The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1909-03-27
The Sense of Prnnortion.

DID you ever look arOuuu Gnu Se'n-
slider what rare faculty is the sense
of proportion? Or is it a faculty at
all? Is it not rather matter OF edu-
eation?-of habit of mind?
At any rate, how rare it is-the
sense OF perception of the true relation
of things one to another! The pos
session OF ii makes above all things
for saneness, for levelness of thought
and life. Some people seem to pos
sess it inherently. others not at all;
aud between these two classes are the
great mass with all grades and shades
of variation.
The man who possesses it isyour true
conservative, though at time she gives
his neighbors the impression that he is
radical of radicals. He is not
frightened at anything because it Is
new He weighs it in the balance,
tries it out by all his standards, and
finding it fit is prepared to adopt it,
though doing SO may be to fly in the
race OF pfecedeHt.
Your so-called conservative is ever
afraid of any change. He is afraid tc
take chances. He does not approve
Of what has been done simply because
ne is not used to it. His lack of sense
of proportion gives him warped and
distorted perspective.
We are accustomed to make light OF
the judgment of women. Do not
most of their errors come from the
Jack Of this capacity or from its made
quate velopment-which is the same
thing? Why should it be So?
Admit that the capacity of individ-
| uals does and always will differ,
nevertheless this faculty can be mucL
better and more uniformly developed
than is now the case. The value OF it,
| development to the individual and
to the community is absolutely meal
culable. Why the lack of it?
Is it laziness? There is no question
that to properly develop this faculty
will require much closer and more con
slant attention TO children by both
parents and teachers than they now
usually receive. Even the parents and
teachers themselves need training. Il
will be necessary for them to put forth
effort and the exercise of will power
for their own control as we'll as that
of the children. If they would but do
so, what difference it would make in
our population in the course of gen.
Grafton. How much would it not make
for the physical, moral and financial
welfare of every individual and OF the
whole community.
The power to see things as they are!
What mistakes would we not steer
clear OFF What might We not accom-.
plish?
And yet how many of US really try
70 see things as they are? How many
of US really try to see at all? How
many of us drift from day to day,
week to week, month to month and
year to year Without chart Or compass
other than the avoidance of all effort
that can be avoided. We say things
'shappens and Wilfully ignore the
great truth that there never was, never
is and never will he an existing fact
Without an antecedent cause, and We
are more or less responsible for the
cause as we'll as the effect.
We may cheat ourselves for a time
with the idea that we have shirked the
responsibility. Those who come after
US will, however, have their eyes
opened to the truth, and If we would
hold that position in the eyes OF our
children that we would all like to hold
it behooves us to give attention to
these things and to cultivate in our
selves a proper, true sense OF proper
tlon, OF the relation of things to one
another, and to stimulate and cultivate
the same faculty in our children.
After all, what is it but seeking the
truth?