The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-06-02
+" The Right Of 1t"

"That man always makes me feel
as if | were in the vicinity of con-
tact mine and that there might be an
explosion any minute" said one wom-
an to another, speaking of neighbor.
"How his family manages to live with
him, don't know"
perhaps they have gotten used to
the explosions and take them as
matter of course"
"Still, it doesn't ease the suspense
much to have high explosives about"
laughing responded the first speaker,
adding in a resentful tone: "And |
just question the right of anyone in
dividual to make everyone about them
uncomfortable by such frequent out
bursts of temper. And it always
seems so childish in a mani"
"No, one hasn't Christian right
to make others uncomfortable
just brute right, which makes it all
wrong in civilized society"
ooh, | can't help my temper" some
people protest, after an outburst, and
ashamed Of it's effect on others. 81
get so peppery at times"
And the question no doubt has oc-
CURED to many of US who have seen
its unjustifiable objective: What moral
right has he or she to selfishly create
an atmosphere of unpleasantness and
discomfort on so slight occasion?
"All powerful is he who has power
over himself" declared Seneca. 1t is
power over ourselves to control our
! words and actions which makes us
kings and queens Of our kingdom of
the mind or slaves and menials to our
baser inclinations. Selfish inconsider-
alton of other peoples comfort and
happiness is form of active tyranny
we have no right to exercise over
those about us.
suppose most people think they
have a right to indulge in moods, 81
lent or otherwise, in company or out
of it, if they want to. knew man
once of excellent qualities and an ear
nest church and social-service worker
aho was so given to moods of abso-
Lutte silence at the clearinghouse ia
BILE as to eventually quench the spir-
its of everyone present before the
meal was over. The fact that he was
usually genial, lively and pleasantly
talkative made his silence all the more
impressive when his "dumb devil" as
Emerson expresses it, took possession
of him. AT such times everyone tried
to ignore his self-absorption and keep
up the form of conversation at least.
But presently it would lag, remarks
were stilted, laughter was forced and
the conversationally dwindled down
to monosyllables. Had the man been
less respected, less intellectual and
worth listening to he might have been
more easily ignored; but his silence
was an effectual Encouragement to
all natural and spontaneous express
sion, and many tired young man
and woman went to their lonely rooms
under a vague feeling of depression
after hard days work, which might
have been changed to one of cheer
and goodwill in the general atmo-
sphere of genial self-forgetfulness
which he was so capable. of creating
and maintaining.
How seldom many of us question
our right" to impose the tale of our
physical ills upon others? A sadly
disabled woman who had known
scarcely a waking moment of relief
from bodily distress for several years,
said the least about her suffering of
any person | ever knew.
"There is so much pain and sorrow
in the world" she said once when |
pressed to speak on the subject, zone |
hesitates to add to the burden of it by |
useless complaint. Besides, dilating
on our distress creates an atmosphere |
of gloom and heaviness, and one has
no right to do that, least of all for
those in our homes who do so much for
our relief and comfort"
How many of US, wonder, are will
ing to look at it in this light and to
renounce our fright" to impress 9th
ers with the weight and feeling Of
our infrmities?
Thus, many of our so-called "rights"
analysed in the light of Christian
charity and common consideration,
would scarcely escape the less kind
y charge of selfish indulgence and a
,houghtless disregard for the feelings
md rights of Selected.