78 Fellow-feeling as 



scientiously endeavors to throw in his lot with those 

 ( about him, to make his interests theirs, to put him 

 self in a position where he and they have a common 

 object, will at first feel a little self-conscious, will 

 realize too plainly his own aims. But with exercise 

 this will pass off. He will speedily find that the 

 fellow-feeling which at first he had to stimulate was 

 really existent, though latent, and is capable of a 

 very healthy growth. It can, of course, become 

 normal only when the man himself becomes gen 

 uinely interested in the object which he and his fel 

 lows are striving to attain. It is therefore obviously 

 desirable that this object should possess a real and 

 vital interest for every one. Such is the case with a 

 proper political association. 



Much has been done, not merely by the ordinary 

 political associations, but by the city clubs, civic 

 federations, and the like, and very much more can 

 be done. Of course there is danger of any such 

 association being perverted either by knavery or 

 folly. When a partisan political organization be 

 comes merely an association for purposes of plunder 

 and patronage, it may be a menace instead of a help 

 to a community; and when a non-partisan political 

 organization falls under the control of the fantastic 

 extremists always attracted to such movements, in 

 its turn it becomes either useless or noxious. But 

 if these organizations, partisan or non-partisan, are 



