arrogance If rich as he is of malig
nant envy and hatred If poor
No republic can permanently exist when
ii becomes a republic of classes, where the
man feels not the interest of the whole, but
the interest of the particular class to which
he belongs, fancies that he belongs, as
being of prime Importance In antiquity
republics failed as they did because they
intended to become either a republic of the
few who exploited the many, or a republic
of the many who plundered the few and in
either case the end of the republic was
inevitab BILE, Just as much so IN one case as
in the other, and no more SO in one case
than in the other. We can keep this re-
public true to the principles of those who
founded it, and of those who lafterward pre-
served 1t, We can keep it a republic at all,
only by remembering that we must live
up to the theory of its founders, to the
theory of treating each man on his worth
as man; neither holding 1T for or against
him that he occupies any particular station
in life, so long as he does bis duty fairly
and we'll by his fellows and. by the nation
as a whole.
Doors of the Word.
so much for the general philosophy
taught admirably in Mr.. Wagners book
l might say books; but l am thinking espe
cially of The Simple Life because that has
been the book that has appealed to me par
ticularly. Now, word with special refer
ence to his address to this audience, to the
Young Mems Christian Associa ton: The
profound regard which l have always felt
for those responsible for the work of the
Young Mems Christian Associa ton and the
Young WOmens Christian Associations is
largely because they have practically real
lied or at least have striven practically to
realize, the ideal of adherence to the text
which reads: BE ye Cioers of the Word and
not hearers only
If you came here today only with the
IDEA OF passing a pleasant afternoon, and
then go home and do not actually practice
somewhat of what Mr.. Wagner breaches
and practices, then small will be the use of
your coming. 1t is not of the slightest use
to hear the Word If you do not try to put
it into effect afterward. The Young Mems
Christian Associations have. ACCOMPLISHED
so much because those who have mana ped
them have tried practically to do their part
IN bringing about what is expressed in the
phrase the fatherhood of God and the
brotherhood of men, We can act individ-
uaLy or we can act by associations. l in
tend this afternoon to illustrate by couple
of examples what l mean bySa man acting
individually. and what I mean by a man
acting in associations with his fellows. +
hesitated whether ! would use, as I shall
use, the names of the peopIei whom T meant
put came to, the conclusion that I would
because the worth of an example consists
very largely In the knowledge that the ex-
ample is a real one,
Work of Civic Club.
l have been immensely interested for
number of years In the working of the
CIVIC Club IN New York, which has been
started and superintendent by Mr. Norton
Goddard 1t is club on the East Side of
New York city, the range of whose MEM
pershlp includes big district of the civ
extending from about Lexington avenue To
s .ne has. river. Mr. Goddard REALIZED that
such work can be done to best advantaee
only upon condition of their being genuine
ana nearly sympathy among those doing n
Inc Here are great many people SO made in
t tas m nto u thlnk most of us come under
the category that they would resent being
patIonlZed about as much as being wronged
Urea. good can never be done if II is At
lempted IN patronizing spirit Mr.. Cod
afoia rearized mat the work could be done
e,nciehtly only on condition of getting into
ciose ana nearly touch with the neonIe
through whom and with whom he has to
work; In consequence this Civic Club was
founded, and 1t has gradually extended tic
operations. until now the entire cJuh manoS
persnp OF three or four thousand men
prdctlcally form committee of better-
nent IN social and civic lifes-a committee
spread throughout that district each MEM
Der keeping sharp lookout over the for
tunes of all his immediate nefghbors, of all
of those of his neighborhood who do not
come within the ken of some other member
OF the cioD Therefore any case of great
restitution, of great suffering. in the dis
trict almost inevitably comes to the atten-
tioh OF some member of the club. who then
reports it at headquarters, so that steps
can be taken to alleviate the misery; and I
nave reason to believe that there has been
IN consequence very sensible general up
ift1ng, a general increase of happiness,
throughout the district
III we had sufficient number of clubs
or this kind throughout our great cities,
while we would not by any means have
solved all of the terriblet problems that
press upon us for solution In connection
with municipal misgovernment and with
the overcrowding, misery, vice, disease and
poverty of great cities, yet we would have
taken long stride forward in the right
direction toward their solution. So much
for the example that l use to illustrate
what mean by work in combination.
Duty of Individual Citizens.
"As an example of what can be done, and
should be done, by the Individual citizen, 1
shall mention something that recently oc-
Cured In this city of Washington. a thing
that doubtless many of you know about,
| but which was unknown to me until recent