The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-01-31
WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT

DR.. Frank Crane is contributor to
the Atlanta Journal He writes many
good things, and some not SO good
The following is one of the former
class, and we commend IL to the
thoughtful attention of our readers:
The college president tilted back in
his swivel chair and judiciously Joined
the tips of the fingers of his right hand
to those of his left. He had aggressive
whiskers and an eye charged with self
approval He was a real New England
Brahmin His soul and body had been
soaked in schools and colleges until he
was a living, breathing incarnation of
all educational traditions and ideals
His voice was low. His assertions were
as positive as pope's. his sentences
were neat as an old maid could wish,
and his ideas were perfectly clear, per
fectly ordered, and perfectly wrong
wrong with that snug certainty that
1t is only to be obtained by years Of
proper, exclusive environment.
He was talking to a man who had
brought his son to enter the institution.
And he said:
college. you know is for the excep-
tional man. It IS not for every one"
And in this choice jewel of untruth
he stated precisely what is the matter
with his and all colleges and with the
whole system of education, and pretty
nearly everything else.
For college ought not to be for the
exceptional man at all. IT should be
for the common man.
The curse of the world lies herein.
Society has been for the exceptional
MAJ; also government, business, and
religion; joy and gladness. and success.
Kings fatten on this notion, and
mobiles, and all the various magnificent
ones that strut through history. Mil
1ionaires and their families especially,
get the same mania. The whole en-
dowed class accepts the same gospel.
Even the saints have had it.
Hence the growth of privilege, like
the great tree Ygdrasi1, whose roots
are in the past and whose branches
cover the future.
And naturally the juices of this an
Client plant have saturated the schools
where 1t does most damage of all.
Meanwhile the mills OF the gods are
grinding out that new thing in the
world called democracy. The common
people are coming into their own.
You cannot prepare children to be
good citizens of a democracy by inn
m6TSlnS ln0In during their CHlIuHOoC
In an institution founded and managed
upon ideas of caste.
Commencement addresses admonish
the graduates that they are now ex-
pected go forth and be elders of
the masses The masses, however
don't want leading. They want service.
They do not need blooming geniuses to
tell them what to do; they want hon
est, humble men who will carry out the
popular will.
Human nature is entirely too faulty
to entrust any man or class with the
business of guiding the destinies OF
the nation" or any such antiquated fol
de roll. For centuries certain classes
have been supposed to govern the
masses. Politicians, hereditary mobiles
priests. and plutocrats have ruled. And
q pretty mess they have made of 1t
The invariable result has been that
they have exploited the people for their
own selfish interests.
The way to greatness is not to tel
the people what to do, but to study
the people, serve them, and try to es-
tablish such conditions as will give
them freedom to do as they please.
This is what democracy means; that
the people get what they want. They
der monarchy. But that is not what
they need, and 1t is not what makes
them great
The development agency Of nation
as OF an Individual. is responsibility
Only in freedom can a people grow.
Freedom implies the making of many
false steps, popular errors, unwise
passionate, and serious faults; but &
nation, like a boy. has to make its
own mistakes and learn manhood by
practice. To accept a Napoleon ar
upper class or any presumably wiser
and able head than their own is pres.
emily to fall into the ditch.
We need not exceptional men, bu
common men; not extraordinary brain:
and shrewdness, but common honesty
not brilliant leadership, but d-fash
toned loyalty
We don't want rulers at all, we wan
servants, men who, like Abraham Lin
coin, understand what the people want
and govern only by doing their will
We don't want rulers who know better
than we; we want those that know US
and love us, and are faithful to us.
And we need to begin right in the
public school, telling children not tc
aspire to place and power and exclu.
use in the world, to be brave and true
and strong; and to respect humanity
and the common man.
TRYING TO NOMINATE TEDDY