BELIEVE IN REFORM IF IT IMPOSES NO SACRIFICE

BELIEVE IN REFORM IF IT IMPOSES NO SACRIFICE

Americans are morally easy. They dislike to believe that real virtue has anything to do with a steep and thorny path. It has, however. "Nothing is more common," in the words of Burke, "than for men to wish, and call loudly, too, for a reformation, who, when it arrives, do by no means like the severity of its aspect." The strength of ring government, whether in New York, Philadelphia or St. Louis, depends upon the absence of the severer virtues. Why does Tammany, for instance, so often win? Why did it win the other day in the teeth of all reason? Because there are so many people who, although willing to inflict virture upon others, do not relish it themselves. Many of the police and firemen voted against Mayor Low because they lost improper privileges under him. Hundreds were disgusted by the Commissioner of Health, because no man likes to be vaccinated against his will, or forced to fix his own drain, or stop music at midnight because he is a public nuisance, or spend money in cleanness if he is a barber. Others were preoccupied about their Sunday beer. Others about their taxes. Each of us would rather be an exception to the strict demeanor required for civic progress. As soon as it touches us personally, reform is an undue check to liberty. Realizing this inconsistency, many of the most attractive Americans take a cheerful, fatalistic view of conduct, allowing to others all the liberties for which they realize a fondness in themselves. This fairness is, as far as it goes, a virtue. We should be stronger, however, if we seized the other horn of the dilemma, imposed upon ourselves the duties which we saw to be good in others, and took civic affairs seriously. Man's attention is limited, and ours has been concentrated on industry. The number of persons who do not care to fix their minds entirely on pecuniary progress is increasing, and, as we must have something that seems worthy of devotion, one result will be a greater willingness to bring effort and sacrifice into public life. --

Collier's Weekly.