The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-12-03
Intensely Human Affair.
Or. Cy Thompson Takes a
Fall Out of Both Gov. Glenn
and DR.. Stiles Anent the
Hookworm Discussions
Much Ado About Nothing,
Thinks this Correspondent.


North Carolina would have swelled
with pride and she would not have
been abusive.
In your issue of the DIST, note the
following editorial paragraph:
''Our North Carolina people are
curious. Processing to want light and
knowledge upon subjects which are
obscure; disseminating these our
selves, especially through our medical
profession, which is more advanced
than any other; soliciting, and alert
for information by means OF which
We can improve ourselves, when an
outsider suggests deficiency or i'm
perfection We swell up about it and
abuse him.
You state therein IL very evident
truth. but assign no reason for it;
you content yourself with saying
that it is 'curiOus." no not wish
to be troublesome, but with your
sweet permission (as the violet said
to the sum | would like to develop
this subject IL little further.
1t is IL curious fact, indeed, that
not only North Carolinians, but men
everywhere us well, readily confess
to themselves what they are unwilling
TO be told OF by Others Standing
before her mirror, my lady says to
may be amiable, but alas. | am not
beautifully" and then with cheerful
heart she essays with massage,
cosmetics and smiles to make untrue
her harsh Impeachment. But If |
say TO her, ''Beloved, you are the
most amiable little woman | ever
saw, but you are not pretty her
skies are beclOuded, she goes with a
hollow cough all day, and she feels
somehow that | am not her friend.
And so with me; have known for
scores OF Years that | am not hand
some; but if you tell me that | am
ugly, | shall feel that yOn are rankly
discourteOus. | make no doubt,
furthermore, that under pressing cir
cumstanceS | would lie like Il gentle
man; but if you should know it and
call me Il liar, | should cOvet your
blood and call you ''anOther. And
SO if Il man has worms and knows it,
YOU cannot with impunity go about
making crossroads talk of it.
We tell ourselves unpleasant truths
without OffenSe: we are indignant if
told the same truths by others Tell
ing them to ourselves, we are assured
of the kindly spirit of our accuser; il
the relatOr is another, we suspect the
spirit of him who uncOvers the naked
truth. This is true even when the
uncovering is done in private by Il
friend: ii the revelation is made in
public by IAN outsider we consider
the exposure. so unkind and indecent
us to demand denial of the allegation
and abuse of the alligator.
Such is human nature, touched in
Carolina or Cathay, innate and in
herent i'll man regardless Of civilian
ton, social status, or official station.
The wise and thoughtful. therefore,
were not surprised at the Governors
display OF i'll humor at the work of
the country life commission and the
wholesome truths beneticently utter
ed by DR.. Stiles; to whom the PROBES
sion in this State has been indebted
for six years. Our executive head,
us everybody knows. is Il remarkably
vOluble, Industrious and human
shepherd of his sheep: and | see how
he could not brook stranger com
ing among them, even for their good
and bawling out: "IOur paunches
are big, your blood is thin, vOur
wool is short. and your lambs are
lean!"
Evidently DR.. Stiles is not IA tactful
man: if he had come with a lulling
lie on his lips-if he had said, your
flock is all wool and yard wide
sound in wind, limb and abdominal
viscera, he would have gOnefrom the
State covered with roses like the grave
of the newly dead; and every Jericho
horned ram and bell-wether of the
flock would still be bleating his
phrases.
DR.. Stiles meant we'll, and the spirit
of his indictment was doubtless SYM
pathetic: but he was unfortunate,
being a scientist, in phrasing his
helpful charge If he had said it so
that our neighbOrs would not so
readily have understood it--had said
| that we were suffering with uncina-
riasis; that i'll the face of summer
floods and a Republican panic, our
alimentary canals in their tortuOus
cOnvolutions and rotund ruffies,
| supported by mesentry and covered
by caul. were infested and filled with
a new-fangled parasite, pestiferous
nematOde of the family of Strongly
| lidae, known to science as the Unci-
maria. Americana (Stiles), deadly
vampire which inwardl~ develops
destructive toxins, drinks the blood
am S1ps the vitality of adolescent
L .lians. even as the rObber tariff
on -ardly sucks the blood of a help
lees people too proud to confess their
| spoliatiOn-it wOuldn,t have been so
| bad.
Now, the Governor, to be sure, in
his public prayers does not hesitate
to say i'll the hearing OF his flock, 80
Lord, we are poor, helpless worms OF
! the DUST but when it is said that
his flock get worms out of the dust
when Or. Stiles, an outsider, even a
helpful stranger, Il man On a Fedora
Job from Washington City, says. not
that we are worms, but only that VIZ
are wormy. the Governor is offended
shows signs of anger and with injured
pride begins to pull cover over oul
uncomely parts.
Intensely human all this, but un
wise. In the very nature of things
surely the offense must needs hav,
come; but woe to him always b,
whom the offense cOmeth.
Very curious, very human an,
very funny withal-funny enough t,
make a cultured hookworm chuckl
| in tho ho1lr 80 his hNct