St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1913-12-19
Unjust Criticism

The gift of entering whole
heartedly into the griefs and joys
of other people is one not grant
ed to all of us but it is a gift to
which such of us as lack il can
always offer our sincere respect
wherever we find il. because il
is one of the blessed traits
which make the world a place
worth living in. A case in point
is the occasion of the cave
i'm on the railway cut several
weeks ago. Anyone who watch
ed the almost fierce eagerness
with which Mr.. and Mrs. Rostow-
ski, themselves old people, work.
ed at digging out the boys and at
reviving them after they were
out, could not help but realize
that here were people capable of
putting all the energy of vital
personal interest into the help
ing of people whom they knew
not even by name. II was a
heart warming sight in the midst
of tragedy. Others gave valu-
able aid but no others gave of
themselves TO the point of eX-
haustion both physically and
emotionally. doubt If any other
of the rescuers could say on the
following day that both their
muscles and their hearts were
sore with the strain. The ability
10 give i'm this manner is of
course. largely a matter of
temperament and the lack of il
is not 10 be criticised, but before
the two who did show it, for
one felt great humility in my
own lack and felt also that not
only the parents of the boys but
the community in general owed
Mr.. and Mrs. Rostowski a debt
of gratitude.
Last Monday evening the home
of the Rostowskis burned with
all its contents. The fire was
discovered too late TO do much
more than protect neighboring
buildings. To one present at
both catastrophes, the contrast
between the spirit shown by the
Rostowskis ,at the caye-in and by
some of the bystandors at the
fire was striking. The bystand-
ers. il is 10 be presumed, came
with the hope of being of help.
II seems unfortunate that being
reduced 10 the role of passive
onlookers their talk did not
show more evidence of their
helpful spirit. but was made up
of fippant criticism and mis-
chievous suspicion.
For instance. in the midst of
curious conjecture as 10 the or
igin of the fire, the question was
raised as 20 whether there was
either gas or electricity in the
house, and this was answered
in the negative. Whereupon
some one saw iit TO remark:
mo; they are too stingy to have
gas or electricity"
1t occurs TO the writer that
without the most intimate knowl-
edge of a family's affairs, their
upbringing, their ideals, definite
knowledge as 10 their recourses,
the things for which they spend
their money. and for which they
hope to spend il, such a charge
of stinginess can not be made
with justification by any hOnOra-
BILE minded person. Most surely
the fact that the family i'm ques-
tion does not spend money along
the lines deemed good by the
critic does not justify the charge.
The same. or another person,
called attention TO the color Of
the blaze and asked publicly if it
did not look like a kerosene blaze.
Aside from the futility of looking
for a kerosene blaze an hour
after a fire has started, the act
of throwing out such an evil
suggestion TO the winds of gOs-
sip at such a time could well be
called by a grayer term than
uncharitable.
Consider again the report be-
ing more or less widely circulated
that the Rostowskis We're seen
carrying things away from
their house all day" before the
fire. Just what can be said for a
person who will allow himself
to be the mouthpiece of such a
report without positive knOwl-
edge Of its truthfulness?
On Monday morning Mr.. Ros-
towski, as is his custom, car
ried a sack or bundle of wood
with him TO his shop. In the
evening Mrs. Rostowski and her
! little girl carried Mr.. RS sup
per 10 him and took at the
same time two saws to be
sharpened. Did the originators
of the above report witness
more than these two trips? Just
| what does their "all daVn mean