The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-04-04
new INTEREST
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Continued From Page One.)
members of the Commercial Club to
show these more or less friendly
skeptics that this is a real-for-sure,
live organization; that We not only
have renewed our faith in it's bene-
ficient purposes, but have sufficient
gumption. energy, unselfishness and
civic pride to make our faith bloom
and blossom and fructify into good
works for Richmond. This club
should be at once an inspiration for
and a realization of progress in the
various and many sided lines and
phases of our community life. But
to have the greatest usefulness, 1t
must possess the true civic spirit, it
must be sound at heart. We must
have an eye single for the general
welfare, for the good of the commun-
ity as a whole. Self1shness must be
eliminated, except that form of en-
lightened self interest which is the
other name for civilization, and which
Is high enough, and broad enough to
include our interests as whole. This
is no visionary theory. The race Of
Man has at last thank Heaven, ad-
vanced far enough to realize the
splendid truth, that the altruistic
spirit is. when mixed with common
sense. the most practical thing in
the. world. Altruism is to be the do
minant virtue of the coming world
wide civilization. 1t is the golden
rule working in every day business
life. 1t means honesty, fairness rec
ognition Of the common human
rights, for others as well as ourselves.
IAN organization of this kind
should be the natural home of this
enobling spirit. For as citizens and
taxpayers of Richmond we stand on
common ground; we are animated
by common purpose. What is good
for one is good for all; what is bad
for one is bad for all. For this rea-
son, we can approach and discuss any
and all questions affecting the COM
munity life with perfect freedom and
candor. wholly free from partisan,
personal or factional feeling. We
may differ widely as to the effect of
certain measures or suggestions Off
cred for our consideration, but by
remembering our identity of interest
| and according to others the same pur-
ETY. Of motive we claim for ourselves,
these very differences Of opinion be-
come the very stepping-stones to a
better knowledge, to a broader view,
a greater usefulness to the commun-
ity and inevitably to a higher, purer
civic life, affecting not only the city
hut No r<o
THE spirit of the age demands
that the public business shall be con-
Quoted on business basis and under
business principles. There is not
only in this country but in the world
at large, a general turning away from
the narrow and narrowing politicians
theory, that public Office is private
snap, and the edict of the people has
gone forth that the public affairs
shall be managed like private affairs,
along the well settled lines of hon.
esty, intelligent discrimination and
| fair dealing.
THE functions of this Club are
many and varied, they are limited on
| ly by the term general welfare"
The general welfare of this commun-
| ity may be promoted as much by pre-
venting an abuse as by getting fact
DRY. The material side of our city
life is only the lesser nalf of that
life. 1t is the moral quality of our
citizenship that denotes our true
value to the world.
Il desire at this point to suggest
general line of Club work that be-
/ Wi ho IF ncfd
able mutual personal benefit but will
result in the creation and mainten-
ance of a sound and enlightened pub
lie opinion all along the line of our
community life. I believe the Club
should have something at its month
ly meetings, tat it should show 1t
has an excuse for living, as it were.
would suggest the appointment of
Committee on Program to hold
Office for one year; that this COM
mittee make out a program for two or
three months in advance; that this
program include half hour talks. or
the reading of short papers on any
local or general subject of supposed
interest: and that these papers be
discussed by the Club at large for
a limited time.
| las indicated the scope and prac-
ticality of this suggestionI will take
the liberty of naming some live and
| believe, profitable subjects for such
a program. Take the vehicle tax
proposition. for example. That Is
certainly a two-sided question, and
| most interesting paper and discus