Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-03-09
Outside Point of View

It is safe to assume that carloads Of
ink and trainloads of paper have been
used in writing about n word, "con-
tentment." In the book of books we all
remember the reference to the pot of
herbs, the Boosting woman and con-
tentment And since the days of Solo
mon all writers have always found a
ext in this one word. "contentment."
But the need of ~impressing it on he
minds of all. on the minds of the pres
ent generation is a never ending duty.
The rich man needs 1t alike with the
poor man. None are satisfied. Dis
content is nothing more nor less than
comparing our conditions with others.
Peary u contented Eskimos. He
left some discontinued Eskimos. We
have a school Of philosophers who
maintain that content is the worst pos
sible form of a material condition.: that
no nation advances unless it is striving
for change. i. e., discontinued. What
follows does not touch upon this phase
of a big question. Perhaps the better
way to state the matter is to claim we
should no be discontinued with our
present environment. unless we are
surrounded by vicious and demoraliz-
ing influences.
And content and discomfort are
alike the results Of comparison. Drop
ping out of this article of the collect
i've, the individual alone will be re-
ferred to. Here's the plain statement:
Many a mar and woman go thru life
disconnected and unhappy. simply be-
cause they will not compare their own
situations and surroundings with those
not so fortunate. On the contrary such
to be pitied individuals always com
pare their positions in life. their in
come. their family. even the place they
live in. with those they imagine more
fortunate. To illustrate. it has been
stated that one of the Va~nderbilt's
wives spent in n year, simply for
household expenses in New York.
sos, 600. The average section mans
wife in Iowa spends less than $500 a
years on household expenses. And as
certain as the sun rises. each has an
equal amount of discomfort. simply be-
cause they upward. Mrs.
Vanderbilt would enjoy life much bet
ter if she compared her life and sur
roundings with those of the section
mans wife. and the latter would con-
ider her time on raiload ground a
paradise If she would only compare it
with some South Sea Islanders. But
reverse it, and Mrs. Vanderbilt is dis
contented because some other multi
millionaire has a larger cottage at
Newport or a bigger yacht in New
York harbor.
Perhaps the worst form Of discon-
tent is our ~unthankful condition on
personal health.
9TH devil vas sick
The devil a monk would be.
The devil got well,
The devil Of a monk was he"
There's the whole story. We take
our normal conditions Of health as
something that really belongs to us.
When we abuse ourselves and h in
evitable result follows, h tcofnes the
discomfort. Not one person in a thous-
and ever blames himself fol this Ger
tain and sure result. There was a time
when the sins Of the forefathers could
be held accountable. This theory has
largely given way to another, that we
only inherit the predisposition to dis
ease. In other words, we have tuber-
culosis because we do not breathe fresh
air enough ourselves, not that our FORE
fathers lived in an unSanitary condi-
ton. And so the world il half full Of
diseased people, discomfort
ed and unhappy. And everyone OF
these unfortunates have close at hand
a prescription, which, II used. while not
a cure. will do much to make their trip
life less paAnfua, less d~ishearten-
ing and filed with. much hess discon-
tent. It Is, this: Compare their own
physical condition with thousands
worse OF. In the MarshAlltown hospd-
tai one day a poor, broken and bruised
specimen Of humanity, the result OF q
railroad wreck, when told that the
doctors would have TO amputate one
arm ~ the elbowana enc leg q the
knee, said simply khat he was thank