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Then are you sinners against light, deniers
in effect of the Christian faith, and traitors
to the fundamental principles on which
this nation rests.

Now as to Springfield. Where in the
world is there a city more fortunately
conditioned than ours, both in respect of
its physical situation and surroundings,
and the character of its population, to de-
velop into a real city beautiful, as well as
a city prosperous and wealthy, not merely
in individual holdings of stocks and bonds,
but in happy and useful and fruitful lives
and noble institutions? Who will say that,
in the growth of the city thus far, such
efforts as we have made for the spiritual
enrichment and physical adornment of the
town have failed to bear fruit of the high-
est practical value? Have not Forest
park, our public library, Art and Science
museums, our excellent schools, our beau-
tiful churches, our smaller public squares
scattered through the city, our St Gaudens
statue, added materially to the value of
our real estate, promoted the growth of
population, increased the revenues of our
merchants and manufactures? Surely our
experience hitherto should lead us to pro-
ceed wisely, confidently and broadly on
these lines, in preparing for the larger
population, the great development of our
local business interests which are to come
to us if we are responsive to the oppor-
tunities which time unfolds.

You remember the old saying that "God
made the country and man made the
town." With our present knowledge,
through experience and observation of the
world about us, should we not seek to give
God as free a hand as may be, as we
proceed with the building of our city? In
other words, should we not preserve and
glorify, and prepare to enjoy, more and
more, both within the city and around it,
the beautiful natural features which God
made when he created this lovely con-
necticut valley? In the last 60 years we
and our predecessors have done all that
we could to degrade and dishonor the glori-
ous river which flows by our gates. Is it
not time to change the policy and to begin
to honor and preserve and enjoy this most
beautiful of all the natural features that
we possess?

The opportunity now seems to lie open
to us, not only to recover our river for the
uses and pleasure of our people, but at
the same time, by the proposed change in
the location of the railroad, which skirts
the river bank, and the attendant develop-
ments which would follow such a change
of location, to vastly improve our facili-
ities for carrying on business. Shall we
not then stamp ourselves as plain fools if
we do not improve this opportunity?

With the steady growth of population
in the city and its contributory territory,
it becomes increasingly important that we
should soon make provision of another
first-class street for retail business pur-
poses. Such a thoroughfare our Water
street would naturally become if the tracks
were removed from the river front, and the
new bridge were to end on this side of the
river in an open parkway stretching from
the railroad bridge to Elm street. It is
easy to conceive that there would be an
early development of the east side of
Water street, under these circumstances,
for retail business and a later develop-
ment of a similar character south of Elm
street.

Notwithstanding the present somewhat
degraded and uninviting conditions which
prevail along the railroad track below
Elm street, it seems assured, if the ex-
perience and example of other cities, much
older than ours, count for anything, that
an attractive and desirable street would
ultimately be developed along the river
side where the track now runs.

If it be suggested that we are to lose
taxable property by the removal of the
railroad across the river and of certain
industries that may be dependent upon it,
the answer is that it is merely a question
of time when West Springfield and Chico-
pee will again become a part of the old
town. The absorption of West Springfield
would naturally soon follow such a change
in conditions as we are contemplating.