The Washington herald., 1915-09-18
The Decline Of Arrogance.
BY JOHN ID. BARRY.

-. BY JOHN d. BARRY.
Occasionally l meet a man who bears himself
like noble Roman. He comes of an ancient line
age and he is very proud. Toward the world he
takes attitude of condescenson.
OF his kind this man is perfect specimen. I
enjoy meeting him and hearing him talk. The
only drawback is that, in his presence, it is hard
not to betray mirth AS a matter of fact, he Is
a good deal laughed at If he were not so ab-
sorbed in himself, his feelings would be hurt. In
cidentally, however, he might change his man.
ner.
To me he is particularly interesting because
he represents a survival. Most people of his type
have disappeared. In my acquaintance he is the
only example After an encounter with him al
ways think with pleasure of the burden lifted from
the world by the decline of this kind of arrogance
Every OF US has opportunity to be arro-
giant toward some people Indeed, certain express
sions of arrogance run fromfhe apex to the base
of the organization call society. Fortunately,
our national ideals, influenced by the national fond
ness for humor, have modified the more glarng
expressions. With us arrogance shown in per-
sonal demeanor is comic. On the street it would
create dersion and invite the irreverent attention
of the small boy.
There is another type of arrogance that is hap
PLY declining, often called intellectual. 1t used
to flourish in the colleges and universities 1t
represented vanity and conceit carried to pain
full extreme. 1t has given way before the spread
of education which has carried with it a
understanding of what education really means
and what it ought to do for mankind
College professors are ceasing to be the remote,
critical, dehumanized creatures that used to be
established in the popular imagination and that,
to large extent, weakened their influence They
arc realizing that the closer they reach to the
common life of man the greater becomes their
service and their real worth.
1t is only seldom the inflated intelec-
tual that used to launt himself so proudly before
the world, speaking sonorous book language,
beating down the vulgar who presumed to dis
agree with him and setting himself up as an
authority.
Though we don't hear much about humility
nowadays and though as virtue, it is scarcely
recognized there has been vast increase in
recent years, of the appearance OF humility, if
not the reality.
/ suspect that reason is the spread of
enlightenment through nt-day facilities of
popular reading, OF transportation OF social in
tcrcoursc.
There has been realization that the wide diff
ferenccs between human beings are largely unreal,
that their apparent reality from differences
OF opportunity.
Once great bodies of men could be treated by
some of their more favored brothers as if they
were the of the earth. Words, expressing
this kind of attitude, could be openly spoken and
without danger to life or limb. Now they would
be likely to be disastrous.
Throughout the world there is growing a
healthy respect, even among those who at heart
are still deeply arrogant for man as man.
The relief from such displays is incalcuable
We don't think of it till we meet one of the rare
survivals of the old type. But we can get an idea
Of it by thinking of the general decline of boost
ing 1t still goes in the world, OF course. 1t
will probably never stop. But it has obviously |