Mr. John Jay Chapman '84 spoke informally in the Fogg Lecture Room last night, on "Public Opinion." Mr. Chapman began by referring to the corrupt conditions prevailing in New York since 1871. Little by little, reform work has been taken up, at first, almost unconsciously, recently, with clear purpose and understanding. In former times people thought that their political duties ended with a little bribery of the tax collector; they never cared for whom they voted. Now, the whole system of modern reform is analogous to the religious reforms of the Middle Ages, and men go into politics for the sake of purer government.

Most reform movements are started by groups of a few men. There is a great danger in this fact, though it is one not easy to perceive. When the standard, the ideal, is set by a group, it is certain to be lower than when upheld by an individual, and the public, seeing a spirit of compromise in the new organization, at once loses all faith in it. Here we have the secret of the failure of many such enterprises, and it is hard to blame any one for it. Indeed, the claim is made that a practical politician, though of the future in his desires, must be of the present in his deeds. In other words, expediency is better than idealism. This is a false view to hold, however; party lines are rapidly dissolving in these days, and no party dares claim support merely as a party. The time has come for independent action, and this can best be had by each man working for the best, regardless of support from others. The only issue before us now is public honesty; every so-called party issue is only a shibboleth.