Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 1.djvu/569

Rh political habits of the people—a change from habitual neglect of political duties by the body of our so-called good citizens to habitual attention to them. Happily, this does not involve a change of heart and habit in all so-called good citizens. That would be hopeless—for large numbers of "good citizens" are at present incapable of good citizenship. But all are not needed; for so potent is righteousness and right thinking in city affairs that one righteous citizen is stronger than a hundred workers of evil. It does not take all to gain control. And control is not as far off as it was a few years ago. When New York can have fairly good government for even one year no city need to despair. A new era is at hand. The "good citizen" is to give place to a better citizen.

Much may be done by charter changes and the like to prepare the way; but it is impossible to get good city government in America without reforming the attitude of the well-intentioned people. And one cannot too emphatically, or too often, cry out against the tendency to overvalue the importance of technical changes and reforms. They are right and good—but they after all touch but the lifeless form of city government that can only be made alive, can only be touched by the Promethean fire, by the energy of men without axes to grind. The ideas of good government cannot enter otherwise into these nerveless forms. Public spirit, the only source, the only spring, of life for good city government in America, cannot gain a foothold in city government except through the energy of the well-intentioned men in the community. I speak of permanent phases. Certainly a mayor, however elected, may be a public-spirited official—and for the time being we may have one man striving against tremendous odds. But right city government can be permanently brought about only through the reform of the bad habits of the good people.

It is so strongly my feeling that the trouble lies in the disused or weakly used citizenship of the honest part of the people that I principally care to urge that thought. All that has been so far done is due to the awakening of popular interest, to the