The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-31
We IL Rarnble
BY j. l.

] AtlhN4A ~ dp with EuCCESS III IIG RnQ
maybe she is in = measure right.
| Poisea with a letter left out, is the
attitude OF the average human being
| All the worlds a stage and every
/ one plays a part for the benefit Of
I others. We pose, you pose, they
pose. We even pose to ourselves. In
| the vernacular this In termed kid
ding yourself"
, Don't kid yourself" ts the advice
often given by the worldly wise
! speakers OF slang. In more exalted
circles they speak OF it as self-hyp-
notism.
} Some men become convinced that
( they are great public benefactors
/ They kid themselves into the belief
whatever anyone else may do, as on
/ posed to their IDEAS. Is wrong. They
! become -hypnotized. They ascribe
| TO themselves high motives. worthy
| ideals, noble purposes. Yet while
doing this they may question the mo-
/ tives OF others
They are much like John p. Rob
/ inson, Of whom Hosea BigeIow wrote
! They believe the world will go right
! If they holler out Gee" which. 1t
may be explained. Ia the command
given q yoke OF oxen TO turn to the
right
AeAC Jul oWaa SiAY E0T
! instance, There are weIl-meaytnx
citizens who believe that IL they we're
given the chance TO run the affairs of
tho city they would do very much
better than the men now serving US
| Maybe they would and then again
possibly not
Why is It they can never be elected
20 office?
Just think over the best known
critics OF our city government and
consider how many OF them would
win in an election IL they were pitted
against the men they criticize
Incidentally, also consider some OF
the men who have been elected to
city Offices and how they act before
and after they get there.
When running for ONCE, they put
up every sort OF an argument in
their own favor. and promise to
serve the people faithfully and we'll.
After they are elected they seem
TO think they have a life-tenure mort
gage on the job and treat the people
who come before them. the people
who voted FOR them. with sometimes
scant ceremony.
First they beg for q Job and then
OF those who help pay their salary.
They kid Themselves into the be-
lief that they are holding down their
fob by divine right. that they are the
biggest fish in the pool and anyone
who does not recognize this fact must
be purhifnd. or a stmpleton.
It's all pose. all playing part
Few OF Us are natural Which is
blessing, for without our company
manners which we assume whenever
we meet other folk. we might be un-
bearable.
We set one standard Of conduct for
ourselves and another for all others.
We make sweepins assertions and
emphaticallv declare that sill poiiti-
clans are crooks. while we also pratt
tie soiemnly about ~tatesrnen. IT was
. Thomas 3. Reed. of Maine. who said,
when asked TO define a statesman
"A statesman" said the gentle
cynic, SIS a successful poIitician---wno
is dead"
He wasn't far wrong stfn. II wasn't
such a long time ago when Senator
Thomas s. Martin was regarded more
as successful politician than as
statesman. but he NAV be pointed out
as an exception 10 Mr.. Reeds rule.
However. all this rambling talk IL
merely to emphasize that human ma
ture is much alike. All men think
they are indispensaSis--and the
world gets along without them when
they are dead. Every man In quite
sure that no one could handle his JOB
as we'll as he does and along comes
somebody else who shows him his
mistake.
Moses may have been m fsSed by
the Jews. but they rose 10 consider
able erninence in Palestine after his
death. Napoleon brought glory TO
France and also much suffering, They
were great men. yet none are too
great to be criticized by some little
vain man and none are too small TO
f1nd someone speaking patronizingly
Of them.
Casey was a good ShoveJer." said
Murphy at the wake. anxious to say
a good word for the late lamented.
He wur." replied Shaughne~sev
iudiciously. HE wur thot. Not what
you'd call a fancy shoveler. but still
Il good lshoveier-a good shoveier."
We oil feel ws are entitled 10 ex-
press our opinion about any one and
anything and our own opinion is the
most important thing I'm the world
to us-and probably the least of i'm
portance TO others We sit afar off
and condemn the men in high Of
foe in Washington. We discuss SOL
EMMY the campaigns in italy and
Flan0erS ana talk ADCUt Ine WtS0Om
or lack of wisdom on the part of gem
erals as If we were the supreme court
on things military.
We attack, criticize and condemn
the men who carry on our city gov
eminent for us, perhaps far more
cnpably than we ever could. We pose.
We are OF much importance our
selves And we have to learn that
those who tell US how great we are
generally are sordid souIs---toadies.
More than one man of much self
esteem in the community is but a
creation o~ toadyism and victim of
seIf-hypnatism.
The crown and ernine have much
TO do with the making of king. VIII
liam, of Germany. would be a de-
formed man II stripped of his uni.
form, an unfortunate with a withered
arm. Yet he sets himself on high
and IN regarded with veneration by
millions. Yet you know-we all
know~-that he In unworthy of such
worship No doubt William poses to
himself He kids himself" Just the
same as some smaller man in our
own home town.
All the worlds a stage and many
succeed in PLAYING the part they have
selected for themselves. frequently to
ion~ avs rroloruad a pu1a1.wa Or +hn