The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-03-13
PUBLIC SPIRIT AN ASSET.
Advancement of COmmunity's In
teresss VIII Advance Your Own.

Advancement of COmmuntty's In
teresss VIII Advance Your Own.
From the Memphis Nspsseiniitar.
Public spirit is a private asset TO every
man in the community. BY public spirit
we mean a disposition to advance the in
terests OF the community as a whole. The
labOrer or clerk without property is bene-
flied IN such a community because that
spirit provides more comforts and pleas
ures available. II il il a man of property
or business things that makes a city at
tractive 10 live in. brings people, energy.
and capital 10 IT. and this increases the
volume Of business and the value OF prop
erty. There are men in Memphis who
have been conducting business enter
prises while at the same time owners OF
property, and the increase in the value
of property, whose care gave them no
work was greater than the net profits
OF their business, that gave them all their
work This increase in the value OF prop
erty came from increase in population.
The more rapid the growth of a commu-
nifty. the more rapid the increase in the
value of property. II a man has s200. 900
invested in a manufacturing plant and
the cost of living In the community and
the pleasure Of living in It make a differ
ence OF 30 cents per day for or against him
in the cost Of labor, and he employs hun
dred workers. this is $50 day. or 5000
in the year, or ~ per cent on his capital
of $4,000
Public spirit is not charity or giving.
but investing.
Public spirit is that larger spirit OF faith
that is willing to invest IN the com
munity through faith in the community
as a whole or organized segments Of a
community. Just as private spirit is will
ing to increase investment In ones own
business, where the faith is confined TO
oneself. Public spirit inspires a man 10
take larger interest in the management
of his community or its component parts
to help get things done right. and on
the other hand the habit of interesting
himself in public matters begets public
spirit because he has moro faith in the
administration OF affairs in which he has
been exercising some voice.
Every virtue helps every other virtue.
Every reform helps every other reform
that is worth while investment through
public spirit may pay larger material re-
turns than investment through private
enterprise. and the man OF larger vision
Is the one who secs il. He can see be-
yond his own business and his own bank
account, and understands his part de-
pendence On the business and bank ac-
count of every other man in the COM
munity and certainly of the community
as a whole.
Building community by private as
compared 20 public spirit, Is doing what
the world has been trying to get away
fronl-the hsbit Of pulling a had with
four mules pulling one way to the front
and three mules pulling the other way
10 the rear. Speaking aguratively, the
business OF life has been through all the
centuries In the broadest application. and
touching the most vital and largest ques-
lions Of humanity. 70 get all the mules
pulling one way. and we are as much
improved over former times as We have
added mules TO the front and taken them
from the rear. The same thing stated
differently is that the business Of life has
been from the origin of man to reduce
and stop friction. The search for fric-
tionless machinery has gone on In the
physical, moral and intellectual world.