The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-11-29
WHAT AILs BOSTON ?
Mayor Fitzgerald Declares the
Hub Is Cold and Proud.
ARRAIGNs HER BUSINESS SPIRIT

0 ARRAIGNs HER BUSINESS SPIRIT
He Points Out Bostun's Mistake In
Keeping Her Adopted Sons From
to the Throbbins Heart of Youti, ri
Her Doors--Le; Is Boast of Our Conn
mercial Supremacy, lie Says, Rat..-
q Than of Our Culture
$ what is the matter with Boston,"
asked this question of Mayor John
0 f. Fitzgerald. and though his outer
and inner offices We're crowded with
visitors and business mon, he let then
0 wait says Sibyl Wilbur in the Boston
q Herald. The idea that there may be
something wrong with Boston hit her
D enthusiastic mayor over the heart.
Give nue. Il moment to think" said
the mayor Don't make one note of
o what | say. Let me lie very careful
how | say this. for as sure us You I've
there is something the matter. What
are You here for asking me that ques-
) ton? Why do | pay heed to it: Be
0 cause We know what is being said Of
. Boston. We know that somebody
. somewhere coined the phrase the de-
) cadence of Boston, because we know
. that II. G. Wells of England. in q mas
terly article. has written OF our en-
chanting and Intellectual spirit The
decadence of Boston = Is there any
b truth in such Il phrase?
What is the matter With Boston? 1t
: is cold and proud, and it wraps the
mantle of puritanism around it. 1t is
deaf to the throbbing heart of youth
at its door. But it has got to open to
US; it has got to let us in. l have said
it to the Merchants association of this
, city; am ready to say it again You
, have got to permit tho young men OF
Irish, Italian, Jewish and French blood
to get into business in Boston,
Has Boston refused to do this?"
"Well, look around YOU Look at the
names over the business houses. What
clio you see? You see the names of old
New England families everywhere.
Tight listed, tenacious, these old fam
lilies hang on with grip like death.
They squeeze out and freeze out the
J ardent Young soul OF the Irishman.
They present cold front to the bust
ness enthusiasm of the jew Young
men from the provinces if they have
an English name are more to their lils-
ing than young men born in Boston of
foreign extraction, although these
young men born in Boston love Boston
and are ready to think and work and
plan for the future of Boston.
Boston is the only place in the
country the only place in the world, If
You please. where the Jew has not had
the fullest opportunity for the exercise
OF his great natural talents The at
mosphere is too cold, too hard And if
the Jew, who has been taught the
value of the dollar from his cradle.
whose traditions for ages have develop
ed in him sound sense of material
values, the Jew will bear everything,
endure everything for the sake of that
goal of larger freedom which comes
!; with ultimate success-if the Jew has
found this condition in Boston. what
in heavens name can the Irishman
de-
Where do You find basis for such
an Arrangement of the business spirit
of Boston? l asked the mayor.
II find it In an analysis of the men,
bership of her business clubs and as
sociations Take the membership Of
the Chamber of Commerce, the most
, powerful organization for business in
the city That organization has 1000
members. Analyze it for yourself.
have no exact data, but know that it
Is Overwhelmingly Yankee. You will
find dozen, maybe twenty, Irish
names on it's membership. You will
find two Jews. What do you think of
} that for a great American business
center?
I'm perfectly well aware of the ar
gument for this state Of things. We
won't let in the Jew; he will crowd out
the Americans; he will absorb into his
own hands certain lines of business.
Well, isn't the American Jew good
American? Isn't he as good citizen
as any other citizen? Isn't this Amer
lea made up of blend of foreign ele-
} ments?
And then when you have kept him
out what happens? Look at what we
have lost to New York-the clothing
and cloak industries. Is that good for
Boston? Is it good to let manufacture
ing and mercantile possibilities. the
golden possibilities of the hour slip
out of her hands! Shall we be content
!. to let these things so while we hug
ourselves in our exclusive Yankee
) Americanism?
Now, take the Irishman. lie comes
to this country without business train
ing. Because of the hard conditions in
, Ireland for generations his business
perceptions have become dulled. He is
emotional. full of sentiment. affection
and. in this new world. enthusiasm.
He is too often a spendthrift because
he likes to live we'll and take part in