Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1886-09-24
HISTORY OF A HOBBY.

the fact that the crank of YESTERDAY
is leader to-day, so to speak. We
frequently see his hobby assume such
gigantic aud noble proportions that
instead Of being despIsed, as was the
case in IFS younger and weaker days,
it is admired and respected by all
who know it. 1t becomes the gener-
al favorlte, and every body is anxious
to get an opportunity to ride it, it's
SO popular, YOU know. It's iineal de-
scendants are held in highest esteem,
being of grand and noble parentage,
and the originator of the now favor
lite breed is no longer crank-he
takes the lead. The chief meaning
Of the word crank, at the present day,
according to general acceptation, is
an originator OF new ideas, new meth
ods-ln short, sees where he thinks
improvements and Announcements can
be made, and proceeds with efforts
to make them, regardless of the adj
verse opinions of those of the stand
still kind, who look with whitening
contempt and high-grade Indignation
at any proposed improvement on the
old patent. They are of the 'old-
way is.the- best" kind. But when the
crank, after l. hard struggle, succeeds
IN battering down old prejudices with
the tough shillaIah OF hard facts and
convincing demonstrations that the
new way is best, he is then a great
man aud his followers are legion. But
if he does not thus succeed, he re-
mains crank. At the present day
1T is compliment, i'll the majority of
cases, to be termed u crank. 1t gen.
Grail means that you have an origi-
nal advanced idea, and that you en-
Geavor to be All inventor of new and
/ O~eS>' SNA oOtHiO St VI " anu ulClL-
DDS, and that you are not, as an elo-
quent man fguratively aud beautiful
~ expresses 1t, "a wise looking owl
that sits on Il dead limb Of the tree Of
knowledge and boots the same old
hoot." The less fossiized you are,
the more cram " you are. The com
plete fossil has no symptoms whatever
of crankiness. We cannot all be
cranks. But few OF US are endowed
by nature with qualifications to act
the part of tirst-ciass cranks. II we
cannot be crank, let's be as near
one as we can with our limited abIli-
ties. The world needs all the cranks
that can be developed. Not the sort
of person the word crank was made
TO mean few Years ago-a mean,
dlSagreeable, half-crazy, murderous
vIlIlan. he word has Of late been
clothed with new meaning. Two
or three now leading Democrats Of
Idaho onl y very few years ago were
read out OF the party because they
were cranks with new hobbies-new
for the Idaho Democracy They
were brave enough 20 ride the hobby
regardless of the taunts and sneers OF
the wild and woollv Democracy.
They thought more of their hobby
than they did of place and the good
will of their brother Democrats. rhe
hobby few years ago was young
thing, and didn't create much of a
rulnpus. 1t was weak in the back
and couldn't carry much of load
But recently, in the Bellevue conven-
ton, it was lead in. 1t had grown
wonderfully in proportions and
strength, and kicked and launched
and calaruped around, greatly fright
ening those who didn't like it when
it was young, small ana weak in the
back. a majority of the convention
piled onto the back OF the hobby,
| which cavorted and flew around the
convention at great speed. Some of
its former enemies appealed to mercy