Norwich bulletin., 1910-11-26
PHENOMENAL EXCEPTIONS FIGURE TOO PROMINENTLY

(Written Specially for The Bulletin.)
 There's one habit many of us farm CTS have-in common with most of the rest of the worid-which tends in some cases to increase our discomfort. As discontent is not a desirable state of mind any habit which tends to in crease it is not a desirable habit. Therefore, it seems to me, this par tfcular habit is an undesirable habit.
 There, if that isn't logical syllo- Slsfn, w1th,a. major premise and a mi
 nor premise, and a conclusion, then I'm going to be sent to the foot of the classl
 The particular habit ! have in mind, just now, Is the habit of taking the exception for the rule.
 That's a kind of sort Of a general statement, and may not strike you Very forcibly put in that form. Let's take an illustration or two: When I was a little boy, 1t was the custom of the school commissioners or school visitors whenever they came on their annual rounds to the little red school house where I was confined with my fellows. to wind up their visit with speeches in which they told us that each one of us might become presi- dent As I recall those far away effus- ions of superior wisdom, it is borne in upon me that this chance for be- coming president was usually contin- gent on sur being able correctly to "bound' New York from the map. to spell people" with one "o' instead Of three "e's" or to state off hand clear answer to one of CoIburn's sim pie questions, such as, How many ap- ples would George have left if he gave Henrietta some and AlonEo some and Benjamin some and himself half Of the existing remainder? But the Idea, whatever its variations and con ditions might have been, was clearly driven home to us that each one of ns hnd a chance of becoming president. I s'pose the same sort of talkee- talkee is made to the present generation, in other red or white schoolhouses.
 Now there arc about twenty millions of American citizens in this country, aach one of whom is legally eligible to the presidency. A presidential term Is four years SO. if g. man lives sixty years after attaining his legal majority, he will have just fifteen becoming president Of course, every enc Of the twenty millions will also have fLfeSen chances. If fifteen goes into %, COG .06o about 1.323,3S3 times, it would seem to follow that, while every one If the kids had a single chance of becoming president. he had one million three hundred and thirty three thOuSaId three hundred and thirty three chances of not becoming presi- dent. This is certainly rather big odds to bet CT, or to prohpecy on. But know that this one chance always bulksd larger iE our minds when I aas one of the boys, than the million ehan1es 'tother way. We heard more about it; we thought more about it; fn truth, 1 fancy we came rather to expect H. Yet not a single one of Che possible presidents with whom I used to go to Sohool has thus far ac tually got to be president. l am be- ginning to suspect that none of us ever will I'd be willing, indeed, to kaa k&rae OF four to one that we won't.
 Now suppose that sfttis Billy Taylor, fifty years ago, had refused to learn the carpenters trade to which h9 was 'prentjced in due time, because he eE- Sected to be president. And suppose that Johnny Jones had refused to lsa.n anything about the bricks and mortar which were his fathers business-arld are u5E his--becense he wasn't going to do masan work when he became p-asident. And suppose that Adoniran Corning had refused to learn the art of raising CSrn and cabbages and cllcum- bers because he was going to be presi- dent and have somebody else raise them fo- hsrn. Why don't you see that Billy TRyior, instead of now having a nice little home and nice little wife and a nice little family of children and Erandchtldrsn-and more expected fhauk you-instead of having these things Billy would have nothing but a eore head and a big eTopch due to his So on with the others and aH the rest Of us.
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