Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-01-06
ECHO PERSONALITIES

BY H. Addington Bruce
. nee l went to play in which an early
scene showed a meeting of the British

IN nee | went to play in which an early
scene showed meeting of the British
cabinet. 1t was war play, and the
purpose of the meeting was to discuss ways
and means of thwarting an expected Ger
man attack.
Several ministers gave their views One
contented himself with sagely nodding his
head and interfering an occasional:
"Quite so. Quite So"
Every time he said "Quite So some one
in the audience laughed. They had been
quick to recognize and deride an echo per-
sonality.
Yet how full the world is of men and WON
en- of the "Quite so'' type.
They are people perfectly willing to let
others do their thinking for them. Gladly
they acauiesce in whatever others say, De-
cause it saves them from the effort of think
ing things out, an effort they have never
learned to make.
Comn1acentlv and indolent1y they echo
| "Ouite So" in the serene belief that they
have now done all that could reasonably pe
expected of them
The trouble is that they are equally liable
to echo the good or the bad, the wise or the
foolish Because they do not think they have
no judgement. Whatever happens to make
most impression upon their suggestlble
minds is sure to draw from them an entnus1-
astic "Quite So"
Which, in times of social stress and strain
renders them truly dangerous members OF
society.
They are, at one turn, the prey of the dem
agogue, the ready victim of the agitator. At
another they unthinkingly acqu1sce in the
impassioned pleas of the u1tra-conservatlve.
Hence they are swayed perchance to de-
structive revolution, perchance to the defeat
of reforms sorely needed in the interests OF
social justice.
It is all a question of catching their ear.
and because we shall always have with us
the demagogue, the agitator and the ultra
conservative, it is idle to hope for real social
upbuilding, the creation of a really we'll or
dered social organism, unless we lessen the
number of echo personalities.
/ That is the great need of the times. 1t
has always been one of the worlds great
needs. The unthinking have been hampers
and hndererss since the first of time.
Train all really to think for themselves,
make failure to think as unpopular as it is
now popular, and the world will not be long
in getting set to rights
Tyranny will have no more chance than an
archy to despoil mankind. Privilege and in
justice will be swept into the discard, along
with the rags Of Bolshevism. ."'
Men will then appreciate their duties as
we'll as their dues. They will rise to their
responsibilities as fervently as to their op-
portunities They will live in peace and
prosperity because they will have energetical-
~ thought out the way to harmony, the way Of
right the way for lasting social solidarity.
Let us, then, grapple with the problem of
our echo personalities. Let US teach all men
to think and train them to want to think.
That alone will enable us to begin to go real
ly forward.
Modern civilization itself, faulty as it is. is
essentially the product of thinking. bet
/ ter civilization can result only from better
thinking by large numbers of men and wom-
! en-.
| Copyright, 1919, by The Associated News
! papers)