Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-19
SPHINX TOASTS TAFT
War Secretary and Presiden-
tiaI Candidate Guest of Club.
is GIVEN AN OVATION
Many Prominent Men Are Present
at Function.
HONOR GUEST MAKES TALK
He Talks of the Close and Intimate
Relations Between Politics and
Literature.

NEW YORK. April 1s.-Secretary OF
War William H. Taft was entertained az
DINER at the Waldorf astoria tonight by
| the Sphinx Club, whose guests also In
| Guided several men prominent in the pub
fishing world. These guests In turn en-
tertained the four hundred members OF
| the club who are either magazine pup
fishers or advertising managers.
| The guests share of the entertainment
| fell chiefly upon Secretary Taft, who dis
cussed at some length the history OF the
publication business and development OF
|. the modern magazine. To present Gay
editors the Secretary paid some very pref
ty compliments when he pointed out that
the moral awakening of the people coulo
be traced generally to an honest and out
spoken press. Though unfortunate condi-
| lions existed at times. the Secretary saio
that the progress toward better things
was uninterrupted and that tne puoiIc
| pulse was quickened with moral tnrop.
! Gov ]. Franklin Fort of New Jersey
| had been expected but was unable 10 De
| present. Other speakers were Wliham n:
| McElroy of the Tribune, Wliham serr'
! of the Brooklyn Standard Union. Arthur
| Brisbane of the Journal, DIR. Albert SHAW
| and Robert G. Ogden.
Taft Got a Hand.
| Robert rockingham presided and in in
Producing Secretary Taft lauded the
guests public career. These remarks
called forth a demonstration OF approoa-
ton which was renewed as Mr.. tart rose
to speak.
Secretary Taft said in part:
nous and terrifying one. for While II
points TO wise silence among your mem
hers on the one hand, 1t also suggests
very decided capacity for eatlng on Inc
other. There is only one man spoken u
i'm mythology that brought the sphlnX
down. and that was Oedipus. who guessed
its riddle But the story OF Oed1pus az
It comes to me dimly out of the past
of a long-ago forgotten Greek Tragedy;
did not put him in the category or
the blessed and the happy. and the
answer to the riddle which called TOT
a creature who could satisfy the re.
ouirement of being quadrupedai. pipeoal
and tripedal at different stages, was
man but the answer continues to be
riddle. even after you have guessed II. !
suppose the explanation OF the name OF
this club is that man Is the rlouie WIN
which magazine writer's and publishers
have chiefly to deal. The origin. OF course
of the magazine. and the newspaper was
the same, and yet their differentiation De-
gan early.
Politics and Literature.
"The relation between politics and lit
srature was never more close than in the
beginnings of the modern newspaper and
mapazlne. Defoe, Addison, Swift, Steele
and Johnson found their services Eagerly
sought after by statesmen who needed
their literary ability. force and humor IN
/ the political controversies OF the day.
I .When we compare the maya zine IN tne
DAYS of Addison with the modern publ
| cation there is much food for tnougnt III
| the character Of the changes which nave
| haen wrought and in the kind of progress
| which has been made. What ! am now
discussing is the progress, from the stand
! point of the community at large when
| has been made in this branch or human
activity. is 1t not IN the EXTENDING oI
| the useful influence Of magazine reading
| TO the masses Of the people? Is 1t not IN
| bringing within the reach OF the poorest
who read the power of enjoying the
| brightest and best of modern literature
| and ar?
There's q Difference.
This difference between the magazine OF
| a century ago and that Of today finds
a counterpart and analogy in regard to
| most of those things which make life en-
joyable. In the pursuit of happiness. in
! point of real living, the man of little
means and the men of great means are
much nearer in respect to the comforts
they enjoy than they ever were before
in the history of the world.
| Maya zines hold the mirror up to ex-
listing conditions of morality. and reflect
| with great accuracy the popular changes
in this regard. During the last four
| years there has come a note of warning
| to the people of the United States that
| there has been in the discharge Of GER
tain fidelity trusts. in the conduct Of GER
! tain great corporate affairs and in certain
| enormous business operations a clearly
| distinct enlistment of dishonesty illegal
| ity and disregard of moral principle and
| that unless 1t is checked by public con-
| domination and protest there Is grave
business of the county will be Slapped
and degradation and disaster follow.
Help Moral Awakening.
1.-The magazines of this country, through
the articles written on sthe subject, have
left no doubt where they stand in respect
to this moral awakening, and have proven
| to be potent instruments for the preach
ing OF crusade against the mammon of
| unrighteOusness. The question which now
| presents itself Is how far real moral
progress in civilization and politics is to
| be made under the influence of this wide
spread popular desire for better things
| THE moral awakening, however, has
been of the utmost benefit to this coun-
| try and can be made more so. 1t certainly
| mas dTOuSeO the interest OF the people In
government and legislation. and has ma de
them properly suspicious and properly
watchful of the doings of their representa- :
tives. 1t is at the bottom Of the strong
demand for. primary elections and the
elimination Of that kind of political ma
| chinery which so often I'm the past has
defeated the will of the people.
! This quickening Of the public con-
science has directed public attention and
public sympathy toward the poor and the
laboring classes. and 1t has aroused men
to the necessity for enacting laws which
| shall protect them and place them on an
| equality i'm dealing with their powerful
employers. 1t has brought forward for
the consideration of legislatures. safety
appliance acts. employers liability acts.
| child Labor statutes. tenement house stat :
| utes and all other legislation looking to
the rescue of the poor from the oppres-
sion TO which the greed of the landlord or
the employer and their own helplessness
may expose them.
| The peOple wish to he convinced fha