The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-24
A MUNICIPAL RELIGION.

Grand Rapids. Mich, where the fur
niture comes from. has made a dis
covery. Ii has found by practica
demonstration that revival can be
worked in civil affairs just as effect
lively as 1t used TO be In the old-fash-
toned Methodist camp meetings. and
by much the same method. In the
primitive days of Methodism the good
people in a given district would get
together in a big camp. abandon
everything else but the study of their
spiritual needs and seek enlighten-
ment with as much avidity and ear
nestness as the ordinary politician dis
plays in seeking votes. Being simple
folk. these Methodists Of an early day
thought salvation much more impor-
tant than worldly prosperity. and their
measure of salvation was the good one
could do for his fellow man.
Now Grand Rapids. Mich. has tried
the revival system on itself as a means
of civic grace The town has a board
Of trade with q thousand members.
Most of these members are live ones.
whereby they contrast markedly with
the members Of some other civic or
ganizations we might mention. One Of
the committees of this remarkable
board of trade is the municipal affairs
committee composed of 1O5 men.
none of them in Il trance. This big
COMMITTEES has subcommittee. each
of which has one of these purposes in
view: a cleaner city. a safer city,
better governed city, city Of con-
venience. a more charitable city and
a more beautiful city.
The committee for a more beautiful
city has forty addresses delivered in
the public schools on Arbor day, and
gave the children 10000 elm trees To
plant-which incident is cited to show
that the Grand Rapids. Mich, COM
mittees really commit something when
they start 10 business When
preacher Of practical sense suggested
70 the municipal affairs committee
that it start civic revival the COM
mittee accepted the notion promptly
and went at it right.
Gently Of the University of Chicago,
was chosen as the civic revivalist.
Zeublin is one of the few men Of this
generation who has marked out new
path. He always was an original man
even in his college days, and some
years on the staff Of the Chicago uni
versity have accentuated this pecuIi-
arity. Under Zeublin's management
the town of Grand Rapids had about
the hottest municipal revival that ever
struck this country. He mapped out
a course Of talks for the afternoons
and evenings of seven days. covering
every phase of municipal life. The
meetings were widely advertised and
concerts were given every evening by
prominent musicians who volunteered
their services. Thirty-nine social. bus
mess. literary and musical organiza-
tons joined in corporation with the
committee.
For the first time in their lives ten
thousand people vino attended the lee
lures learned what their duties to ne
CITY are: what the best way of making
a CITY. What the ethical obligations Of
citizenship. Above all. they discovered
that zlH Of. them. Jew. Catholic and
Protestant. desired the same thing in
municipal affairs, namely. the ideal
city ana 4 government TO. that end.
They found they had the same pur--
pose. held. the same standards and had.
in common, failed of their duty as
citizens.
one of the first results of this re-
vival was en- appropriation by the
council TO secure the services of ex-
perts in the preparation Of plan for
municipal Improvement. The council
also voted 81 900 for artistic street
signs. campaign for civic cleanli-
ness started and people began To. point
out the disfigurements Of billboards
and empty lots used as dumping
ground for waste. In other words.
Grand Rapids found Its conscience
and began to act on its promptings
Is there any need to point out the
parallel? Wouldn't il do salt Lake a
heap of good to have civic revival?
And doesn't II make you sick at heart
10 think that such thing seems i'm
possible because of the jealouses and
srnallness OF petty politicians? And
don't you think the time has nearly