I was just now reading The Last Hurrah, Edwin O’Connor’s 1956 novel about Boston politics. In the light of the recent passing of Teddy Kennedy, the following passage provokes a wistful smile. Mayor Skeffington is planning his reelection bid:

“We might begin by having another look at the field,” Skeffington said, examining once more the list of names he held in his hand: CHARLES F. HENNESSEY, ENRICO NUCATOLLA, JAMES NUGENT, FRANCIS X. RYAN, J. J. FARINACCI, KEVIN MCCLUSKEY, WILLARD CHASE. At the last name he chuckled.
“Hope springs eternal in the thin bosom of Willard Chase,” he said. “That’s the best definition of an optimist I know: the head of the Planned Parenthood Committee running for mayor of this city. An Arab would have a better chance in Tel Aviv. . . .”

The last hurrah, indeed. But we should remember that dramatic change does not always go in the same direction, and that the younger generation is more enlightened on the life issues than its immediate predecessors.