The San Francisco call., 1906-08-18
The Ethics of the Calamity. :

CHICAGO TRIBUNE.

scure. To elucidate would be unconl-
plimentary to your heart and intel
ligence
That relationship was a reality for
many days. 1t was a novelty to
many, a, strangeness to all, but an
undisputed fact; thus is it established
a possibility. There is no phase of
life with which it IS incompatible,
no commercial, social or ethical re-
lationship of which it could not
nay, rather, should not-be the
quickening agent. How long will it
be potent with you? Will it hold its
respectability? Will commerce stran-
gle it or religion unseat it? Both
are prone to- be unsympathetic; both
are notorious for the want of mutual
help they inspire among men. The
man of commerce, of trade often
times borders upon criminality in his
lust to get more and outreach his
fellOw-man; the churchman forgets
the charity which he knows ought to
be the bond linking men together.
Further, how often does custom
condemn man to foOliShnessl This
he practices at the expense of the
brothers convenience or reputation.
You remember the great custom in
San Francisco prior to April IS which
made treating" a burden many
writhed under. but dared not or could
not throw off. What IS your pos
sibility in thiss Six weeks expert
ence as detail of the disaster should
answer this for you. Good fellow
ship was exchanged, bargains made,
business transacted, all without that
innately stupid custom" of booze
bonding. The citizen has been shown /
by incontestable evidence that indi- ]
vidually, collectively, efhically and
socially San Francisco never demon
strated nobler comradeship than in
her period of prohibition, and if that
is not maintained it will be frank
admission that the disaster discov-
cred a loftier community standard
than It was desired to maintain
San Francisco has been noble in
her affection, let her be true to her
possibilities. She has seen them; the
world has seen them. She must not
be a bad actor The man, be he
capitalist or wage-earner, who is not
for the city is against it and is a
menace We are now on the
threshold of our new growth thar
must be standardized, untainted. un-
questioned Few communities have
been given equal opportunities to
become model, great and benehcent,
attributes outborn of her travail.
Riches and reality are whims. but
men and principles are indestructible.
Beware Of that passive obedience to
theories and practices imposed bv
craft, custom or policy which will
debase us from the great plane we
had been upraised to by that beneh-
cent disaster
After-days demonstrated our city
as community connected by a bond
of brotherhood where men in the
avocations of the day sought to make
every effort the offspring of an
honor and an honesty which had
mans betterment of man for its pur-
pose. The disaster gave an initia-
tive. Is there higher and a lower
in it? Is there as a result process
making for the uplifting or is there
a mere grinding out of an unrelated
citizenship, an outcome of low in
stincts and destitute of characteristics
which can encourage us with hope2
That our self-appraisement will at
least approach a consistent effort TO
approximate that which we have
seen, known and enjoyed IS an eth
ically demonstrated possibility.