The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-07-15

perlmenCS during most or Cnelr Ca
reer; have addressed meetings in
them in every part of the city and
have heard all the rumors and ,gos-
sip about them; and l have never
seen or heard of the slightest denial
of fellowship on account of race,
creed, color, or status of pocketbook.
am aware of no other institution
of which the same can be said.
The Civic Club in Action
A central part of the social center,
and the sheet anchor of the whole
idea, is the civic club. This Is for
men, women, boys and girls, meeting
for the most part separately but COM
ing together with sufficient frequency
to become acquainted. Rochester,
when left it, had twenty civic clubs,
meeting once week, once fortnight
ly or once a month. The school au-
thorities lighted and heated the
buildings and paid the janitor to ar
range chairs. There were no dues.
Membership was open to all. If .
club wished to issue notices to it's
members it took up collection. The
function of the club was to discuss,
frankly and freely, any subject of
civic interest, from the tariff and the
trusts and other reasons for the high
cost of living, down to the matter of
playground in community, or to
whether Smith, Jones or Brown was
the better fitted man to be elected
alderman of the ward Usually some
person supposed to be we'll informed
would make prepared speech or
read a paper and then the discus
sion would become general. If posi-
BILE, an expert on one side would be
counterpoised against an expert on
the opposite side. The most interest
ing discussion l ever listened to was
between a professional woman advo-
cate of woman suffrage and the wife
of a University professor who OPP
posed women going into politics.
That night the women were invited
and the buzz of their discussion last
ed long after the meeting adjourned.
There were flies in all this ONT
ment. Sometimes the radicals would
do more than their share of the talk
ing-generally they did. And that
displeased some ultra conservatives.
But the latter had equal privileges. If
they lacked ideas or initiative, it
wasn't Wards fault. Furthermore,
a radical who can unburden his mind
in an open meeting is less likely to ex-
plode than one whose inner feelings
are without a sane vent; and even
the radicals sometimes received as
we'll as impaired ideas. The critic
ism that civic clubs are "hobteds Of
Socialism" came mostly from out
siders who don't understand Social
ism and didn't attend civic clubs,
where they could have learned as
we'll as taught. 1t suggests criticisms
of politics by those who neglect the
primaries.
Ward: 100 Per Cent Fine
This, very briefly, gives a hint of
Wards idea. Now, just a sentence
or two about Ward himself. Imagine
a University trained athlete as full of
vitality as a heavyweight prize fight
er ready for the ring, yet bubbilng
over with the cream of human kind
ness; simply surcharged and efferves-
cling with optimism; a chap who
couldn't think an unkind thought to
save his life; and who is so peren-
rialy enthusiastic and likeable, and so
beautifully oblivious to pelf or self,
that he sheds troubles as a duck
sheds water and persists smilingly
when the average man would want to
go off and swear-and you'll have
some faint notion of Ward. He has