The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-06-30

modern, progressive civilization u
doesn't build churches. colleges. hos.
pitfalls. asylums. II never carries
through great reforms Can't never
would have set the negro free nor
win can't ever smash the saloon. IL
takes Mrs. Nation with her little
hatchet to do that; there is no Can't
about her, though her methods are not
the best probably
The can't man deals in negatives.
not the photographers negatives, how.
ever The minus sign (--) is his sym
bal, and he is a minus quantity him
self He is more or less Of human
vacuum. Can't shrivels a man up.
empties his brain, dries up his heart,
and makes him hollow nothing in
the world. He is well illustrated by a
serpents skin when found on the
prairie months after it has been vacat-
ed.
Sometimes the man who can't is a
woman, but not very often. For,
when she will, she will, and you may
depend on I; and when she won't,
she won't, and that's an end on T."
But a woman never says she can't;
she isn't built that way. as most men
can testify What an American wo-
man can't and won't do, from run
ming a railway train down TO spanking
the baby, is useless for any one ever
born or ever will be to Try. And she is
helping to put stiffening into some
masculine backbones, so that they, the
men l mean, can do something And
she is taking a pretty vigorous hand
herself in doing some things that
need to be attended to. For instance
against the saloons, child labor the
traffic in her sex, and various evils.
And she is sure to have her way in
the end; at least, she always has SO
we don't need to write. any article on
the woman who can't"
But the worst Cant" man is he
who doesn't follow It as a business.
who is Just the opposite kind in most
things, is even leader" and "en-
terprising," energetic" pushing
and all that But he falls back on the
old word when occasion demands. and
to serve his purposes. With him. the
wish is father of the thought" His
positives on most everything make
his negatives count and give weight.
Consequently, when this man throws
himself athwart the path OF progress,
reform or practical righteousness, he
is sure to block the onward move Of
things more or less. Ana some mighty
small men can stop a pretty big pro
cession sometimes.
This cry of You Can't, has been
flung at every man VINO ever tried to
do anything. They hurled it at David
when he went out to fight Goliath,
but they all. including Goliath him
self. changed their minds rather sud
denly They tried to work it on Daniel,
but he came out considerably ahead
in the contest. A whole host of little
and big Cant" fellows pelted Martin
Luther, but he knocked them all out
of the ring. We understand George
Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Grant,
Lovejoy, Wendell Phillips and others
had more or less of this kind OF thing
to contend with. Whatever one under.
takes. especially II it be anything
good, he must count on the "man who
can't. Count on him TO oppose him
at every step and turn in the game.
Especially when he IS just starting in,
and everything is slow and unpromls-
ing and discouraging. He Is always
around on cold gray misty day, add
ing the last bad touch to the had
weather But when the weather
clears, and the sun shines and people
rally to your support, and success at.
tends your way, be sure the "man who
can't" will be on hand bright and ear
ly, making his boasts as big as any
one and telling how he and Betsy kill
ed the bear.
The Cant" man. What is he
good for? We can think OF but one
thing. he is useful after all to act
as a sort Of brake or possibly a bal
ance wheel to hold back the man who
Is 100 enthusiastic and energetic and
would go TOO fast HIS usefulness IS
negative, but It is needed doubtless
sometimes But this utility does not
constitute an excuse for his existence
Every community. every church, ev
er ysociety, every great movement. il
afflicted with this individual Not a
reform. but this man rises and. says
in great show of wisdom and exper
ieace. you can't do anything" Lei
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