Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-25
THE crNIc's INTERROGATION.
Danger Of overdOinE the DoubtinE
Inclination.
Kansas City sta


Kansas City Star.
Phillips Brooks once made the kindly
criticism Of Harvard university that it
turned out men who we're more afraid lest
they believed something untrue than lest
they failed to believe some truth. Per-
haps It is as well that some people are
inclined to be skeptical on all matters.
Buckle used to contend that civilization
had It's origin in skepticism and that to
the critical attitude will be due all the
progress that the world can hope to make.
Yet there is danger OF OVERRIDING the
doubling inclination. Many a man who
prides himself on his ability to penetrate
shams is the dupe Of his own skepticism.
He has as distorted a view OF things as the
person who ~obstinately refuses to see any
motives except good ones. The extent to
which a man may be deceived by his own
smartness frequently appears In politics.
A professional politician who, as Croker
said, is working for his own pocket all the
time frequently has no conception OF the
motives of such a man. for instance, as
President Roosevelt. When the president
was police commissioner Of New York a
certain politician in the administration
was fighting his efforts for decent govern
ment and blocking every move he tried to
make. Jacob Riis happened to be In the
once when a political police oficer came
In and attempted to curry favor with his
CHIEF by urging a raid on a dIsreputable
place, where he had information that the
enemy would be found that night. Riis
did not know The mans errand at the
time, but he heard Roosevelt eXelaim: mo,
sir. I don't fight that way" That police
ofhcer would probably have put the man
down a sucker who should have told
him that the police commissioner would
not seize any opportunity to strike at bis
opponent.
Justin Mccarthy tells how Disraeli once
observed in a conversation with John
Bright: "Of course, we are both In politics
for the glory OF It," And when Bright
protested that he was in PARLIAMENT only
because he thought he could do something
there for his country, Disraeli smiled
cynically, shook his head and walked away.
For all his shrewdness, he could not UNDER
stand such q character as Bright's. Vol
taire, as was perhaps Inevitable, consider
ing his times, attacked the whole scheme
Of the church. What an advance is shown
from his attitude to that of the author Of
THE W~asherwoman's Song with its in
sight into the meaning Of Christianity for
this woman, at least.
or course there Is a lamentable amount
OF hypocrisy and selhshness in the world.
'Frail children OF DUST" the hymn runs,
land feeble as frail." But the cynic who
observes only the cant is as infatuated as
the Irritating dullard who refuses to see
any evil in the world. A newspapers
news columns frequently recount sad in
stances Of crime and Of heartlessness. But
that is because unselhshness and devotion
to duty are so common that most cases of
the sort have no news value. It is the
unusual that attracts people. The person
whose mind is really open and whose In
sight is keen enough to discern the truth
may see plenty OF little foibles and bits OF
vanity to smile at; he will discover too
many exhibitions Of s~elhshness. Yet he
will be confronted on every hand with such
an amount OF genuine honesty, sincerity and
regard for duty that he cannot avoid taking
a hopeful view Of things. The Hrst rosy
beliefs Of youth may prove false. A process
Of establishment may be necessary. But
this means simply that untrue values are
swept aside and that the person has ac-
quired sufficient experience to see the world
as 1t is, When this process is complete
the man, II he be OF the right stun, will
have a surer faith in humanity than before, |
because It is grounded. not on fantasy, but
fact.