Life — January 29, 1914 — page 18: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JANUARY 29, 1914 “* While there ts Life there's Hope"" VOL. 63 No, 1631 Published by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY J. A. Mircuett, Pres't. A. Mitten, Sec’y and Treas. 17 West Thirty-first Street, New York English Offices, Rolls House, Breams Bidgs., London, E. C. CITIZEN who was asked why Bos- ton did not make better newspapers an- swered, “Because she hasn't got the brains”, That brutal answer in a rough way covers everything, and answers equally well the question why she doesn’t elect better Mayors, But it leaves something to be added. Boston has just elected a new Mayor. She had the most improved ballot the wit of reformers could devise, bare of party emblems and everything else that could distract the mind of the voter from the merits of the candidates. The voter’s mind being thus left perfectly free to work, he elected by five or six thousand majority, Mr. Congressman Curley, a citizen who, a few years since, laid the foundation of political success by serving a term in jail to pay for his good fortune in being caught imper- sonating another man in a civil service examination. Mr. Curley’s remedy for civil service reform was popular among his neighbors. As soon as he had done his time they began electing him to office, and presently sent him twice to Congress, and now have made him Mayor of Boston. This is gratifying as evidence that the penal system of Massachusetts does not extinguish hope in the bosoms of its patrons, but the more fastidious part of Boston does not consider Mr. Curley a suit- able character to be Mayor. The Springfield Republican, compar- ing recent Mayors of Boston, and now Curley, with the last four Mayors of New York finds the New York Mayors incomparably abler and better, and, taking everything into account, can think of no other reason for it than that “of the two cities to-day, New York is the more civilized”. That is a gentler way of saying that New York has better brains. But as to that, the mere fact that New York at present elects better Mayors is not convincing proof. It must be remem- bered how large a share of the brains of Boston is habitually engaged in running Harvard College, and lately the New Haven railroad. Only a remnant can be applied to local politics. And what a queer problem local poli- tics must seem to the old Boston stock. The civic family is overrun with step- children just as it is here; prepon- derant now in numbers, of great vari- ety, and very slightly concerned or acquainted with the older members of the family, New York has the advantage of a much longer experience of this condi- tion, and possibly it has taught her more than Boston has learned as yet. New York, just now, may be a better school of politics than Boston. But, after all, it is not two years yet since New York made Sulzer Governor, and Sulzer and Curley seem to be very much of a kind. New York is a very nice town; a lively, open-minded, incoherent, live- your-own-life place. It is very instruc- tive in a thousand ways, but with the tango in all its hotels, its tax-rate, its taxicab-rate, its emotional uplifters and money constantly dropping out of all its pockets, it is not yet civilized enough to hurt. OSSIBLY if some competent hand should write a ourse on the Uses of the Blatherskite in Civilization there would be consolation in it for Boston. The Blatherskite has activity of the mind and utterance, geared to an imperfect perception of truth, and indifference to even so much of it as he can perceive. That amounts to activity without character, for the basis of character is respect for truth, The office of blatherskites in politics is something like the office of earth- worms in agriculture. They loosen up the soil of thought. The respectable minds are prone to harden, and to be- come constitutionally content with the political or social or economic con- ditions that they have helped to create. When such conditions are outgrown and need readjustment, the respectable minds are seldom conscious of it. Along come the blatherskites talking various degrees of folly, together with some particles of necessary sense that their fluid and hospitable minds absorb from the atmosphere. Partly by sheer volubility, partly because of their su- perior sensitiveness to atmospheric influences, they catch the popular ear, and sometimes run away with parties. They are not constructive and cannot make government, but they may. be quite useful to change it. When they get office, or even when they threaten to get it, people are scared and wake up. They see that power has got into irresponsible hands, and that something must be done about it; and then they begin to consider seriously what is the matter and what to do. ¢eh POM! HAT helps to mend matters, An- other thing that helps is the sobering responsibility of office. It comicbooks.com