The Columbus journal., 1909-03-31

TRUE &c
Here Is . picture Of . soldier, Who
like Sir Philip Sidney, is CITING +
another soldier the last few drops O
water in his own canteen. This Is q
editorial on generosity, and no pictur'
could better illustrate it; for giving {,
another what one needs himself Is tru,
generosity.
Let Us not begin with the supposi
ton that generosity is rare. Ever,
man who remembers his mother know,
better than that. Where Is the moth
er who would not deny herself for he1
childi Where d the mother wh.
would not 90 without pretty clothes
food, drink, medicine, comfort tia
her children might have Ill thes'
thingsf Where is the mother living
today Who does not daily undergt
sacrifices cheerfally to add . little Il
the enjoyment Of her sons and daugh'
ters3 -
But the lives of the mothers of thu
world, while they set . beautiful ex
ample for all mankind, are too otter
passed BY With neglect.
And today We ask you to consider
the case of large numbers Of people
who think they are generous because
from some purely selfish motive, they
give away what they do not need.
The man about town, coming home
from the opera, sees . beggar woman
on the street corner, and tosses q dol
lar bill to her. He feels . generous
thrill As he does this worthy thing
his chest expands, and he says to him.
self Really, I am . pretty good
fellow, after ill. No appeal from the
suffering is made to me in vain"
Next morning he is informed that
his brother is ill-dying, perhaps in
q far away town. To send money is
easy. He writes his check for q couple
of hundred dollars and drops it into
q mail box with another glow of self:
satisfied pride. ut does beat the
world" he murmurs to himself, "what
q generous chap I am. How many
brothers would be so willing to dig
too-and without q
thought about the money!"
But strange news comes back over
the telegraph wire. His brother
doesn't need money; he has enough to
pay for his doctor and his hospital
bills. He is all alone, without friends.
What he wants is, to see his brother
to have some relative by him in his
last illness.
All! This is . different matter. To
60 to the sick brothers bedside would
mean sacrifice sacri6ce Of pleasure.
of business interests, of comfort. The
brother thinks it over and grows un.
comfortable. Then he says to HIM
self:
ut is all foolishness-his wanting
me. He has money, he has good doc
tors, q good nurse, everything that can
be done for him is being done. It is
outrageous that he should ask me to
leave my friends and my home and
my business and go to him. I'll send
him all the money he wants. but rs for
going-no, it can't be done!"
And 90 our pattern of generosity,
who blithely tosses q dollar bill to q
beggar woman, isn't generous, after
all; only . selfish, sordid, everyday
man, who will give freely and contin-
uously-as long as it doesn't cost him
Aside from the miser, who has
money mania, which is merely q men,
tai disease, the people who care for
money for itself are not very plentiful.
Most human beings value it for what
it will buy. And if they invest it in
purchasing peace Of mind, or feeling
of selfsatisfaction, they can lay no
claim to generosity.
Of course, the world usually bene-
Cts from their iberality, and it should
not be discouraged. Better give .
begger woman . dollar than to give it
to 2 saloon keeper. Better bestow
three or four millions on q university
or medical college than use it to
manipulate the stock market.
In q world that has not learned to
take care of its mentally and physi-
cally sick-which permits . condition
that produces beggars, allows children