New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-03
TIE SONS OF ELSENHERE.

Last week about the usual daily number Of
dinners were given by alumni societies. state
clubs and other institutions owing their exist
ence to the allegiance and affection people like
to owe to places Of one time residence. The
metropolis possesses scores Of societies like the
Indiana Club Of New York. the Sons Of Alaska
in Manhattan and the Kalamazoo Circle Of
Brooklynites. Nearly everybody in New York
is from somewhere elsa and openly brags OF
alien attachments. The annual or semi-annual
banquets and monthly smokers of these Sons of
Elsewhere fill many a column Of society news
and manufacture enough inconsistencies and
gloating over the past TO prevent the metropolis
from winning the provincial affections of it's
citizens.
The remoter results Of this outwardIy beauti-
full habit are not altogether beneficial to New
York City 1t is always bad for a man not to
feel at home in his place Of residence IF lie
thinks of himself as pilgrim and q stranger
he relieves himself mentally of all obligations
toward the community sheltering him To the
natives is left the task of running the city gov
eminent and carrying ont much needed reforms.
In any other American town this policy Of frigid
non-interference on the part of permanent visit
ors is not so disastrous as il is in New York,
where natives are rare enough TO be curiosities
If il possible TO calculate the matter ex-
actly we might discover that Aud Lang Syne is
TO blame for some of the dirt in our streets and
our government
The difference in civic pride between an aver
age New Yorker and an average citizen Of nearly
any other town is striking The observation has
often been made that while Bostonians Chi
cagoese and Mnneapotans are full of words
procaiming the merits and hushng UP the de-
merits of their respective towns the New Yorker
often hastens TO explain TO you that he came to
the town for business purposes Sometimes he
is more subtle, insisting that the metropolis Is
too vast and varied to be loved one might as
we'll try TO embrace the Fat Lady at the mu-
scum. On other occasions he Will protest loudly
that pride in ones town is hopeleSsly provincial:
the man of the world should not brag about the,
universe at large But you will find this same
New Yorker sneaking off in a white tie to the
monthly smoker OF the Stubbins County Patriots
in Harlem.
No doubt this enthusiasm for abandoned
| farms and corner groceries will not be dampened
by moral lectures Nor have we any desire to
check it altogether; it is healthy love of coun-
| try. Real enthusiasm like the water power of
mountain torrents, ought to be utilized Just so
| far rs it can be without destroying its natural
beauty 1t should be placed under governmental
control. damned up and turbined This is
dOubly proper in the case of such organized boy
/ hood reveres as we here refer to. Aud Lang
/ Syne IS not only usty enthusiasm it is also n
! luxury. end such should be taxed for the
public good. We accordingly suggest a few
rules whose adoption by the city fathers might
turn all this syndicated nostalgia into blessing
No citizen should be allowed to Join an old
home society until he has filed with the Regis
ter OF Good Deeds satisfactory proof that he is
/ taking active interest in the welfare of Na,y
York. No after dinner speaker should be Der-
mtted 10 exhOrt his hearers TO remain loval to
Muskrat Centre until he-not the muskrat-
shall have given evidence that he has rendered
New York some eminent service. And finally
every banqueter at one of these horizon wor
shipping affairs who shows signs of homesicl
ness, either before or after the champagne
should be fined Il sum equal to the cost OF main
tanning an invalid Of the Slums one year in