The Washington times., 1918-12-13
Too Much independence Would
Be Dangerous
But Fortunately None of Us Has Acquired 1t As Yet

But Fortunately None of Us Has Acquired 1t As Yet.
Every now and then you hear of your friends
nounce with great solemnity:
II am self-made man. have fought my way to
success unaided, and afford to be Indifferent to
public opinion. What people think of has con-
cerned me in the least so long as pleased myself
Statements of this kind are often heard among the
class of people who have managed to make money or
reputation by their own efforts
In fact most of US inclined to believe that every
thing we have accomplished has been due to
brains and industry rather than any help that has
been furnished US by other people
That is why advice general thing is
foolish
"a man follows the advice you give him and is sue
CESSFUL he thinks his the result of his
intelligence If he follows and FAILS he blames you
for giving it to him
The idea that we are independent of Others and that
have been the architects of whatever fortunes hap
pen to possess general that is worth looking into
We think that we are strong enough to manage our
affairs without any outside interference and yet in
almost every direction we find it is NOT OUR OWN
WILLS, but the OPINIONS OF OTHERS, that make US
do the things we do.
Most young men would rather be considered good fell
lows than follow the prompting of their consciences
They buy drinks which they do not need and cannot
afford rather than allow their friends to call them quit
ters' term of derion far terrible than that of
loafer or spendthrift
The most independent" of selfmade men practice
hundreds of little hypocrsies which merely trucking
to public opinion.
lected by handful of whom they heard
of.
They build large and expensive houses which they
half enjoy solely impress their neighbors
Their speech their thoughts their meals, their very
vices regulated absolutely by what their fellow beings
dn and he md ofth have
the moral courage lead the life they would prefer and
which they would lead if they watched by
others
In this cowardce of strong men, in their fear of what
others think and say is the greatest hope of this
other country which founded the idea that the people
should be the rulers
If men of brains and strength as independent as
they think they are there would be chance for the
jority, UNLESS ALL SUCH MEN WERE PURELY UN-
SELFISH
And if you should list of your acquantances
and pick out those who under all circumstances never
influenced by seshness your selections would be very
few.
is danger.
As long your neghbor and the men in the street
have not the courage to do they please regardless of
the of the world they will dare band together to
take you by the throat or rife your pockets.
The greatest and most powerful and corporations
fear PUBLICITY they fear death not because they
think that the discovery of their robberies would anger
their privately owned legislators and ofceholders but
because they know that the lawmakers the weak men
they have put into office WOULD FEAR PUBLIC oPIN-
ION too much to stand against it, and that as result
Mr. Corporation Director would be put into Jail by his
OWN FRIENDS if he ever got found out.
There are yet many greedy grasping men, who ap-
pear be unconcrned about what people think of them
long they able to purchase protection but when
he
force such be honest the bodes of the robbers
will become the most cowardly and crngng of convicted
thieves.
al. ala.