At the very least be a member of an active political club which is working for your party’s success.  There are such clubs in most wards of our cities.

They are the power-houses of our political system.  Party sentiment finds its first public expression there—­often it has its beginnings there in the free conversations which characterize such American political societies.  You will find the “leaders” gathering there, too; and in the talks among these men those plans gradually take form by which nominations are made and even platforms are formulated.

These “leaders” are men who, in the practical work of politics, develop ability, activity, and effectiveness.  There is a great deal of sneering at the lesser political leaders in American politics.  They are called “politicians,” and the word is used as a term of reproach, and sometimes deservedly.  But ordinarily these “leaders,” especially in the country districts of the Republic, are men who keep the machinery of free institutions running.

The influence of no boss or political general can retain a young man in leadership.  Favoritism may give you the place of “local leader”; but nothing but natural qualities can keep you in it.  The more we have of honest, high-grade “local leaders,” the better.

Whether you, young man, become one or not, you ought at least to be a part of the organization, and work with the other young men who are leaders.  But be sure to make one condition to your fealty—­require them to be honest.

“I have no time for politics,” said a business man; “it takes all my time and strength to attend to my business.”

That means that he has no time for free institutions.  It means that this “blood-bought privilege” which we call “the priceless American ballot” is not worth as much to him as the turning of a dollar, or even as the loss of a single moment’s personal comfort.

“Come down to the club to-night; we are going to talk over the coming campaign,” said one man to another in an American city of moderate size and ideal conditions.

“Excuse me,” was the answer; “we have a theater party on hand to-night.”

Yes; but while the elegant gentleman of society enjoys the witty conversation of charming women, and while the business man is attending to his personal affairs and nothing else, the other fellows are determining nominations, and under the direction of able and creative political captains shaping the policies of parties, and in the end the fate of the Nation.

Of course that is all right if that is your conception of American citizenship.  But if this is going to be “a government of the people and by the people,” you, as one of the people, have got to take part in it.  That means you have got to take part in it all the time.

Occasional spasms of violent civic virtue amount to little in their permanent results.  They only scare bad men for a day or two.  Their very ardor soon burns them out.  The citizen has got to do more than that—­he has got to take an every-day-and-every-week interest in our civic life.  If he does not, our brave and beautiful experiment in self-government will surely fail and we shall be ruled not even by a trained and skilful tyrant, but by a series of coarse and corrupt oligarchies.