Evening journal., 1911-09-30
EVEN If IT'S EASIER
NOT TO UNDERSTAND
By John S. Hamilton.

One Of the remarkable manifesta-
tions of present day life is the almost /
feyerish way IN which the American |
people are endeavoring to amuse
themselves and to be amused. Il is |
safe to say that there is more money /
spent on amusements per capita in
Wilmington every week now than !
there was per capita during a year a |
generation ago. Il is not only at the |
theatres and the moving picture |
shows, but in sports, both afield and
ahoat, money poured out prodigally, |
not only in promoting the sports, but
in securing the opportunity TO enjoy |
them. The present generation takes
these things as a matter Of course. |
but to the old and even the middle
aged, who remember and think, II is
a marvellous thing, and TO many It is
difficult to account for
In the writer's opinion the cause
is not far to seek. Even as near ago /
as thirty-five or forty years this was
q country of all work and no play. |
The farmer toiled from sun to sun and |
I'm the cities the small merchants did
even worse than that. They got up
early IN the morning and they stayed |
up late at night pursuing the elusive
dollar The farmer could not get
sufficient toll either out of the sun,
the earth, or flesh and blood, and to
stop for a while to enjoy ones self
was not only waste, it was a sim be-
fore God Now the pendulum is
swinging back. It was ignorance
that caused men to work sixteen
hours a day, black, benighted ignor-
ance, and nothing else. 1t was hor-
L. III eric Il
haste to put back what was evidently
wrongfully taken. There may be
good people who can see no connec-
tion between the long work days Of
the past generation and the desire for
pleasure and amusement of the pres
ent day. but the writer believes that
one has followed the other. and is
compensatory for the other, Just as
surely as sleep must logically follow
and be compensatory for effort.
There is something peculiarly i'm
prpssive to him who has lived In both,
about the connection Of the past gem
Grafton with the present. The
writer loves TO discover and trace the
characteristics of his friends that
have passed on in their offspring that
are known on this scene of action.
Likewise II is more than merely in
teresting TO discern the fruition oc-
casionally of the planting Of the Wis
dom and the statesfnanship Of the
mast. The lesson this should teach,
the writer thinks, is that II is unwise
for the gate-tenders to exact too much
toll II must be remembered that
the toll-payers do not move on and
leave the collectors behind. Greed
grows by that IL lives upon, and those
imposed upon grow wise or proficient
at least from their very suffering
even il they do not know. All ad-
vance together, gate-keepers anc
; travellers. and the gates go 10. DC
; casionally a payer becomes a collec'
tor. and oncel IN a while a collector
q becomes a toll-payer. but along they
6 90. They are the same people, dit
. ferent clothes and bodies perhaps. bu
q the same There are the gates, ther'
Q are the collectors and there are the
s travellers paying. always paying th'
S toll. What appears reasonable t'
& the payee today is all too little tomor
row. for greed. evil thing that It Is
8 is always clamoring for more. SooI
a the payer begins to feel that a wroni
Is being done him, even II he don
understand. and then concludes tina
the exactions are unjust Ihen IN
s pendulum begins to swing back wei
will 1t be for the collector then, II ~
q Is not caught in the mills that GRIM
" proverbially slow. Il is true, but ais
n proverbially fine.
The most impressive lesson 70 IN
writer in a study of this subject, how
d ever. is the evidence that there is
Y force independent OF the intelligenc
n and ingenuity OF men that works con
Il tinually for the well being and pre-
Z servation Of the race. ~ Is no ac
X cident that men are taking this relax
n alton and diversion today, and tn
lf writer does not believe that there
n the least danger that II viii be over
p done. He does believe that II
n necessary and 1t was made tecessar
te by mistakes in the past. VIII an
one have the temerity to say that
= was in the intelligence and ingeunit
Is Of man to discover that a mistake ha
3 been made or TO apply a remedy? WI
3 any one dare to say that the man VIII
) believes he sees more I'm the NANTES
% tations spoken about than mer
m chance is victim OF a foolish super
a stition2 VIII any one deny that IN
nd men Of the past generation did foo
lshly overwork themselves. and
there not force in the suggestion ths
a the present generation Is only seekin
Of compensation for that excess? And
dy this be true. then is It not only res
sonble 10 believe that every wron
will be righted and Is it not also res
of sonable TO believe that every wror
nut luded men. who are robbing their fe
he lows Of what righteously belongs
them are due TO have a reckoning da
even II today, because OF ignorance
-or is easter not 10 understand
Ike