ry to the
election of public representatives and officers upon real issues. If
elections were so held, successful candidates would come generally to be
men competent to consider and expert in dealing with questions of state
and administration. And if legislators and executives were so competent
and expert, and were not merely men accomplished in intrigue or active
in party contests, we should have from them conscientious and
intelligent social reforms. Legislative committees, governors, mayors,
commissioners of charities and corrections, superintendents of prisons,
reformatories, almshouses, and hospitals, would then patiently listen
and intelligently act upon discussions and of the condition of the
extremely poor and the vicious, and especially of children and young men
and women not yet hopelessly hardened."

Few persons will deny that such a work as this needs everywhere to be
done so that the charities of the country shall no longer be
administered in the interests of a party.

The Society has been in active operation about four years, and its
success has thus far been most gratifying. It has already induced
hundreds of people to make a careful study of American history and
politics, and its influence is now felt throughout the length and
breadth of this land. The very fact of such an effort is one of the
encouraging signs of the times, and should be encouraged by all who aim
for the welfare of the Republic.

* * * * *

But there is still another open field for work in this direction, and
this perhaps lies more in the power of the people themselves. We allude
to the necessity of public lectures, in every community, on the great
themes pertaining to American politics and history. It must be evident
to every observer that our so-called "Lyceum Courses" are to-day sadly
deficient in efforts to educate the people. There is a perfect craze
at the present time for concerts, readings, and a similar order of
entertainments,--all of which are doubtless good enough of their kind
and are capable of exerting a certain moral influence that cannot be
questioned. But is it plausible that such pabulum meets all the needs of
those people who frequent these entertainments? If it does, the fault
lies with the people and not with those who are capable of amusing them.

We would suggest to the public-spirited ladies and gentlemen living in
our towns and cities to try the following experiment;--Plan a