The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-10-30
DO YOUR OWN THINKING.


When current tendencies of indi-
viduals are sifted and closely scruti-
nized the inevitable conclusion is
reached that comparatively few peo-
pie do their own thinking and that
a few individuals lead the world.
We see this fact too clearly manifest
in all the walks of lite. This is
wrong and its results are anything
than satisfactory. In this enlight-
ened era and with the numerous and
easily accessible sources of informa-
ton, no man or set Of men should
depend upon another to dc his or
their thinking, but should do their
own thinking especially upon public
questions and should do their own
measuring of public men.
This is a government of the peo-
pie, tor the people, and by the peo-
pie, and unless men think for them
selves, to reasonable extent, and
especially upon public questions,
how can the will OF the people be
ascertained in these matters We
would prohibit no one man, or set of
men from promulgating or ventilat-
ing his views and opinions upon any
question pertaining to the general
good, but the ''ipse dixit" of no one
such man should be or become law
and gospel to all. For if one man
do the thinking for the state, for the
county tor the municipality for the
community, and the results of his
thoughts prove disastrous, the fruit
age thereof falls upon all. Far be
it from freemen, endowed with the
spirit of true manhood, to permit
themselves to be thus dominated bv
selt-constituted autocrats. This has
too long been one OF the perils of
our political fabric. And we are
glad to know that there has been
and is being a great awakening
among the people upon this very
point, and that there is stronger
tendency among the yeomanry of
the county to think for themselves
on general and public issues than
ever before in the days that are
gone.
The laboring people of the coun-
try are being better educated as to
their personal and individual inter-
est in matters political and govern
mental, and education on any line
naturally leads men to think on that
line. But in this particular, men
should not depend solely nor too
much upon their teachers, but
should exercise constantly the high
prerogatiye and privilege that be-
longs to every American freeman,
of thinking much for themselves.
When any public question or gen
eral issue is sprung and toisted up
on the people, the declaration of no
one man, as to its propriety or spe-
cial adaptability to the general good
should command from the masses
an immediate and ready obedience
to his nod, but each and every man
should resort to the multiplied
channels of information springing
out of reason and discussion and Gull
therefrom data upon which to form,
not an extreme, but "a conservative
opinion. In short he should digest
these general issues as best he may,
AID evolve from them, if possible,
their practicle workings, and there
by be prepared to act from the stand
point Of his own reasoning and
Judgment and not solely from the
saysc of another. There is too great
tendency, especially in the political
world, among the masses to tie on,
heart and soul, to the unsupported
declarations OF some leader or lead
ers, who down in the secret recesses
OF their heart,a ARE acting from selfish
motives, without stopping to think
for themselves.-Forsyth Advertis.
er.