The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-13
Everybody Does It"

Editor Morning NeDs: One of your
readers, a lady of more than the average
mind and requirements, original in thought
and independent in action, requested your
writer to give his views upon: Every
body Does It." She had supreme con-
tempt for the want of individualism, indie
pendence and self-reliance of those who re-
solved themselves into mere echoes, imita~
tors and re alters, who dared not act, think
or follow their own reason and judgment in
matters OF taste, habits, thoughts and do
ing. She admired personal independence
both in man aud woman, and advocated
that God given right for one to think and
act for themselves, and thus give to the
world new character, for every individ-
ual is an original character, made and
created without a model or au example.
As the mixing of col1rs produces new colors,
so the mixing of different mental tempera-
ments and characters produces new char
acters Such was the outline of her
thoughts.
She was right in every respect. The
world only advances in thought as people
dare to think; to think for themselves,
to think independently of their education,
association and the They says" of society,
An active lie Is better for the world than
the silent truth, for it puts the mind to
work, to reason, to think The only way to
reach the common everyday mind is to
! shock ito present some startling truth
out OF the common run of old ideas aud ac-
cepted truths.
Jesus shocked the minds Of the Jewish
authorities with his new aud bold asser-
tons Of truth. st. Paul put the Greek and
Roman minds on a new line of thought, and
dealt a blow to polytheism that made it
reel aud stagger uDder the assertion that
there was but one God, the father Of the
world. History is full Of daring men who,
cutting themselves loose from old ideas,
gave the world new thoughts. Every man
and woman is a world to themselves: they
are producers, creators and suggestors in
some sort OF way. Our thoughts our
children are, and give them to the world
for what they are worth and what they
| may do for the world
The cowardly retreat behind the bull
warks Of Everybody Does 1t, lis declara-
tion to the world of a want of individuality
| of character, of true manhood and woman
| hood. Circumstances, surroundings, en-
| vlronments are never taken into considera-
ton, because Every body Does It" The
| young lady must try to make a show beyond
| the ability of the father to CRAFTY that
show, because everybody in the social
sphere does it. The young man guilty of a
| bad habit or vice eases his conscience and
social standing by saying: "All the young
| lo11OWo w n6 tueGCudUb WHO lies hDOuL
| his goods lodges behind the mercantile
counter with the exclamation: "All the
merchants do it.n
10 lie we'll and handsomely has grown
| into an accomplishments; aud perjury as to
what one is worth when in the presence of
the tax receiver is q virtue, because they
all do it.n AS long as towards have the
majority in society, SO long will society be
| demorallZed. But when each and every one
| nf fhpir ~
thinking, acting, and their honor, truth
and integrity, then, and only then, will SO,
ciety rise to higher grade of true morality.
The surrendering of the mind to the keep
ing OF another, to society, to the church, to
anything, demands mental emascuation
| which only those who dare not think will
| submit to. Truth is what my mind tells
me is truth, not truth to another. A thinker
! cannot be independent Of his mind, his true
self. All truth is based on certainty to that
mind, and, in the language of another:
Certainty is based on private Judgment;
that is, mans reason is the measure Of truth
to himself. He is satisfied of the truth of
proposition only when it has been demon
strated to him, and that demonstration has
taken hold OF and conviced his reason.n The
very instincts of our nature cry out for full,
free and rational thought in everything.
! Every one should swim in the current of
their own thoughts and nature, put on
their originality which comes with them
when they came into the world.
Variety is the spice Of life and to see
variety but elevates and develops the mind.
Without it the dry rot of the brain takes
place. The world is made better for men
and women who dare to be true to them
selves; dare to say: II do it because want
to do it. do it because dare to do it. l
do 1t because it suits me, suits my mind,
suits my circumstances, suits my surround
lngs. As my nose is my own, made after
no patterns, SO is my mind, and propose
to wear my nose in public, and give to the
world my thoughts and actions in public"
In It's last analysis, individuality Of char
acter is not afraid of himself or herself; cuts
its own channel of thought, and says TO the
They Says What are you going to do
about itF Says to society: 81 am not a
vile imitator, an echo or retailer, but an
original, such as you see me- r. M. o.