New-York tribune., 1911-11-21
MAYOR GENTLY CH|DES
IMPATIENT CHURCHNEN
Tells the Congregational Club
Preachers Ought to Work
More and SGoId Less.
WOULD END PARTISAMSHIP
Fires Broadside Of Ridicule Into
Editor for Attempting to
Instruct Him in His
Duties.

one hundred and fifty members of the
Congregational Club assembled at the
Hotel Martinique last night and listened
to two mayors speak on a subject en-
titled. The Conditions Which Make for
Civic Betterment" The municipal ex-
ecutives who addressed them were Mayor
Gaynor and James Logan, Mayor Of
Worcester Mass.
Mayor Gaynor told Of his vicissitudes
while in office. and laid stress upon the
folly of expecting to bring about re-
forms too quickly. He recalled instances
of his efforts TO bring about municipal
reforms and the obstacles he encoun-
tered in striving for civic betterment.
a. w. Edison, president of the club, was
chairman.
Mayor Gaynor said:
/ don't know ! feel two-thirds of the
tune, Mr.. Edison as though / would like to
crawl under the table or under wood
pile IN place of getting up where people
can see mo. So | think / will stand right
where l am, Notwithstanding your kind in
vitatiOn.
have listened with great interest to the
splendid speech of MaVor Logan He has
said some things here that | would hesitate
very much 10 say, although / am thought
10 be very outspoken at timeS-about which
there seems TO be a great mistake, ] am
afraid because half the time ! am afraid
TO say my soul is my own when / read
what certain awfuly good editors say
about me in their newspapers
J remembered, as Mr Edison was speak
ing, passage from Emerson i'm his Essay
on Politics. where he says. applying il
to those I'm authority What | have to do
is al that concerns me. not what people
say That is absolutely true Of every man
in public life. He had better do what he
has 20 do and let the rest take care of it.
self
Now Mr. Edison told me that you were
made up Of Congresationalists and Pres
byterianS, and ] think he said Dutch Re
formers, too, and dare say of other peo-
pie who are unable TO classify themselves
8t all, and who for that reason may be
just as good as the rest of us. whether we
think so or not since infant damnatiOn
and the theology Of the doctrine of cleo
tion have been knocked i'm the head /
often wonder how you people keep and
maintain separate churches at all. ] must
say ] don't see much need for II.
Probably" continued the Mayor,
some of YOU want to do too much good
between the rise and the setting of the
sun. You are very greatly discouraged
because you do not DO everything in the
same day Well. that is only because
YOU are somewhat mistaken in your zeal.
Why. ! suppose there are some ministers
here from what Mr.. Edison said-some
of those by virtue of their calling are
the greatest sinners of all in that re-
spect. They want to do everything and
they preach to everybody as though
everything could be done right Off. Why,
they have been preaching for thousands
Of years to have the Ten Commandments
obeyed and they have not succeeded
very well yet, ] must say.
And yet they would have the Mayor
shut up every saloon, stop every gam
bling house and stop every disorder and
every vice just within twenty-foUr hours
and make one job of it. They had better
do what they can to help the Mayor and
not talk quite SO much and especially
not be uncharitable.
cover a year ago-yes, ! guess it is
nearly year and half ago-there was
fight out West somewhere between
two prizefghters, and when they got
through smuggling each other great up
roar went up in the city OF New York
that the pictures Of the fight should not
be shown i'm the theatres Of the city and
the Mayor must stop it. lie must just
say. Il forbid it, And / listened TO that
from Dr. Abbott and other renowned
people. and said that this happened to
be a free government and that the
Mayor had no power to do anything
except by the viii Of the community
expressed 10y the laws Of their enact
ment. and there did not happen to be
any law saying that ne should forbid
any such pictures. and that If he were
to forbid il he would be outside Of the
law.
"WeU. now a man i'm this town. who
did not always live here. and who runs
couple Of newspapers. principally for
his own elorfcation and the llbelling of
everybody else. Q pastime which a man
with SS0.O00OJ0 Of private estate can
indulge in. but which YOU and I cannot
indulge in, had an editorial written in
his paper arguing the law with great
zeal and pointing out how the law was
different as though / would take the
law from him rather than from the Cor
poration Counsel
The Mayor then added
This editor. YOU know is able to write
] ,i.o ON one page and virtue on the next so
as 10 take in the whole community J sup
uosc And also To bc able aftcrWard 10 say,
whether the devil got the uppermost or the
other side. II told YOU 80. ] refer YOU to
page so and so Of my paper ] always
! thought ] had q good deal OF patience until
! became Mayor, and people began 10 say
Mayor Logan has called such people
Two bv four men" ] would not call them
ANYTHING ! love them Just as much as J
love the others. ! have not single bad
word for anybody. even for those who 20
about calling me names. ! believe ! have
not called them any names yet nor do
intend TO.
Continuing. the Mayor said:
1--WE have thrce-fourths Of a million
Jcws. we have Greeks Italians, Rus
slams. Poles. people from all the quar-
ters of the earth; and we have all the
room imaginable here for missionary
work for YOU 10 do good To Gthers-to
educate and uplft politically and other
wise. / say 10 you again by the force
of your example. ! think you keep
much among yourselves. You are doing
much. but the great thing after all.
politically. is to be honest To yourselves
and to support those in Office when they
H.. what is fairly right and not he mis-
led.
..rhis matter that mentioned To you
about voting without strict regard to
r,,rt, Is that a difficult thing? WHY /