The San Francisco call., 1904-06-19
CRANKS AND T1ERETICS
By The ParsOn

some unpopular idea, who Is dead set
upon some great reform and wonders
why the rest OF US do not hurry up
and come TO his point OF view, who
really believes that he has gotten hold
of new and satisfying truth or seen a
vision OF what this world might be X
only people thought as he did and were
ready to act with him.
In all such cases We ought to try TO
get at the real center Of the man. to
find cut If he has, despite, or II may be
in some cases because OF. his fads the
real root of the matter IN hsn1; that is,
is he, after all, square. clean, kind,
earnest man? The other day a cousin
Of mine returned from a distant state
to his former home. had not seen him
for twenty years I had a faint idea
that he had been tmbibing some ideas
not quite congenial to me. and when we
sat down by the fire one evening TO
talk over the past, present and future
I soon discovered that he was a thor
ough-going Socialist That he had come
honestly to such a position could not
doubt, that he could champion II CO.
gently the course Of the evenings dis
cussion proved But what pleased me
pest was LlE man GO4A NEHJs 0A5AAANJ
and unmistakable sincerity and good
ness.s felt that, whatever his intel
lectual convictions, he was rooted in
right living and that his heart was
overlooking with sympathy with the
needs of his fellow men, As between
such man and another whose ideas
are perfectly orthodox. but who cares
little for his fellow men, 1 am very sure
\,
ally.
But besides trying to appreciate the
fact that real goodness OF life IS not
dependent upon this or that theory, We
ought TO be willing to examine the
ideas which our cranky and hereticaI
friends hold. For one. for instance. to
undertake TO combat the single tax the
ory without having read the classic on
the subject, Henry Georges Progress
and Poverty" would be as foolish as It
is to argue against Christianity without
having read the New Testament. 1t is
well to remember that frequently in
history the heresy OF yesterday becomes
the orthodoxy OF to-day. The world gets
on in its thinking because every now
and then a Kepler. a Calico. a Mar
conf, DrummOnd.' Briggs. a Lyman
Abbott dares to deviate from the Ordi-
nary highway OF thoughts to venture
into unexplOred regions. and to breach
theories not yet substantiated by fact.
Such men often are the pioneers OF
great advance in the material, the In
tellectual, and the moral life OF man
kind We are all a good deal better
of with the right sort OF cranks and
heretIcs than we should be without
them.
Be charitable. then. In your Judgment
Of this type OF persons. It Is a bare
possibility that in the Judgment OF
some OF your friends you may be
crank or a hereto IN some one partic-
ular OF faith or OF life, II not In a good
many. But don't be one simply for the
sake Of getting your name IN the news
papers It never pays to pose IN this
particular. The world is willing to be
led out into larger truth and light, but
the world is too old and too clever TO
be long humbugged- In the long run
it will deal fairly by its cranks and its
heretics. II they are minded.
right-hearted men and women. the
world may build their monuments after
death, and perhaps II may praise them
while they live. THE PARSON.