Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-12-21
SOME RAMBLING THOUGHTS.
BY "SEMo.
[Coprr,rh,ed bY paxe 1 Tabor.l !

Copyrighted by DAVE Tabor.
Right ideas suffer more from wrong
presentation than they do from active
opposition. Given man who is unwill-
ing To be convinced and you have less OF
an opponent In him than you have Ia
yourself In your careless method OF ap-
preaching him. 10 fact, 1t sometimes
seems ss though many good people hold
to most excellent ideas, more TO grstify
their sense Of pride at having ideas at
all, han 10 persuade others less enlight-
ened. At any rate there are many who
approach their fellows In such harsh. un-
sympathetic ways that they repel rather
than win them. The impression sub
jec, makes depends on the way II IL pre-
sented which Il true whether the one
who Is striving TO make point Is .
moral teacher or an irate bull. Farley
ing Is diffi 'ult when your victim IL run
ming away from you as fast as his legs
will carry him.
IL Il told OF Benz ,min Franklin that
he sscribed his extraordinary powers Of
persuasion 10 the fact that his msnner
always showed respect for the opinions
OF others. Having secured his listener,
he would graduslly lead up TO the telling
points by saving, Don't you think!'
rather than II think." He thus won by
leading his opponents Judgment on
ward TO the point OF convincing itself.
Whatever truth there Ia In this--snd
inns gine there is great DEALT IL worthy
OF even more thsn partial imitation by
every one Who attempts To mould the
thoughts OF others, But the Difference
we show to the opinions OF others must
be really sincere--and there Il no reason
why Il should not be-. for not one Of Us
absorbs In one small brain all vast truth
or we shall fall TO convince; for the
snare IL set In vain Ia the sight Of any
bird; and the pit along line Of arRu-
ment Is never TO be digged 10 the sight
OF the victim.
Approach man In q way that betOkens
slbelief In your own superiority, or with
n manner that seems patronizinR, and he
is almost sure To resent it. You have
for the moment forgotten the venera-
ton due TO his individuality. With both
OF you, the whole universe Is centsred on
the spot Of ground that each occupies,
and neither must forget the Others view.
Respect the thought Of others; believe
Ia advance that every man has Ideas
or thinks he has, which comes to the
same thing; and you will find yourself
moving steadily toward the winning OF
him. IL he Ia less firm In his facts and
thought and logic than you. IL Is true
indeed that n successful attack on some
one else's thought is not brought about
merely by force Of thought,-for force
Ia too often met with force, but by
careful preparation beforehand suited to
the person attacked, much asa general
disposes Of his troops differently st
every separate fort assaulted. This
ability To reinforce strength with skill Il
ooe Of the secrets OF power among lead
ers of men.
remember reading somewhere Of a
misguided enthusiast Who looked over =
fence and hailed young fellow 10 such
an alarming tone of voice that the youth
incontlnently fled. What did the stranger
then do but jump the fence and set of In
pursuit. After q long chase he winded
his frightened fugitive, and nea gare
him a tract, with some religious advice
between bresths. History does not
record the effect; presumably II Is bet
ter imagined than described; but II IL TO
be hoped thst the recording angel used
titting leniency. Such well-intention-
ed oue-is he not common apart alto
gether from tracts:-such = one needs
10 follow the Confucisn advice which
suggests that "lu archery we have some
thing like the way OF the superior msn.
When the archer misses the centre OF
the target, he turns round and seeks for
the cause of his failure in himself"
In matters OF religion and Of politics is
II especially true that many Of Us do
more harm than good by arguing and
persusding. In the first place We often
forget that our opponent, however mis-
taken he may appear to Us, has in all
probability fully justified to himself
his own line OF action or belief. This Is
true 10 relation to the finatical followers
Of the oldest vagsries, as we'll as TO de-
vout believers iu religion, pure and un-
defiled. But for.etfulness OF this fact
produces hates and distrusts and cruel
ties and miseries immeasursble. In q
prolonged walking tour In Virginia
came across peculiar sect on Chinco-
tesQue Island. Their membership was
less than a hundred, yet they felt that
they alone Of all the myriads on earth
would get to Heaven. Strange as II
may sound, they were quite sincere 10
their Interpretation Of the Bible, both on
this point and another, to the effect that
all marriages and all offspring, prior to
the "ssnctification" Of the parents, were
illegitimate. I often recall this ex-
perience TO guard myself against narrow
ness of view, and for my readers sakes
| mention IL here also.
And these poor people will serve TO
point another moral to the effect that
abuse Is not argument, for they were
driven from their homes with shot guns
and still cling desperately to their be-
lieis down In the swamps Of the Caro-
linss. Abuse by tongue may not break
bones, but il does not heal resentments
ranking sores bleed on INCREASINGLY
| when the human mind sto0ps TO abuse.
Finally, know what you do know, and
know 1t thoroughly. Know what you
do not know and hold your tongue there
on while you open your mind, and
Furthermore choose silence rather than
speech, the living of truth rather than
the proclsiming Of 1t, the attitude oil
learning rather than the pose Of prophet.