The free press. (Southern Pines, N.C.) 1898-19??, 1899-01-20
(Danville Register.)

(Danville Register.)
Words and phrases are emblems OF
thought-sound emblems when we
speak them, pictorial emblems when
we read them. This emblematic sys-
tennis by no means perfect one ana
so many of us have never completely
mastered the cipher code that erroFs
in the use OF the emblems propagate
themselves most easily ana gain
authority through being perpetuated'
until at last they modify the true en-
blem, and real confusion OF Thought
as to the original idea is the result.
And as it is necessity OF life that
much of what we call thought comes
to us ready-coined and passes about
like currency, it follows that confused
thought, which is a counterfeit, affects
us morally-for thought affects ae'
tiou. and action affects character
Many good man goes wrong-ln
his argument-and. through that in
his influence and his self-persuasion'
because he thinks too emblematically
and has had some of those atoremeh-
toned counterfeits passed upon him
at some earlier stage.
"Public spirit" is one OF our com
monest phrases, but the idea 'hat IS
truly embodied in it is by no means
the idea that is most commonly CON
yeyed by it to many minds. Public
spirit is very generally Identified WIN
a species of altruism--with the idea
OF self-sacrifce, which does not com
mend itself to the nnregehera'e
human heart.
But il we look into the matter ana
lyticalR we shall see that the puoi'c
spirited man is not necessarily tne
man who forgets or sacrifices h'mseli
for the benefit OF his fellows, Inc
truth is that there is always seil-
interest which the individual may
nronerly conserve as against the in
terest OF the public. 1t is, ior IN
stance. undoubtedly to the advantage
of the public that the merchants
of the community should sell their
wares with the least profit to them
selves but is an exaction OF ProntS
above the minimum any evidence OF
lack of public spiritP 10 make 'wo
blades of grass grow where tnere ~
only one is esteemed a mark OF Pupiic
snirit. The desire to attract new In
drstries to ones city, to have ten rae
Tories instead. Of tive, Is most ia,nil,
lar test Of the attribute in quest'oh'
But must the public spirited ueaiel
in n given class of merchandise iaool
| increasingly to establish business II
rivalry to his own upon the neighbor'
ing street corner! :.
There is seliishness which Is
vice and there is seliishness whlcl
is a virtue. Even Christianity itself
shot through and through as is ~
fabric with self-abnegation ana ooht
Grafton of self, makes its appear VI
the higher selfishness' ones OWL
soul is ones first care. One may no
lose ones own soul to save another 5
sublime as the conception may seen
to the mind that can perceive no'n
ing but analogies. For the klhsuoh
of Heaven is within us, and there IS
dead-line within the penetralla oe
yond which self-sacritice is moral SUI
eide.
Sel6shness, it will be seen, Is on
of those strange words which ineluu
an idea and its opposite and that lac
explains the paradox ,c,..
| Such misconceptions and diineui'ie
as have gathered about the iuea y
selfshness have, in some degree, las
toned themselves around the idea 0
public spirit. a,,h,;
spirit stands forth rather as highe
wisdom than as virtue, unless tru
| insight be virtue.
Public spirit is simply tnal con
formulation OF matters in which IN
! community, not the individual men
her Of if, is the unit, and the calcui'
| tion of advantage takes in all IN
factors, not merely the most obvioV
ones. 1, views apparent losses iroi
the standpoint of him who loses n,
life in order to find it. WhateV'
subtraction there may be in it irol
tho isolated individual, there~is
Greater addition to community men
: bership. a.. ..,,
In short. the lack of the publ
spirit is the penny-wise and po"n'
foolish policy. ,o -
He that reaps benefit at the !, e
nense of the community in which !
lives and from which he draws su
$ tenance. is lacking in public spirit
not because he may not regard MI
self-but because his immediate gan
obscure from view those greater pc
sible gains which he should estima
among his losses. Greedily ne q
yours his seed corn and complacent
strokes his NAV, giving never
thought to the white harvest IN
would have come. He is drawn
blood from the breast that nourish
him and his is not the fullness
growth. but the brief distention a
falling away of the leech,
Public spirit is realization OF
inter-dependence of members OF so
l ety. the larger view forced upon ma
L. kind by disastrous experience 1t
no altruistic philosophy. 1t IS .
posed to that theory that for shal
will unfold itself in words no furtt
than the smirking aphorism, "bp
ness is Business. Business Is pu
- nass and sometimes very bad busin'