Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1909-03-04
Edgerton's
...Farm.

copyright. 1909, by American Press Asso-
citation. This matter must not be re-
printed without special permission.l
To You.
We are better than we think our
selves. Every day convinces me of
that Some of us complain of being
misunderstood. But the root of our
trouble is not that others misunder-
stand us; it is that we misunderstood
ourselves. We are nobler, stronger,
more worthy, than we have let our
selves think. Understand yourself and
you will never afterward complain
that others do not understand you.
l have just read the word of New
York merchant who spoke of that
Cleveland experiment of living as Je
sus would. He approved the idea and
wished that all of his employees would
take it up. He believed it not only
possible, but practicable. He went on
to speak in vindication of the honesty
of the average merchant. think he is
right. The merchants in the main are
honest. They want to do the right
thing. They want to represent their
goods in true light. l think we
could make that experiment all through
our mercantile life.
Trust men and they will repay the
trust-not all Of them, but most of
them. Our whole business, social and
political fabric is held together by
mutual trust. 1 believe in the inherent
nobility of human nature-not of the
personalities of people, understand, but
of the inner, divine something that
makes US men.
We try too much to repress others
We do not trust them enough. Sew
eral Illustrations occur to me. They
are homely ones, but they happened in
my own life, and l know they are true.
The first was in my school days. | at
tended both an old line college and an
independent normal. The college had
all the old fashioned rules built on dis
trust Of man. AS consequence the
students broke the rules, lived up to
the debasing estimate of them implied
in the rules. The school was full of
rowdyism, of idleness, of Sinking, of
hazing, of escapades.
The normal, on the other hand, had
no rules. 1t was founded on the idea
Of trusting the students. There were
in the neighborhood of a thousand of
these, and beyond half dozen cases
never heard of the trust being abused.
Rowdyism there was none. Hazing
was unknown. Every one was honestly
trying to get the most possible benefit
from the time spent in the school. He
was thrown on his own responsibility
and measured up to the demand. That
is the secret Make people understand
that they are on their own responsible
ity, that their lives depend upon them
selves, that they are thought worthy
and it is up to them to merit the con-
fidence, and that they are on their
honor.
A second case | have observed In
several New York lunch houses. l pre-
cities, though l have never happened
on them. The principle is again that
Of trusting the customers to tell the
truth. They wait upon themselves and
report the amount to an employee, who
punches a ticket in accordance. So far
as / know or have heard, the system
works perfectly, there being no cheat
ing and no dispute as to the amount
due.
The third instance is the case of a
child. Having had some difficulty in
governing my eldest boy, rather self
willed lad, I made the experiment OF
throwing him on his own responsible
ty in this manner: l would talk the
case over with him, telling him what
/ thought Of the right and wrong of it.
then would say: Now, my boy, the
matter is up to you. Do exactly as
you please. The responsibility is on
you. You have your life to live, not /
You know what is right" In not 8
single case did he ever fail to respond
though began the experiments when
he was only eight years old. do not
know whether the rule would work
with all boys or not. but see no rea-
son for doubling that it would.
Now, these things are not theory
they are practice. I have seen them
with my own eyes, for which reason l
think better Of humanity. A word to
you. This is not a personal word. so
there is no presumption in my speak
ing thus directly. l never saw you and
probably never shall. Yet l like you,
for at bottom you are man, as am,
and son of the Father, as am.
use the term man and the masculine
gender in the generic sense, including
both sexes. | am interested in you.
Your hurts, your hopes and your life
come very close to my heart Believe
in yourself in your personality
but in the God that is in you. Think
yourself into more confidence. more
health moro c11ncaSS moro hapninpSS