Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-21
THE GOWNSMAN

faith. religious in its conviction that you
alone are right, that to differ with you Is to
be dead wrong, contentment, pharisaical
thankfulness that you, at least, are not so
big fool other people. The Gownsman
remembers walking the streets of Cologne In
company with a young countrywoman of his
own, who was becomingly and modestly
dressed in a sailorlke suit. known techni-
cally and commercially as "a Peter Thom-
son." then rather more novel than that popu-
lar garb has long since become. The Ger
mans--and Cologne Is not a village-stared
and shifted and laughed, after the manner OF.
true provincials They had not happened to
have seen that particular kind of costume
before; 1t was "comical," so unconven-
tional-that Is. SO un-German. and therefore
ridiculous. Your provincial Is a great con-
formist. He scents immortality in change;
felony In reform. He has no manners. eX-
cept those of the sheep who follows his
leader until all are made mutton: he has no
morality. except conformity to the accepted
code His eyes, ears, nose are on the qui
vive for something novel to disapprove.
something mysterious to make a scandal out
or He-and she equally-has never learned
what not to see, hear or leave unsniffed.
He-and she, once more-has no blind side,
no self-contro no breeding such are chafr-
winch, as Carlyle puts 1t in a somewhat
different connection, "let the wind blow
whittier 1t listeth."
FTHIfE Gownsman has a friend of whom he
i has heard that he has spoken vallantly
and brilliantly in defense Of what he calls
the higher provincialism" The Gownsman
confesses to the brliancy of the phrase,
the higher provincialism.' and to tho
valiancy of any one who dares seek to de-
fend any sort of provinciality. which. In all
its varieties has one constant quality, that It
is introspectively invisible. However, like a
true friend, he will not seek to find out ex-
actly what his friend meant by his happy
phrase, but he will proceed to tell the reader
what he thinks his friend might have meant
or ought to have meant.
tHTHHE higher provincialism' Is obviously
l. derivative of 'the higher criticism"
that acqua fortis and corrosive sublimate
that has eaten away the metal Of our faith
clearly a bad parentage But be II remem-
bered that there is a place for the higher
criticism is confounding our false idols
Provincialism is the habitual seeing of the
small things Of life which are near to us, in
the disproportionate size and Importance
which their close proximity to US Is likely to
give to them. There are small things which
are near us, but which are none the less
among the great essentials; Of them we are
at times forgetful because Of their very prog
unity. The transformations performance of
the petty duties that are nearest to us, this
Is one Cheerfulness that best Of all iubri-
cants OF the daily machinery of life. is an
other. Still another is the resolute suppress
sion of the aggressive ego (the spirit OF u
which, firmly but gently practiced day by
day. will discover a world full of interesting
people nct circumstanced in life precisely
like ourselves. These are some Of the no.
tions, doubtless. of the Gownsman's ingenious
friend of 'the higher provincialism." together
with many better ones of his own. But in
the final analysis 1t Is refreshing for any man
| to work his way out boldly along the spokes.
so to say, of the wheel Of life; even il, as
| we have seen, the axis and hub of the uni
verse may buzz and spin near him. He will
| fndy perhaps little to his surprise that
| there is ever more motion and more actual
traversing of space beyond him. and that
| he will have to go far to reach the great
| whirl of the larger outer rim, the rim which
| Is actually In contact with the world where
| is the greater friction of life, it's larger move
ment, it's actual progress onward.