Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-10-02
A FARMERS talk TO FARMERS
The Kckers and the BoosterThe Worthessness OF the
One and the Value of the Other-A Little Grange
Fair and the Aftermath of Opinions-An Opinion of
Opinions-How the Kickers, the Chronic kickers
Should be Served.
An illuminating fact about that lit

An Illuminating fact about that little
conversation I've summarized is that
every one of the boosters" had been
himself working long and hard to help
QUITO make the fair a success, while
not one of the ''kickers" had so much
as lifted a finger to help the general
good. That seems TO be the usual
thing. Your chronic kicker" almost
invariably sits on the fence while 9TH
ers do the, work, and then, when it is
all done. shows what he seems to con-
slider his superiority by telling tho
sweating herd how they Numbered and
what they ought to have done. Now
| may be wrong, but 1t really seems TO
me as If such critters would be worth
more to the world if they we're ground
up into fertilizer and used to make
cucumbers grow than they are in their
present capacity.
A wise old neighbor of mine once
said: Il never find fault with the way
my hired man does thing, unless I've
first done It better and shown him
how" I know another who makes it
a part of his duty to praise his hands
when they do good work, just as Ger
tainly as to blame them If they do
bad. And that man is not only happier.
he gets better service than any of his
HelShpoTS wiz are AO4 hoe6iNS esAAA
snarling.
"A merry heart goes all the day;
Your sad tires in a mile-a."
Shakespeare had common sense as
we'll as genius. There's profit as well
as pleasure in boosting; there's loss
as we'll as discomfort in kicking.
OF course there's nothing new in
this: Wise men have been preaching
optimism and aftruism for centuries,
and the race of kickers is constantly
renewed, despite all the philosophers
and all the preachers. Perhaps they
are born so. and find it hard TO over
come innate tendencies. Don't say
impossible" That's not true. One
difference between a man and clam is
that a man can always make himself
better-if he Wills; while a clam is a
clam, and that ends it. Years ago
there used to be frequently seen ad-
vertisement: Don't be a clam" Ad-
dressed to the mud-inhabiting bivalve
of Guilford this advice is supereroga-
tory. Said bivalve- can't help itself.
Addressed to some men. 1t ought to
have had value and influence.
But, while there's nothing new in
the protest against kickers, I think
there is a plan which has never been
fairly tried, which might possibly dis
courage them a good deal. That plan
is simply to ignore them. Pay abso-
lutely no attention to their kicking.
When they begin it either change the
subject or remain dumbly silent or de-
liberately go away and leave them.
Never, never, never answer them or
pay the slightest attention to their
carping. Act as if you didn't hear it.
II necessary, ostracise them. Let them
flock by themselves and have their
own symposiums together, where they
can do nothing but grumble and find
fault with everything and everybody,
including themselves. My word for it,
most of 'em will soon get tired of that
sort Of society. They'll want to get out
OF their cave of gloom into some
body's sunlight and sweet air, sooner
or later. For it's a curious circum-
stance that your confirmed kicker al
ways wants to kick somebody else-he
never wants to be kicked himself. You
and / can't kick back at him without
descending to his level and making
ourselves as bad as he. Very well,
then, let him associate solely with the
other kickers and take his medicine
from doctors of his chosen school. If
he doesn't get thoroughly tired of 1t
in short order it'll be because he isn't
worth saving.
believe in eritieism-when it is used
to prevent mistakes or to remedy err
d. Ii