The Detroit times., 1915-08-07
THE NASTY MIND.
~ on. FRANK CRANE
Copyright. 1918. BY Frank Crane)

The nasty mind Is one that habitually
attributes unworthy motives to others.
1t affects us very much as does the un-
clean person, exciting in us repulsion
and strong desire to escape his pres
ence.
1t Is usually found in those whose opin-
IONS are formed not by reason and an in
teiligent weighing of evidence, but by
prejudice and blind feeling.
Such people fall into ruts of opinion
because 1t Is easier than thinking. To
condemn class requires less exertion
than to do justice to an individual. Hence
whoever wants clean mind should avoid
class condemnations.
For instance, there are certain circles
in which you are pretty sure to hear all
the clergy, all the church members, and
all refOrmers set down as hypocrites: it
is a nasty habit of some to refer to all
congressman, senators. and other Office
holders as corrupt and venal, all police
men as for sale or brutal or incompetent,
all newspapers as under control of the
business Office, all Socialists and union
laborers as anarchists and trouble maxi
ers, all people of wealth as heartless, and
all successful men as criminals.
Each class, Of course, has its peculiar
temptations, and q certain portion Of its
members yield to Them yet human ma
ture is about the same wherever it may
be found and the average man or
woman wants to be decent and straight.
Violent and sweeping denunciations
attract attention. The world listens
eagerly to scandals and undertakings.
There are certain publications whose cir
culation is built upon their nasty insin-
uations; they call themselves bold and
| fearless advocates of the truth, al
though they have not the first requisite
| for truth lover, which is an open mind.
We have seen nastiness in the Senate
of the United States, where politicians
of eminence, under the stress Of party,
do not hesitate to attribute the most
sordid motives to the leaders of the OPP
posite faction. Partisanship, indeed, is
| the choice breeding ground for dirtiness
of mind.
We have heard nastiness in the pulpit,
particularly from the lips of popular
evangelist, where those are fiercely con-
demned whose social customs do not con-
form to the rules of a sect or group OF
sects.
That all actors are loose in morals, that
all Jews are gross and greedy, that all
Germans are swinish and Englishmen
egotistic and Extensively condescending,
that all women have their price, that all
physicians are takers, that all who drink
are drunkards. all who play cards are
gamblers-all these judgments are es-
sentially filthy. They are usually vicious
cancellations formed from some one or
two instances that have come under our
observation.
Even in the criminal class and in pris-
ons few or none are bad all the time.
Crime is occasional even among GRIMM
ais. They also are human.
DR.. Ralph Reed emphasizes the fact
that the nasty mind as rule attributes
TO others the same vice that is in its own
sub-consciousness. For instance, the
excessive prude is likely to be at heart
sensualst. The man who can never
credit others with telling the truth Is
likely to be himself liar. The para
noiac believes he is subject to the hate
of those about him because OF the hate
| in his own soul"
The saying Of Epictetus Is a good one:
Bear a gentle mind toward any man
who may revile you. For, say on eacn
occasion: So it appeared to him..