Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-10-18
Sour Grapes.

Sour Grapes.
Editor Register-It Ia not clear II
me why Prof. Chew should make thu
structures he does in your last issue
under the above caption, on the .sCon
ference school" question. It does moi
seem to me that 1.-THE interest of truth
justice and fairness" required it. My
previous letter was not controversial.
It censured nobody. Impugned nc
ones motives or acts. It was not
written to ''minify or misrepresen1
Fredericktown's victory" 1t was sim.
ply written to tell our Arcadia Valley
people in brief and general way,
what had been done in relation to the
school. Life seemed too short to tell
the story to each citizen on the street.
on my return home; else no word from
me would have appeared in print, for
l heartily wish the school success
wherever located.
Mr.. Chew seems to be troubled in
mind and puzzled as to why we did not
act ditferently-whyw we did not with.
draw our offer before a vote was TAX
en-, if we were not satisfied with the
resolution passed by Conference.
Not recognizing his right to bring
us to account for dereliction of duty,
but as a special favor to SO anxious a
speaker after knowledge, and Gin the
interest of truth and justice" will
say that we had no authority to with
draw the offer of Arcadia Valley. We
were sent there simply to present it..
When Conference passed the resolu-
ton published in my former letter, de-
clining financial responsibility, We
told Conference frankly that this was
not what the people of Arcadia Valley
had expected when they made their
offer, and we were not prepared to say
that they would make good their offer,
unless Conference would pledge itself
to support the school enterprise, NOR
ally. religiously and financially in the
future, as it had done in the past. II
Conference had accepted our offer, and
pledged itself as suggested, Arcadia
Valley would have complied with its
offer. Our action was fair and open.
No one was deceived or left in doubt.
The responsibility was left with Con-
ference. It acted, and l hope wisely.
Certainly there has been no "wry
faces" and no whining about it by the
writer, nor any one else in Arcadia
Valley, so far as know.
We were simply whipped by the
bigger boy" and now here comes the
Rev.-Prof. Chew rasping US and rub
bling salt and pepper on the fiayed
parts. and refusing US the poor conso-
lation of even thinking "sour grapes"!!
This is very wrong, very cruel, in
the professor. am afraid he has
studied his classics quite specifically
if he did not learn a more useful les
son than thus exhibited from those
ancient barbarians!
Why, even the fox in the fable did
no one wrong; did not iritate any one
else. He did not say, "Oh. you fell
lows failed"! "You got LETT! "You
got whipped'! You are too short leg
gel to reach the persimmons, or make
any other soothing remark! Nor did
any other animal SO taunt Mr.. Fox.
No, he only remarked soto voce, alone
in the vineyard where the zephyrs
gently blew, that the grapes, upon a
closer inspection, and upon 'sober Sec
ond thought" were not just what they
seemed to be at first sight! That was
all. No one else, not even another
fox or bird. was annoyed, disturbed
or lritated by his wise cogitations!
Moral: be thou as discreet and humane
as the fox!
But in the case put by Mr.. Chew, the
fox was allowed to look at the grapes,
make the best inspection he could,
think the matter over, and make up
his mind that they we're not such
goods as he was dealing in anyway,
and so did not want them. Wasn't
this reasonahleP But Mr.. Chew ridi-
oules US for asserting a like privilege
as to the school! He loses entirely
the lesson taught by the fox. of think
ing and celebrating, then acting on
the "sober second thought! This
will never do, Mr.. Chew, never!
Don't you know that fox felt a great
deal happier as he looked back and
winked at those grapes, and repeated
to himself bis good and philosophic
reason for not wanting them? I do. /
have no doubt he was SO satisfied by
the weight OF the reasons he assigned
that he felt right happy that the
grapes were beyond his reach! Moral:
Do not be more cruel than the animal
and deny US what little consolation we
can get from easr reason for not want
ing what we at first sight too hastily
thought we might like!
The wise old poet and philosopher.
Sophocles, tells US that what is CRATE
full now bebomes hateful-to some at
once, to others in more distant time"
And he sagaciously adds: Things
of triHing appearance are often preg-
nant with high imprpt; prudent man
may neglect no circumstance"
''M,uify your victory"p BY the
shades of Munchausen, never! You
may wear cooked hats with peacock
feather in each corner, if you like, in
token of Victory" Bro. Chew
would probably expect us to chang our
harps upon the willows" and sigh
over (which might have been," but
instead, our people laugh and Chat
and smile, and white boxes In front of
the stores In the same old complacent
manner, and some of them l think
at the famous big joke they
played on Fredericktown in getting
the school off on them! They seem
to feel that they have all the fun,
while Fredericktown has the serious
no rt ~ tho haroain and will have the