Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1917-07-19
A QUIET TALK

'When fellow gets so he can't dis
cuss a subject without getting mad"
said Casey, the coal man, to his neigh
/ Dor, Welsenheimer, che ought TO shut
up and not talk at all. When a fellow
begins to get mad it's a sure sign to
me that he's run out Of arguments"
Certainly" said Weisenhemer.
eve should be tolerant Of one anoth-
er's opinions. If we didn't exchange
opinions about things, we'd never learn
anything, and the best sign of culture
and good common sense. for that
matter-to my mind Is the considera-
ton we give to other peoples ideas.
When | was at Heidelberg"
That's what 1 say" interposed
Casey, earnestly. 81 tell you It pays
to listen to the other fellow. You'll
get q different angle on the thing.
After all, none of US are always right
the other fellow is right sometimes
and just because he happens to diff
fer with you Is no reason why you
shouldn't listen to what he says-he
may be right that particular time"
Certainly. Besides, the ability to
discuss matters with others from an
absolutely unprecedented standpoint,
and from an honest desire to improve
our knowledge upon the subject dis
cussed, is the highest test of intellect
ual polse. Our old professor Of meta
physics used to say"
you're right, old man-that's the
point" said Casey. "There's nothing
makes me so sore as a fellow that abb
solutely can't and won't see but one
side to question. see old
Wilson has fred another shot at the
kaiser"
"Shot7 What kind Of a shot this
time, Brother CaseyT asked Weisen-
heimer, blandly.
about those Yarrowdafe prisoners
that the kaiser is holding over there
Wilson tells him, cold turkey, he's got
to come across with them without any
more parley-that last note was
straight from the shoulder"
"Yes-that's good. 1 hope they will
be released. This unfortunate war"
Unfortunate? It's a blamed out
rage, that's what this war is. The idea
of raising all that fuss about an Aus
trian archduke, or whatever he was"
"Oh, there's a good deal more to
this war than that little affair, Mr..
Casey. That was a mere incident. The
underlying causes are deep and funda-
mental. 1t Is really a struggle between
two antagonistic ideas of civilization
and progress"
"Oh, back up with that stun, WeIsey
that makes me sick. There amt
anything to this war but old Bill Ho-
henzOllern's rule-or-ruin policy. He's
going to run things over there or bust
'em up. He Is just big political boss,
with big army to back him up, that's
all Bill is"
II beg pardon, Mr.. Casey, now, real
ly that don't sound good from a man
of your intelligence. II you've read
the white Book"
white iddlesticks-I hope you are
not falling for that buncP
Before would talk about this war
1 would read the official documents, |
II were you-what's the use Of talk. |
ing to fellow like you, that don't read |
anything"
Don't read anything? Now, there
you go, Weisey-why, 1 don't do any
thing but read about the war. II |
there's anything about the war that
l don't know, I'm darn sure you can't
tell me. The trouble with you, weisey,
Is you're prejudlced."
"rhe trouble with you, Casey, is that
you're bonehead-"
"Bonehead2 Bonehead? Say,
Welsey, II had head as hard as
yours, I'd soak IL In something, like
they do wood pulp, to soften 1t up, so
you can get an outside idea into II
once In a while. You think you know
II all, and you don't know nothing"
Casey, there's two kinds of people
1 won't argue with, idiots and chill
dren-and you're no child, I'll say that
much for you"
ARGUE? Why, you can't argue. You
wouldn't know a fact If you saw II
coming up the middle of the street,
with an affidavit on each side of it.
Arguef You just think you are say
ing something when you're just max
Ing funny sounds. If had a head as
thick as yours, Weisey-"
Jaw, you ought to be going to school
instead Of trying to sell shale for
coal"
"Say, you better go back to HeideI-
berg"
"You ignoramus."
"You ivory-headed nut"