The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1903-09-30
"A Heap of Trouble to Yourself"

A man who happened to be travel
ing through the mountainous regions
of one of the Southern States, stopped
over night with one Of the hospitable,
outspoken citizens of that region. In
the morning, after the guest had
washed his face, combed his hair and
brushed his teeth, the host remarked
with II half cynical air, "Man you are
heap of trouble TO YOURSELF"
The mountaineer was right. The
man was "a heap of trouble to him
self" The more civilized a man is,
the more trouble he Is to himself.
Civilization means effort, pain, strug-
tie and trouble. II has been gained
at tremendous cost. So great has
been the cost, and the trouble that it
is doubtful If any age would have
made the effort necessary to progress
If it could have foreseen the cost
without considering the reward. But
step by step man has struggled on,
and the results have been so satisfac-
tory that he has been willing to pay
the cost, he has been willing to take
the trouble, he has continued going
on.
Still there are not few like the
mountaineer who think that all effort
TO make life more comfortable, more
respectable, more worth living, is use
less, and that those who make such
effort are IA heap of trouble to them
selves"
The mountaineer has his little
patch of tobacco, lives in cabin, sits
on a bench, smokes his corncob pipe
and Is satisfied. He lives with little
trouble to himself, and wonders why
others should be "a heap of trouble"
to themselves. He has not even TAX
en- the trouble to find out about the
life that is on the other side of the
mountain. The house in which he
has always lived does not even sug-
gest comfortable home. His lack of
culture does not permit him to know
the meaning of the word. Good roads,
easy conveyances, books, magazines,
education and a thousand other things
that compress civilization are Of little
interest to him, and "a heap OF
trouble" to those who have them.
Some communities are not wholly
unlike the mountaineer. They are
satisfied with bad roads and sidewalks;
with inconvenient houses and insight
ly surroundings; with few public i'm
provements; and with lax enforce
ment of the laws. They think that
communities which insist upon other
and better conditions, and are willing
to pay for them, are all wrong and
"a heap OF trouble" to themselves.
They are slow to see that the things
which make a community "a heap Of
trouble" to itself, are the things that
make 1t attractive to the best kind Of
people; the things that enchance the
value of property, the things that
make life worth while.
However, there Is the suggestion of
truth In the mOuntaineer's observa-
ton. Some people are a heap OF I'M
necessary trouble to themselves.
There is such thing as too much re-
finement. Many so-called adornments
are neither useful nor ornamental,
but ere simply "a heap of trouble" to
those who have them. This is true
in the home and society, and finds
expression in the education of the
! young.
We may give so much attention to
the frills and furbelows Of life that
we have no time for life itself. We
may be numbered with so much serv-
ing that we haven't time TO serve any
one purpose well. We may be of SC
much trouble to ourselves that we
haven't time for the troubles of any
one else. |. n, SMITH.