The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-03-16
And Be a Friend of Man.
II build my house by the side of the

I'll build my house by the side of the
road,
And be friend of man.
A lot of people in the world are los
ing most of the JOY of living just be
cause they have built their house too
far from the side Of the road.
It is true in Kenosha, true in Chicago
and in every other place. It's devel-
opment of modern times. A lot Of peo-
pie have come to build their homes far
back from the road and the farther
they get from the road the farther they
get from being friend of man. The
great human family is not losing nearly
so much as the man who prefers to
build far from the road. Ever since
the world began the most interesting
study of mankind has been man. There
is no greater honor than to be friend
of man, no higher satisfaction in living
and the man who is not friend of man
is losing the greatest thing in the
world. Most of the men who build
their homes far back from the road do
it from misunderstanding of real con-
ditions. They are men whom fate has
possibly made rich and with fortune
came exclusiveness. They just naturally
shut themselves off from the rest of the
world and feel that they have goods
enough to live all by themselves with
out letting anything that comes to the
outer lodge of their homes bother them
They have never felt the thrill of real
service because service from them is
usually through some other agency.
They leave their charities to others,
they never feel the joy of calling fell
low neighboro and believing it and
knowing all that the word neighbor
implies. They seem to feel that some
how they are interested in the political
life of the city and the state but that
the interest is sort of an impersonal
one which they can discharge by MAX
ing contribution to some campaign
fund They don t know the high sign
of any fraternal organization and for
the most part they are inclined to think
that such organizations Of men are
plebian and not for their class. You
never see their names in the papers as
being elected to the Office of hodegos or
grand president. They mix themselves
up with miserable little existence and
get their ideas of the world from the
butcher boy who drops around to the
back door once day to deliver the
meat. At that they get something, for
the butcher boy is more in touch with
the great wide, pulsating world than
they are and even in their selfish con-
ditions they get to look forward to the
visit Of the butcher boy with some de-
gree of satisfaction.
Most of these people were designed
for better things. Most of them would
be men who would be real influence
in a real world where there is red blood
and human friendships. If they could
just be brought to see their own loneli-
ness and to appreciate what they them
selves are losing, their houses would be
moved up near to the road.
The man with his house far back
from the road is in city but takes no
part in it. He is cheating himself out
OF the biggest things there are in life.
lie IS taking exclusiveness and narrow
living where he might have human com
pan1onship in the sunshine that radi-
ates from being of service to others.
lie is to be censured but at the same
time he is to be pitied. In his own
little prison of the world he probably
belleves that he is just little better
than the rest of it, but believes this
only because he has never come into
actual touch with the rest of it. His
case is not hopeless. The modest home
by the side of the road with it's children
and the children of the neighboring
homes playing about the dooryard may
|yet attract his attention. He NAV
then come to see that he is robbing
himself and all that is part of his life
OF It's greatest joy just because he has
built his house too far from the road.
Let's move the houses up closer to the
/ road in Kenosha and make it CITY of
real sympathy for all.