South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-01-29
Another War
Lesson
BY ADA PATTERSON.

He is silver haired and a little un-
reliable in the joints His eyes hold
a hint of pathos. His thin face is
Overlaid by that degree of resigna-
ton that is as sad as tears.
He is the elevator man in an
apartment house. will you tell
Mrs. Brown that ! called and will
be back I'm an hour?" 1 asked He
bowed quantity and promised. But
to Mrs. Browns Inconvenience and
my own he failed TO keep the
promise.
Its very trying" said Mrs. Brown
piaintively when by grace of the tel
ephone we had contrived to meet.
when your bread and meat and
rent and clothes depend upon it, He
used to be a dentist. But his meth
DDS became old-fashioned and his
patients fell off. He had TO give up
the profession and run an elevator.
He means TO be obliging but he
can't seem to remember. If he sees
me go out he can remember that
but he can't remember that he has
seen me return. My patrons come
here and ask for me and he says I
am out. And he never gets the
names right and always twists the
messages, so that 1 don't know
whom TO telephone"
Present him a note book and
pencil as reminders"
81 have" Mrs. Brown sighed. But
he forgets TO write down the name
Of my callers. Yes. it's very trying
but L try to be patient. That is one
thing the war is doing for us. 1t
teaches us TO be patient with one
another"
Right. Mrs. Brown. War, dispite
its horrors, because of it's terrors, is
softening the heart of the world.
This is a reign Of pity. I see il in
the faces of the rushing, busy, tired
folk in the crowded subways Once
the crowding irritated them. I have
seen them look at each other with
eyes of hate. But now they yield
place with kindly glances. They pick
up the letter which nervous
woman has dropped. They stop
reading the war news crowded paper
TO make sure that the bent-should-
cred woman and the white haired
man have 2 seat. Their eyes are
tender as they listen to the pratt
ling of a boy playing soldier or a little
girl mothering a doll. The mistakes
f. that once eXasperated are forgiven.
The failure stirs pity and a desire
TO aid. The day after she uttered
her complaint about him I saw the
seamstress pass a Steaming cup Of
coffee and a golden square Of toast
out 10 the former dentist because
she had noticed it was chilly on the
elevator. The messenger boy whom
a second glance reveals 10 be not a
boy but a grizzled. wrinkled man. is
not reproved for hardness. This is
a war-begotten age Of tolerance. We
have reached the stage of under
standing
There will DE pleasant after
math OF the hideous conflict. a beau
tiful awakening from the long night
mare. Picture "A state OF life in
which everyone will at least try 10
be considerate of everyone else.
When RACES at careless servants will
give way 10 gentle reasoning; when
business associates do not get on
our nerves" because the nerves have
been steeled &c endurance OF greater
things than the petty daily con
Germs; when things that go wrong
about the house do not overwhelm
US because We will have memory OF
la thing that threatened 10 over
whelm the world: when we have a
new sense OF proportion: when our
eyes have been strengthened as eyes
jare by looking at far off things
I know a womapAo ywDnn<
OF fretful h1L
ldeeth- Afx