Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1913-05-16
CITIZENS

Inefe are citizens ana cit
liens. Who is the most useful
citizen, and who the most unde-
sirable citizen of the community,
are questions about which we
all might differ. Some one said
the other day, eve can do with
out him, let him CO." referring
to the rumored removal of GER
tain man from a certain town.
There are always and every
where, undesirable citizens,
men, land women, tool "who
leave their country for their
countries good" whose departure
causes no tears or regrets by
those who remain.
First, there is the "knocker"
the chronic kicker and grumbler,
who opposes everything every
body else proposes. Progressive
he is not. He is the dog in the
manager. He criticises his COM
munity and every citizen in it
whose policies differ from his
own. He is intensely selfish and
generally ignorant, envious and
jealous. He knocks, and the
world knocks with him. His
money hestrenuously and stingily
withholds from all efforts of his
fellow citizens to build up the
town. He is a quite different
character from the man who
''sees the wrong and dares
oppose it,. Wholesome intelli-
gent criticism on the the part of
a conscientious man is one
thing. Knocking" everything
and everybody right and left,
is very different thing: such
a man scarcely deserves the
living the community he abuses
generously, gives him. He
smites the hand that helps, and
is never happy, and the de-
parture OF such citizen from
any community is not source
of regret.
And, then, there is the idle
mantle man who eats and
does not work. He consumes
what other people produce and
contributes nothing to the gener-
al fund. With opportunities
everywhere he seems to see none
anywhere. He may be rich or
poor, white or black, all the
same he is Objectionable if idle.
He is a weight a dead weight
upon the community. Some
one must either support him or
perform his part of the worlds
work in addition to their own.
No man has a right to live UNI
less he supports himself in this
world where every man is a
responsible being, if he is in
tellectually and physically
capable of doing so. There are
paupers all Of whom are in
almshouses. The community
loses nothing when such a cit
izen departs. There are others.
None of us are perfect. Perhaps
no man living but has some
enemy who wishes him gone,
but these are CONSPICUOUS
characters which stand out boldly
as contributing nothing whatso-
ever to the progress and welfare
OF humanity, and these doing no
good are bound to do harm in
some way.
Selfishness is one of the most
detestable and unenviable of
traits. There are few of this
character in every community.
ME and my wife, my son John
and his wife-we four and no
more" is the motto and inspira-
ton of his life, except that in
many cases he is not specially
anxious to include or notice
John and his wife, and some
times not his own wife. He is
for himself alone. He believes
and practices the old heresy
Every man for himself and the
devil take the hindmost." The
only benefit this man is to his
country is measured by the
amount of tax he unwillingly
pays. The community, church
and school, good roads, town
improvements and all such, are
turned down by him unless it
can be shown that his purse will
gain two dollars for every dollar
contributed. an reality the sell
i'h man is perhaps the most and
best hated man in the commun-
ity, and no one, outside his own
immediate family will grieve
when he is dead and gone. We
all have faults and shortcomings
which to know should be to cor
rect and improve. If we could
see ourselves as others see us!
But, unfortunately we do not.