Evening star., 1933-12-07
A Leader in Action.

The President has the rare gift OF
real leadership, and a necessary ele-
ment Of leadership Is the ability to in
spire men with the faith in great
achievement. He was at his best last
night In his inspirational address be-
fore the meeting of the Federal Coun-
Gil of Churches Of Christ in America,
when, in a few words. he outlined some
of the idealistic aspirations of the New
4eal.
From the bottom of my heart I be-
lieve that this beloved country of ours
is entering upon time Of great gain"
he said. But the gain is not to be
measured by the standards of those
"pagan ethics that are represented in
many phases of our boasted modern
civilization" and which were, by in
ference, represented in the spirit of
conquest and greed" which the Pres
ident believes has been more in ev-
dence in the past quarter of century
than in "any similar period since the
American and French revolutions"
The great gain" upon which the coun-
try Is now entering will include a
"greater material prosperity" it is true,
but it will be prosperity for "a hum
dred and twenty million human beings,
and not a prosperity for the top of
the pyramid alone. 1t can be a pros
perity socially controlled for the COM
mon good. 1t can be prosperity built
on spiritual and social values, rather
than on special privilege and special
power"
If the President is at times inclined
to deal with complex objectives in terms
of generalities, the fact remains that
inspiring leadership does not depend
upon analytical or detailed discussion of
fact. No general calling on his troops
to seize and hold strongly fortified
position ever found 1t necessary to dis
cuss with his soldiers the advisabiltty
of weighing the pros and the cons or
of measuring the disadvantages as
against the possible advantages of the
next charge. The chief duty Of the
President in these times is to lead, and
President Roosevelt has left no one IN
doubt as to the fact that he is acquit-
ting himself as leader who enjoys the
affectionate confidence Of an extraordi-
nary following.
But his speech last night was not con-
fined to generalities. He became spe-
cific in the matter of condemning the
barbaric outbreaks Of mob action and
lynching. If the growing national SEN
timent Of indignant condemnation of
the attitude Of California's Gov. Rolph
needed any encouragement, the Presi-
dent furnished it:
This new generation, for example. is
not content with preachings against
that vile form of collective murder
lynch law-which has broken out in
our midst anew. We know that 1t Is
murder, and a deliberate and definite
disobedience of the commandment,
Thou shalt not kill" We do not ex-
cuse those in high places or in low
who condone lynch law.
This Indictment the President imme-
diately strengthened by pointing to
the "sad state Of disrepair" of the
courts, in many places-which is most
commonly mentioned by those who
seek to condone or to excuse the action
Of crazed and irresponsible mobs. But
the civilized procedure, of course, is not
further to weaken the courts because
parts of the judicial function Of gov
eminent has shown signs Of decay. "It
must be part of our program to re-
establish it," said the President.