The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-07-05
SAYS UNCLE CIV

Since living best teaches one how
best to live the wonder is that there
are so many sorry failures in life. The
unhappy truth seems to be that while
experience is the best teacher few of
US recognize that fact in time to take
advantage of her instructions. We
prefer preconceived notions to lessons
that life is trying to hammer into us,
and are guided by prejudice rather
than by observation. What we wish
to be is ever more eloquent than what
is. What we dislike is usually more
hateful than that which is really
vicious. We cannot see the flaw in
those we love; it is difficult to find
virtue in them that despise us. Dreams
were ever more potent that realities.
for we look longingly to the one and
close our eyes to the other.
Most of us seem constitutionally
pred1spoSed to ignore facts. We con-
tinually long to grasp this sorry
scheme of things entire and make it
over to suit our whims rather than
our needs. Being the product of the
earth, earth is in the nature of things
happily suited to our wants. Being
men, other men are admirably adapted
to our social requirements. Yet we
want to live in an abortive heaven
among impossible angels. Or, we be-
heye we do. AS a matter of fact,
wed find the experiment fatal.
Having lived on this earth for
some countless ages, it would seem
that man would have solved the prob
lem of comfortable and happy exist
ence here. That both the general and
individual problem is far from salts
factory solution speaks volumes for
our passing pigheadedness. Instead
OF basing our dreams upon facts, it
mas been our way to seek to torture
facts to fit our dreams We know
that human nature is more or less
faulty, but that no man is altogether
pad We know, or should know, that
there is more good than bad in the
worst of us and little of evil in the
best of us. Yet in our dealings with
our fellows we continue to assume
that those we like are nearly perfect
and that those we dislike are hope
lessly unregenerate. As we'll try to
drive tacks with an axe as seek to
build a happy and successful life
upon such misfit hypothesis.
Nor have we learned to face natur-
al conditions as we should. Instead
of admitting that things are as they
are. and trying to find what use we can
make of them, how to extract from
them happiness and avoid the danger
Gus clash of our misconceptions with
realities, we waste our wears in the
useless effort of trying to make nat
ural things meet unnatural ends. and
die lamenting our inability to misuse
them.
We begin at the wrong end of the
problem Because conditions are not
favorable to the realization of our
dreams, we assume that conditions
are wrong, and, like peevish children,
refuse to play. To the logical mind
it inevitably occurs that there must
be something wrong with our dreams
The more sensible way is to find out
what you have to work with and do
what you can with the tools. The laws
of nature are a trif1e more enduring
than the Pigments out of our more or
Q1SOrdeTRd
laws of society are quite as imnutabIe.
Temporary salvation can be reached
good deal quicker by recognizing
conditions and making use of them
than 1t can by discarding conditions
because they don't fit our little. Iop-
sided theories of life.-(Copyrigt, 1918,
by the Mcclure Newspaper Syndi-
cate.1