Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-06-11
| DO MY OWN THINKING; LET
EVERYBODY ELSE DO THE SAME

III Do MY OWN THINklNGS LEI
| EVERYBODY ELSE DO THE SAME
1 Editor Democrat:
| Did the readers of the Democrat,
ever, when boys and girls get together
in a room on evenings and while all
Joined hands, sitting around the room,
one of the crowd, as orator, stand in
the center or middle of the room, and
walking up in front of one,-pointing
at him, or her, Il always pointed at
the prettiest GRID and repeated, CAS- [
went down the road, "-She,-'I do my
own thinking''-to another,-"There I
met"-she-'I do my own thinking =
to another,-'A pretty girP-she-'f
do my own thinking then to a boy
t'T kissed her"-he, 81 do my own
thinking" and so forth, till the end Of
the row is reached and If by sentence
is not completed and finished, lose
out, and another jumps up and takes
my place. There are but few people
who do not rejoice to look back to
their boyhood or girlhood days, be-
cause that was before we we're men
and women. We did SOME thinking
then, but we did not do all our own
thinking, for we had not learned how;
and some people never got the knack
| of doing their own thinking, but let
some one else do it for them.
1t is all right to seek the advice of
your best friend, but not for the pur-
pose of getting him to do all the think
ing,-but that he and you may reason
together" The grandest thing in this
world, is to be either man or woman;
for while the earth is full of creatures.
we call men and women, yet that is
very different-for, being a MAN, or
being a WOMAN is a rare thing. A
man that is man, or woman that
IS a woman, has got to do something
TO THIS EARTH, for which it is
willing to yield them food, clothing.
and shelter.
1t is rarely the case, that either will
ever inherit money, and nobody will
ever give them any-it must come in
exchange for honest work, and wanting
it, in any other way is dishonesty.
A young man and young woman marry
at %, because they love each other
have no worldly goods, but they have
strong limbs and they love to work and
when tie days work is over they love
to play-they are NOT saints, bnL
what is BETTER, they are simply hui
man-they are not likely ever to at
tain unto fame, but they get along with
everybody, who can be gotten along
with, and the people VINO cannot be
gotten along with, they stay just as
far away from as possible, for it Is
lot worth while to try to get along
with people who will not be gotten
along with. Their work is never
doubted, they are not liars, but, that
does not mean that they never joke
nor narrate innocent stories, in order
to make one and the other cheerful
building, as it were, a fountain OF
contentment. They must work hard
in order to give their children good
education and proper religious and
social training; for that is what they
owe them and no man is man and~no
woman IS a woman, who will not dis
charge the responsibilities they owe to
those dependent upon them. On this
too they will do their own thinking
and will not all the time pc listening
for new cults,-nor will they be social,
moral or religious tools of some fei-
low. from a far off country or city.
They will let that self-important fe-
low, get back home and save his own
people.
They will never whip their horse,
kick their dog, much less beat their
son or daughter, but will love them,
make companions of them and especi-
ally the children-play hide and seek
with them. run races with them. carry
them on their backs, never embarrass
them and always have them eat at
the first table, even when big folks are
there-then they will know you, viii
love you, will obey you, not so much
because you are their father and moth
er and ruler, but because you are their
dearest friend. Not so much woman,
but, man must have keen sense OF
Eumor for the benefit of his children
He must kindly entrap them in their
awkward way of expressing thoughts,
must laugh with them, help them to
their wits, teach them to think for
themselves, feed them well AID Keep
them in good health. Untangle the
knotty places for them, help them
nIav their narts not only at home