Evening star., 1909-05-04

elemental force of all ages, who
centuries apart and in widely varying
environment have stamped the same Inn
| print of personal power upon the worlds
records Strip these men of what is
merely external and non-essential, and
| the bedrock foundation is the same in all.
They are the men OF granite. the type OF
/ inf1eXible will and unconquerable spirit;
| men who are masters in any emergency,
| against whom every force of opposition,
| however strong and unexpected, dashes
| itself harmlessly.
| The modern title Of the master man is
Boss Our "Boss'' Shepherd is Pc
| culiar among modern bosses in that the
| motive of his bossship was not mercenary
| self-seekins, but public spirit. civic pride,
| the wholesome ambition to promote the
welfare of his native city. He was. how
ever, undeniably boss in that his in
dcmitabie spirit was master of the situa-
ton In every emergency.
Shepherd will also live in local his
tory as the type of the loyal Washingto-
nian and through this intense loyalty as
the master builder OF the greater Wash
ington.
Shepherds ambition, his controlling, alb
sorbing purpose. was to raise his native
city from the dust and to place it in the
position of honor to which as the Ma
tional capital it was entitled. He burned
with Indignation at the sneers aimed by
foreigners and other visitors at the de-
spised capital at time when. through the
reputation of national obligations and
through the limitation of cramped local
resources and ideas the city was nation
al reproach. He saw the scanty popula-
ton of Washingtons half dozen strag-
Cling, wrangling villages staggering un-
aided under the burden of capital-making,
broken down in the effort. helpless. hope
less. He saw the nation, which had in
the beginning undertaken this task and
then abandoned 1t to the feeble local pop
ulation, watching with Indifference the
O.
velOpment by holding constantly over the
city's head the threat of capital removal.
He recognized the only means of revolu-
tionizing these conditions. and he had the
courage and the will to adopt this means
and to follow 1t unflinehingly to success
The city was hemmed in. its development
was checked. access to It's heritage Of ma
tional affection and pride was denied by
obstructing walls built high through local
shortsightedness and congressional neg
lect. Shepherd became a mighty batter
Ing ram leveled at these instructions. In
the crash of the collision this engine was
for time overturned and broken. but its
work was done. The obstructing walls
went down forever. They can never rise
again.
A True Washingtonian.
In every atom of his makeup Shepherd
was distinctly Washingtonian. Born in
the National capital. he gave the best Of
himself and of his powers to restore It's
birthright of beauty and honor and pros
perity: he loved it, fought for it, sacri-
feed and suffered for 1t: he compelled the
nation to recognize and in part to fulfill
it's obligations to the nations city; he rem
dered impossible capital removal; and
finally Washington has developed through
the Shepherd-given impetus into the Won
derfuly attractive capital of today OF
which the whole American nation Is
proud.
The men of the new Washington. whom
represent. can in no other way more
greatly honor Shepherd than by catching
the inspiration Of his unself1sh loyalty to
his native city, his infexible and ire
sistble determination to substitute honor
for contempt in the worlds opinion of that
city. and by applying this force to the
removal of present distractions in WASH
ington's path and to the upbuild!ng OF
the future capital. Shepherds inspiring
name and memory sound trumpet cali
to arms to all Washingtonians. We may
not emulate him as the man of elemental
force-that strength is God-given; but we
can each of us in his own way and ac-
cording to his power emulate him as the
typical loyal Washingtonian, righteously
indignant over the city's wrongs, battling
ever for it's rights and the rights of Its
people, and in this war filled not merely
with the conventional public spirit of en-
lightened selfishness. but. with Shepherds
spirit of devotion which drove him ire
sistibly forward as the city's champion.
sweeping aside all obstacles, careless OF
what happened to himself or to others If
only the victory for Washington might
be won.
! The new Washington. like the old, needs
Ia Shepherd or revival of the Shepherd
spirit. Through fair play by Congress.
cient municipal government much has
been gained: but vast deal remains to
be accomplished.
Another shepherds Task"
There is another Shepherds task in the
systematic adornment of the capital, in
the development of the citys park system
on the wisest lines. in mastering the
Potomac and utilizing it to its full capac-
ity for the benefit of the health. trade and
business prosperity Of Washington. The
capital as an educational center. as the
seat of great university. must be de-
veloped until it binds to itself with col
iege ties and links of patriotic pride the
affectionate interest of innumerable rep
resentatives of the rising generation in
every state of the Union. In addition to
the original capital there is suburban
Westinghouse new city-which must be
| supplied with model streets. sewers and
other modern municipal equipment with
out unjustly expressing either its own peo-
pie or those Of the old city.
1t Is superfiuous, however, in this gath
ering to specify the many opportunities
capitals material interests by making 1t
notably more attractive, more healthful,
more prosperous: to develop 1t vigorously
as an educational. literary. musical and
artistic center; to crafty its high as
piratons toward every form Of in
tellectual and moral uplift. The great
National city is now building. and there
is room for every notable contributor to
the welfare of the expanding capital -
whether In Congress or in the White
House OF among our own citizens-to
erect for himself a conspicuous and en-.
during monument as creator of the
Greater Washington.
| Shepherd fought not offly for the MAJ
terial Washington. but for the Washing
tonian. Who in Shepherds spirit will
compel full recognition that the Greater
Washington contains not only streets.
| buildings. trees and parks. but men. with