The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-01-06
BY MARGARET E.. sANesTER,

The word crank has crept into com.
mon speech and msde itself part OF
our vocabulary while yet, II limited
to its dictionary meaning, it would be
turned out Of doors. Fastidious per-
sons may still hesitate to adopt a
word which Is closely allied to slang
and may object to talking about It as
II 1t had the right of way among
words Of greater dignity.
The root meaning of crank Is
something bent or twisted, something
crooked or something unsteady and
wavering, a glance is sufficient to
show that this description applies
with singular force to the people
| whom lacking a better term. we de-
| nominate cranks. Sometimes they
are fanatics, sometimes they have dial
lied with the fixed idea until they
have almost crossed the magical Dor
| der-land between sanity and its oppo-
| site. Invariably they have lost their
! poise and have been somewhat
thrown from their proper mental bal
ance.
Dickens who exceeded others in
hitting off the peculiarities of people
who were little out of drawing, al
though they might be harmless and
we'll disposed introduced a good
many cranks into the wonderful gal
lery Of his characters. Who can for
get Betsy Trotwood's friend, Mr.
Dick, or Little Miss Muffet, or Jenny
Wren the dolls dressmaker? These
were cranks Of a mild and inoffensive
type. Qulp, on the other hand was
crank Of savage and repellant nature,
and Sally Brass was not whit be-
hind him The renowned Mr. Micaw-
Der too, with his sanguine tempera,
meut and unfailng optimism. and the
genial Harold sfimpolo who could
never pay his debts, were cIanks Of
another variety.
Defined according to popular senti'
ment a crank is a person who may be
harmless, but who is liable under ex,
element to become dangerous to the
peace Of society. AS in the hurry and
stir Of events there are ili-assortea
people who never find their rightful
niche and who 20 about with an in
telectual screw loose, there Is always
the peril that at some unexpected mo-
ment a catastrophe may occur
through their means.
Being, SO to speak, slack.twistcd
mentally or having no power Of dis
where strange doctrines
are proposed, the inoffensiye crank Of
one day may be the red-handed as
sassin of another. Hence, where so
cialism and anarchy have their advo-
Gates, there Is apt to be following
Of partially taught and illiterate peo-
pie who may easily at later date be-
come cranks. For this reason in
state Of society where the old order
Is constantly changing and giving :
place to the now we have need of
once thought unnecessary.
The multiplication OF secret service
men when the president of the Unit
I'd States goes from place to place is
IN innovation undreamed of in safer I
md simpler days. The watchfulness
exercised by some Of our millonaires 4
est their homes and Offices shall be -
INVADED by cranks is also something +,
entirely new. B
What is the remedy for cranks?
low are we to get rid Of them? The
nuuiry is pertinent They cannot be
by the police unless they
commit some overt act of law break.
ng; they cannot all be shut up in
sylums and insane hospitals; they
re often not In the least insane, ac-
Ording to medical diagnosis; they
re merely odd, queer and eccentric.
The best way, of course, would be
o make them happy and contented,
MT this Is too utopian to be regarded
3 practical The crank is never quite
Apply unless he is able to exploit his
ocular notions, and contentment is
OF characteristic Of his class. Dis
ontent, indeed. is his accepted badge.
ind a man who is never contented
18th things as they are, who always
colts at religion and order and
ght. and who spends his time in
,aing and criticislng instead OF in
onest and diligent work. and You
nd a fanatic in the higher sense and
crank in the lower. He MAJ sever
scome an assassin. but he will al.
avs be a menace. How shall we
elp him to a better condition Of
wing?
Here we touch the kernel OF the
The crank is half educated.
e seldom has any religion; he Is out
eoncelt with the social order He
1es read, however. and we must try
educate him by good literature of
lie sort that will appeal to his un.
and by the friendly com.