The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-06
LONDON DISCUSSES
 OUR CIVIC DUTIES A Large Turn Verein Audience
 GreetS the Speaker
ADDRESS WELL RECEIVED
MT. London Pays High Compliment to Teutonic Stock and Appeals to Ger man-Americans to Help
 Right Political Wrongs.

Birningham's German-American socie- ty turned out in large numbers last night to attend the literary and musical enter tainment given by the Turn-Verein at it's hall on First avenue. Ernest Katz's or chestra rendered an overture. MT. Katz played a Beethoven allegro. MT. Michael son sang "The Penitent," Miss Van Merkestyn sang song by Schubert and song by Apt and the Maennerchor, Fred L. Grambs, director, sang the closing number
 The feature of the evening was an ad- dress by Alex T. London. The speakers S theme was "Civil Duties' and the au- dience, which filled the hail. listened with eager attention.
 MT. London's Speech.
 MT. London said in part:
 It is with some diffidence but with un- feigned pleasure that 1 look into your faces as man to man. l see before me the representatives of the great Teutonic race that have come across the sea in such large numbers to thls great coun- try of ours seeking freedom and fortune and l am pleased to say thas large ma- jority find both.
 No one can estimate, muca less calcu- late the vast benefits this country has received from the great influx of Germans who have made this country their home. In every walk of life the German has made his mark in this country for things that are good, and his name stands for justice, for law and order, and for good citizenship.
 In all the professions, in all the trades, in commerce and finance, and in peace and in war, the patient toiling, tireless German has held his own and led; above all, he has been an American devoted to the country of his adoption, enjoying its freedom and bearing it's burdens, and in the greater liberty he here enjoys, ex- banding to the full measure of his man. hood.
 American io the core the German has not lost either his just pride in or af- lection for the Vaterland and this Is one of his good points, for it shows the manly interest he takes in the history and prog ress of the land of his birth. and the sentiment makes him the better citizen of his adopted country.
 The German Stock.
 Matthew Arnold, himself great En- glish scholar and son of that great En- glishman, Thomas Arnold. nas truly said "Of the German stock, it is l think true, as my father said more than fifty years ago, that 1t has been stock of the most moral races of men that the world has yet seen, with the soundest laws, the least violent passions the fairest domestic and civil virtues" Praise indeed this is, but 1t carries with it the highest measure of responsibility and imposes on you the duty to see that this stock does not oe- teriorate.
 I could, within the limits of truth, ex- tend these pleasant speeches about the Germans indefinitely, and doubt not they would be as agreeable to you as 1t would be pleasant to me to say them, put this was not my purpose in coming l3re this evening.
 come to tell you of some of our faults and duties, your faults and ;ne-the sins of the men of Alabama of all stocks and in my poor way to offer you some sugges- tions, founded, as I think. on the sure ground of experience and morality, as to how we are to remedy them.
 If shall say anything which you can carry home with you, and which shall cause you to pause moment md think I shall feel more than satisfied that have been with you.
 It is no pleasant task to tell people of their faults or shortcomings. and '; doos no good to reproach you, and this is not my purpose If ground for reproach ex- ists we must remove the ground for it.. We must ascertain the diseass and apply the remedy, and this can orly be done by telling the naked truth. If the truth brings the blush of shame to our cheeks, we must be men enough to face it and re-. move the cause for shame-to 10 less is to show cowardice.
 Civic Duties.
 have chosen for my subject a broad topic, a subject fraught with serious consequences to each of us, because 1t involves our dearest treasure our liberty, and as we shall meet our part in the performance of our duties as citizens, will be measured our individual and collective liberty, virtue and happiness. Our liberty and freedom are both involved at last in the rightful regard for and the fearless discharge of our civic duties, which shall be my subject.
 The lecturer gave a philosophical expo sition of civil liberty and pointed out the duties which rest upon each individual living under a free government. Differ entiating civil liberty and political rights, MT London said:
 We must not confound civil liberty with political rights. The former is a natural right. which comes from the Creator, and existed before the government was formed; while the latter are conferred by the government or state. Every woman and every child is entitled to equil civil liberty, though having no political rights or rights of citizenship, and so every negro is entitled to like equal civil liberty, however poor and ignorant he may be. And to avoid any possible misunderstand- ing I wish you to bear in mind that the ~~-------------------~------