Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-10-28

have a brick plant with hole beside
IL.
We are an interesting people as
we look at ourselves, because we are
suffering from one Of the strangest
diseases in the whole city category,
the disease which, if you will permit
me, | shall call "oil demoralization.'
Ordinarily oil is not blessing 10 the
city. II it were worth your time |
might cite twenty cases of city or
ganizations which have been more
ruined than helped by oil. Ordinarily
the product is found and piped away
and the city is forgotten. ! think of
great centers of the industry of
twenty-five years ago in Pennsylvania
which are now very sorry memories.
Mrs. Albert, who is the partner TO
which | refer. and who knows as
much about cities as do and then
some-Mrs. Albert was reluctant to
have me undertake the study of Tulsa
because she feared it would be diff
cult to tell the truth about the rela-
tion of oil to city building. And yet
when I have been here a little while
on the occasion Of my first visit,
had hoped that this might not be true
here, and now | have faith that il
never will be true here. For first, in
the mere handling of product like
oil, something stays at home, not
much, as in the case Of Oil City in
Pennsylvania, but something. And,
second, with the something" men
are staying in Tulsa. No man is
competent student of the character
and personality of Tulsa who does
not see in the leadership and resource
and devotion of the men prominent in
the operation of the oil industries
here, one of the largest hopes for the
Tulsa of tomorrow. (Applause.)
These men are not only taking profit
out Of the ground but they are in
vesting the profits in their own city
and to make their investments secure
are staying here and giving of the
best they have to their city.
Yonug in Two Ways.
The next element in the city's per-
sonality is that it is very young in
two ways; in the number of years of
its own life first, and in the number
of years of the average life of its peo-
pie second. This will develop in all
of our calculations as we go along.
For example, your death rate is an
object of the most extraordinary in
terest to every sociologist who knows
it. He would understand it the bet
ter if he knew that the average of
the city was probably twelve years
under that of an older city to the
north or south, for that other city
with a death rate rivaling yours in
one way or another, is city which
also has an average age from ten to
eleven years below that of the ordi-
nary city.
Another element of particular in
terest in the personality of Tulsa is
that God has willed it should come
into this new opportunity at such
time in the development of civic un-
derstanding in the United States as to
give it range of opportunity sur
passing that of any city in our history
up to this time In other words,
greater progress has been made in the
past fifteen years in city making, in
city adornment, in city building, than
has been dade in any preceding fif-
teen hundred years. And Tulsa may
take to herself if she likes, the prog
ress of the past fifteen years in plan
ming for her future.
All cities owe their foundations to
causes thousands of year old. 1t
would be an absurdity to attempt to
found city where God did not in
tend one to be. The laws of trans
portation which govern the location
of cities are not now altogether clear,
but five of them are sufficiently clear
to account for all the great cities of
the world.
Topography Favored 1t.
This city was fore-ordained when
the hands of the Almighty shaped the
surface of the earth in this particular
place. The bend of your river, the