The New Mayor's Policy
The story of the kidnaping spread through the city like wildfire, and
surmounted in interest even the result of the election. As usual in such
cases, the facts were exaggerated and speculation ran rife as to the
principals in the plot. Some people (the more sensible) thought the
Burke forces had planned and executed the whole coup, but others
believed that it originated with Sam Watt's party and that Armstrong,
getting wind of the carrying away of Gertrude Van Deusen, speedily
turned the tables on Allingham by hiring another cab and seizing upon
him as he was leaving his house alone, to walk down town to the public
debate. It leaked out, too, that there were two men with the cab which
carried John Allingham, lest,--the people said,--he should try to break
the plate glass front and jump from his moving prison. But that the plot
was a well-matured one was proven by the fact that outside locks had
been placed on the doors to both cabs, so that they could not be forced
open from the inside.
No definite clue, however, could be obtained to the perpetrators of the
kidnaping scheme, although both sufferers from it had put private
detectives at work upon the affair. But, like many startling public
events, the midnight ride of the two candidates was a "nine days'
wonder" and then the public interest centered around the newly elected
mayor.
Gertrude had need not only of public sympathy, but of all the courage
and clear-sightedness which she had inherited. This she realized more
fully than ever, when the excitement of campaigning was over. If she had
chosen to spend her time and strength and money on automobiles or fine
clothes, people would have passed upon her choice as the natural thing,
and envied her way of living; but now that she had elected to work hard
and to give herself freely to fighting for principle and establishing
good government in her city, her friends of different tastes whispered
among themselves, "How strange!" "How unwomanly!" "How unnatural for a
woman!"
"The only motives many people can understand," said Gertrude one day to
her cousin, "are the ones by which they themselves are actuated. And not
always then. My rich friends may not be able to understand, but the
plain people will; the ones who are capable of conviction and of
sacrifices for conviction will."
"All the same, Gertie," retorted her cousin, "this world is not made up
of Savonarolas nor other burn-at-the-stake folks. You are in a bad
scrape and I wish you had had sense enough to say no when those women
dragged you forth," which only went to prove the axiom that one's
relatives are privileged of speech.
But the new mayor paid no attention to her cousin and went on calmly
planning for the future of Roma, visiting its various institutions and
getting as thorough an insight into its public administration as
possible before taking her place in the mayor's chair. She visited the
schools, the hospitals, the police stations, the jail. She was
overwhelmed with the magnitude of what she had undertaken, but already
dreamed of a new and beautiful development of the city. She consulted
with the leading business men,--judges, lawyers, and the clergy. She
began to evolve ideas of her own and thanked Heaven every night that she
had been endowed with courage and will-power sufficient to keep her from
turning back from her municipal plough in a panic,--courage enough to
keep her head high and her aim straight in the path that lay in front of
her. She began to draw near the people, to feel a personal interest in
them, to realize the great brotherhood of humanity, and to wonder how
best she might hope to apply the highest social ideals to the everyday
life of her city. Did any man ever take possession of the mayoral chair
with purer hopes or more worthy ambitions?
In the meantime every mail brought her letters more or less
congratulatory in tone. Some predicted a glorious career ahead for her;
some half concealed their disbelief in her ability to fulfill the duties
she was to assume; some openly warned her of the perils of weakness and
demagogue government, or advised her against the institution of radical
reforms.
Socially, she was more in demand than before. Dinners and receptions
demanded her presence as chief guest, while her newly acquired gift of
speech-making was called into requisition on all sorts of occasions. But
the finest social affair of all was the dinner given in her honor by the
"Progressive Workers," on the night before her inauguration. To this
were invited all the notable men and women of Roma, the mayors of the
neighboring cities and the governor of the State, who really attended,
supported by a galaxy of uniformed officers which lent brilliancy by
their glittering stars and bars, if not by their wit and intellect.
Gertrude, arrayed in her finest Paris gown,--a white embroidered crepon
with garniture of exquisite lace,--received the guests at six o'clock,
in line with the governor and the mayors of six other cities, together
with Mrs. Bateman as president of the "P. W.'s", and Judge Bateman of
the City Reform Club. John Allingham had been invited, too, to stand in
line, as the head of the Municipal League, but until the last moment no
answer was received from him.
Gertrude had not seen him since election day. He had been ill after the
election was all over, and unable to go out for a fortnight; and
although he had been strongly tempted to write a note of congratulation
to the new mayor, he was kept back by pride--which in this case, it must
be admitted, was another name for obstinacy. For this reason, he did not
decide whether or no to attend the new mayor's reception until Bailey
Armstrong descended upon him in the League rooms, two days before the
date.
"Why don't you answer your bid for the reception to Miss Van Deusen,
Jack?" he asked bluntly, as he seated himself in the chair nearest the
chairman's private desk. "Can't you lay aside your prejudice long enough
for that?"
"Well, what do you think?" replied Jack. "The League refused to endorse
her, you know."
"Under you, yes," retorted Bailey with the frankness of an old friend.
"But isn't it about time the League came around and did the square
thing? You're putting the League in a bad light, Jack; really you are. I
thought you had more sense. And, I tell you, Miss Van Deusen is going to
give this town a waking up, such as will make you want to enlist under
her banner--quick. Come, be decent, now."
"If you think it will be best for the League," began Allingham.
"Yes. It'll be better for the League--and best for you," said Bailey.
"Hurry up now and write your acceptance, and then come."
It was late when he arrived, and the rooms were closely crowded with
guests, so that he was hurried past the receiving party and left in his
place in the line. He had just a formal greeting for Gertrude and at the
dinner was seated where he could only note her beauty and brilliancy
from afar. But the effect was John Allingham's first eye-opener in the
development of the modern woman. Brought up as he had been, by a narrow
jealous mother, kept close at his books, living at home, even during his
college days, he had never before come under the direct influence of the
women who are becoming an educative, progressive power in the world of
today; and he began to wonder for the first time in his life, if a
woman might not be a strong force in public reforms and still retain
her refinement of spirit and her home-loving, home-keeping qualities.
He recalled how lovely Gertrude Van Deusen used to look as a girl of
eighteen, when he had seen her at public gatherings with her
distinguished father. But here tonight, she was even more beautiful; her
expression was sweeter and more confident; the fine lines of her figure
suggested power, and also repose. She had the same rich color, the same
lovely curves, the same joyous health; but she had, too, a wiser and a
far finer face.
"And yet," he told himself, "all my study and travel and observation
tells me a woman's natural position in society is in a safely guarded
home; and the evil consequences of meddling with this position must show
themselves, sooner or later. Humanity is of one general quality
everywhere,--and that not so high as she apparently believes. Changes in
social ideals are more or less dangerous and indicate decadence, often,
rather than advance. Yet the atmosphere tonight is charged with joyous
triumph. Let us see what she is going to say."
For amidst deafening applause, the new mayor had begun to speak to the
assemblage around her.
"I am not going to announce any definite line of policy," she was
saying, "because, as yet, I have none. I shall take up the work as it
comes to me and shall not forget that I am after all only the city's
chiefest servant. But, there are many thoughts which I would share with
you. There are many things I would have you be thinking over, that we
may see alike, perhaps, in the future when our work develops,--for it is
yours as much as mine, this work of making a better city. Instead of
accepting a written code of first principles in municipal ethics (and
why not municipal ethics as well as moral and medical ethics?) let us
learn to trace and connect, explain and apply, so as to make our
accepted truths into a working principle. Every trade, every profession,
has a basis of ethical knowledge; all conduct, public or private, has
its ethics. Get the people to study the science of conduct, the
development of the ideal into everyday life, and our public morality
will rise and spread every year. We have separated too much those two
closely allied things, religion and ethics. Let's try to bring them
together right here in Roma. We can't reform the city in a year,--but we
can begin. No religion is alive until--unless it works. We want no
'varnish religion,' as somebody called it; we want no ethics that won't
strike in and uplift humanity as high as is humanly possible. God is
still busy in Roma. It is our business, as private citizens, as well as
public officials, to take right hold and help. Let us all set ourselves
to studying the ethics of city government. What have been our especial
hindrances, and why? What can be done to improve matters, and how? What
are our first and most crying needs, and who are our best men and women
to help them? We are set here together to help on the good work. I'd
rather see the people of Roma loving each other in dollars and cents'
and reaching out to help, realizing the immeasurable happiness of living
by giving themselves in service, than anything else in the world. We can
all demonstrate the highest social relation, our highest duty to God, by
doing things. Will you help?"
There were tears in the eyes of the other women present when she sat
down,--and a corresponding feeling in the hearts of many men, for she
had stirred to the depths many a heart that only needed the path of duty
pointed out, to desire to walk therein.
As for John Allingham, he sat spellbound. A woman,--a young woman to
talk like this? to dream of applying the doctrines of ethics to city
politics? And in the City Hall of Roma? And yet,--why not?
When the exercises were over and the goodnights were being said, he went
over to where she stood, shaking hands again with the departing guests
and joyously receiving pledge after pledge of help from those whose
assistance she most eagerly desired. He had to wait for some moments
before his chance came. But finally he held out his hand and said with
more cordiality than he had thought possible:
"I want to congratulate Roma upon its woman-mayor. I want to thank you
for what you said tonight; and please count on me, from now on, to help
in every possible way."
He was still young enough to thrill at the tone of her voice and the
light in her eyes as she thanked him, and said, "I shall remember."