The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-29
DR.. ADLER VIEWS WITH ALARM
AND DIR. ABBOTT WIN HOPE,
the WORLD As 1T MOVES.
One Pears for the state In These Dark
Days the other Thinks we're DOING
Nlcely-NeFbai I'M at city club Dim
ner TO Municipal League Delegates.

One Years for the state In These Dark
Days; the other Thinks We're Doing
Nicely-VeFbal Tin AZ CITY club Dim
ner TO Municipal League Delegates,
The delegates 10 the National Municipal
League finished their eleventh annual
convention last night with a banquet given
by the City Club at the club headquarters.
DR.. Felix Adler and Lyman Abbott Fingered
up the proceedings by a mild disagreement
over methods in reform work.
Is our government bad because we're
all imperfect and government also must
be imperfect asked Dr. Adler THE
government was imperfect in the days Of
Pericles and Washington and Moses. In the
most splendid periods Of human history the
government never expressed the perfection
Of the human instrument.
we find ourselves borne down with In
tolerable conditions, face TO face with In
tolerable evils II concerns us as persons
interested in the municipal movement TO
study the situation and TO suggest RENE
dies. We can't have too many minds
earnestly devoting themselves 10 the prob.
lem. Human nature Is no worse now than
II has ever been. Man 10 man, we bear
comparison with the men Of the past.
we are going through the most trying
period Of human history. We are losing
our symbols. Politics has lost the symbols
Of the greatness Of the State.
The idea Of the common veal IL ire
mendously big idea Great ideas are
brought close TO the human heart by pic
lures, by concrete symbols which appeal
10 the Imagination Of the mind. In the old
DAYS, this symbol was the king. He, with
his ma jesty. the nobility which surrounded
his throne. was n symbol. He brought home
to the average man the idea Of something
awful in the state The divinity whicE doth
hedge him about was a real divinity.
I'VE have lost that sign. And we haven't
yet grssped the idea Of the state b. appre-
hension Of the mind We have fallen upon
times when men think that the state Is
mere convenience.
That, / think. is the matter with us.
We're getting, along without symbols in
TO getting along without them. We must
find a way Of appealing 10 the imagination.
You can't seem to prove to the American
people that it's better for their pockets TO
have good government than bad one.
You can't show the business man that it
pays him 20 take the time from his business
to make the Commonwealth clean. We
want to appeal 10 the Imagination. Jerome
can do more in this town 10y one brilliant
speech than all the municipal leagues. be-
cause he has the art Of appealing 20 the
Imagination.
i realize what load Of shame we're
carrying. We are dealing with conditions
which, to any person with moral sense,
are intolerable. I'm not sure we've made
any progress. ! think sometimes only the
form Of the evil has changed. We intro
duce the secret ballot, legislate against the
public lobby; but the forces OF corruption
find some way TO beat them all. The Black
Horse Cavalry of the lobby is replaced by
the long range artillery Of the boss.
we need a new spirit, not merely new
mechanical devices
Or Adler Is not orthodox, and I'm not
sure I'm 80 very orthodox, said DR.. Alb
bolt. Vice Is the same, in city or country.
Gambling in the back parlor OF a country
inn is no better than in Mr. Canfeld's place.
As for political corruption, the clean and
pure representatives Of the rural districts
are trying to steal New York's Rrandest
natural feature-NiagaTa Falls,
The forces OF good and evil are not
lined up The sheep and goats are mixed.
Most Of US are both sheep and goats. We're
all mixed up, and the fighting has got to
be hand to hand. I'm agreed that we need
a new spirit. I'm not agreed that the
changes In our laws are good for nothing
The Australian ballot, for example, makes
II harder for the forces Of corruption.
THE spirit we want Is civic pride-not
pride alone in Fifth avenue and Riverside
Drive and Central Park, but in clean tene-
ments, East Side Fairgrounds, schools,
little churches scattered through the city.
That means the common veal which
DR.. Adler speaks Of. / believe that we're
moving on TO that idea Of the common
veal. l believe that there ia less class
spirit, more real democracy. more people
doing not for themselves, but for all
Dr. Amos Parker Wilder. editor, Of Madi-
son, Wis had fun with New York as follows:
Wisconsin is different from New York.
The recent bank defalCations OF 81 ,OOO, 900
Is the only common experience that occurs
10 me New York recognizes this placing
Of hands in the pockets Of others as a sort
Of frateTnal hands across the sea.
Il am insured with your Equitable com
pany, and now death carries a double un-
certainty. There's a new meaning in the
question. After death-what? First II was
the strenuous life, then the simple life,
and now the Equitable Life. The motto
Of Chicago Is defiant-I will The motto
Of your city, have observed, lie step lively,
please"
About 400 members Of the City Club and
their ladies were present.
Alpha DELTA PHI DIMES.