Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-26

sighted selflshness. or do you mean
narrow, warped selfishness? 40
not lose sight of the fact that each OF
lis must view life, for time at least
as a practical, definite, bread and but
! ter proposition. But sooner or later,
each comes to the point IN his expert
ence where he does not need to give
all of his thought and attention to
that one proposition. !.
| believe we should stop to think OF
the use we may make Of our time and
to see what will be the practical re-
suits to ourselves and the community
from effort along any line Of action
! Cooperation presupposes organization.
and organization subdivides itself In.
to two general lines, which might be
! stated as practical results to the In
dividual and practical results to the
community. In a word, the practical
results to the individual might be put
in this way: The close association
and better acquaintance which results
from organization work tends to re-.
move bitterness between individuals,
and there is no community where bit.
terness between individuals does not
exist and does not cause blighting
influence. -...., .
Men Need Inspiration.
think we all recognize that we need
| inspiration from day to day, in order
to carry out our best work and to el'
able us to live closer to the lines Of
our ideals. This inspiration, which
shall help us solve our personal prob
lens, results oftentimes from the
knowledge that the men with whom
we are daily associating carry a load
which, while different from ours, is
equal to the one which we are carry.
ing. and is perhaps one which we
could not carry Likewise, we have
an individual interest in problems
which In their broader views are prob.
! lens Of general interest. We wish to
have them solved properly, yet they
cannot be properly solved without q
community of effort, and community
of effort can only be obtained from
union such as is obtained in such an
organization as commercial club.
Different Problems.
We also recognize that each line OF
endeavor has problems which are Pc
culiar to that line of work as differen
tiated from other lines. Here, too,
the benefits of organization are ap.
parent and just so soon as men in a
similar line Of work learn to trust
each other and to discuss problems
common to their line of work, they
will find a correct solution for them
Trust and confidence follow close as
ISOLATION as surely as the light follows
the darkness.
There is also another way in which
association work recompenses the in
dividual l refer now to the educs-
ton of the individual, which results
wherever man gives time, careful
thought ard effort to work for others.
High school and colleges give some
training which may be helpful in lat
er life, but real education and culture,
as it is exemplified in our lives today
results from association with our fel-
low men.
Man Needs Friend.
There is no one who does not need
sympathetic, understanding friends.
men who believe in him and In his
rectitude of purpose and ultimate sue
cess, no matter what the result may
be from month to month, or from year
to year Such friendships are devel-
oped in the close association of COM
munity work.
Turn to the community for a mo-
ment and you will see that upon the
forum of a commercial organization
are united all of the best forces Of the
community Commercial organization
gives forum for presenting and con-
sidering questions Of general interest
to the entire community and on that
forum are expressed the reasons for
and against every proposition of COM
munity interest, with the result that
from that discussion composite
mind is evolved, which. when applied
to the particular problem, solves it
for the best good of the entire COM
munity. l am not speaking from the
basis ,of theory alone. have seen
these things work out in other corr.
munities. 1t is being worked out to-
day in the Chicago Association OF
commerce with reference, not only to
the city of Chicago, but to the entire
state.
We must bear in mind that the
community wherein we have our
homes is entitled to our best efforts
and that whatever benefits that COM
| munity benefits us. We must also
bear in mind that the one hundred
million people comprising our nation
are grouped in communities scattered
over territory thousands of miles in
extent, and that their problems are
essentially the same.
Men Must Be Trained.
We know that men must be train.
ed in groups of hundreds and thou.
| sands and tens of thousands that they
! may, later be united in groups of hun.
dreds OF, thousands and millions.
We know that human nature has not
changed through the ages; that in
Europe today circumstances have
stripped off the veneer of years OF cu'.
| ture, wealth and advanced civilization.
[ We do not know how soon we shall
need to cooperate, not, alone for com.
munity action, not alone for the solv.
ing Of state problems, but we may be
called upon to unite farming commr'
mites, hamlets, villages, towns, cities,
states. all for one common purpose
self preservation. And unless we learn
| to cooperate in our daily problems in