Evening star., 1921-09-25
BIZ THOMAS r. MARSHALL,
Former Vice President Of the
United States.


Former Vice President Of the
United States.
~ NE Of life's Illusions con-
sists in the delight we take
in imagining that we have
discovered something new.
We do not like to think that there
were warriors before Achilles and
kings before Agamemnon. 1t is true
that In the past there was a holy
alliance and there were many un-
holy alliances. there was an Amphyc-
tonic League and there were other
leagues looking to the peace OF the
world. But 1t pleases US to think
that the league of nations was dis
covery. 1t is no difficult thing to con-
cince large masses of men that you
have unearthed the ten command
ments and have exhumed the golden
rule. But when all is said it must
be admitted that, nothwithstand-
ing the general diffusion Of knowl-
edge. wisdom has fingered. The
ages have brought to US much In
formation. but they have not
changed the primal bases Of con-
duct. There have been no wiser
men than Solomon. King of Israel,
and Jesus of Nazareth, King Of the
jews.
At about the time the Nazarine
was uttering His golden rule
heather poet in old Rome was ad-
vising the shoemaker to stick 10
his last. The countless efforts OF
shoemakers to be surgeons nave
verified the wisdom and value OF
the advice. The same idea is diff
ferently stated in the sacred writ
ings. They point out that men
were not created all competent 10
do any work and discharge any
duty in human life. They aVow
what the experience OF mankind
has disclosed that the Jack OF all
trades is the master OF none.
They solemnly warn the citlzen 10
obey the scriptural in1unchom:
This one thing / do" The WORDS
work can best be done ana the
worlds progress can best be Sc
cured by each man devoting MINI
self to the thing for which ne Is
peculiarly fitted.
In that large liberty wherunto
we have attained we are more than
ever convinced that we have learn
ed how things ought to be done. or
at least have discovered new way
of discharging old duties. 1t takes
US a long while to ascertain that
right conduct is fixed and invari-
able through all the ages. that
when we have discovered some
thing new about it 1t is either not
new, or else II is wrong. The many
new discoveries that I make and
subsequently ascertain to be old
remind me of a farmer client I had
in the days when I was country
lawyer. He conceived that he was
an inventive genius. Consequently
he was constantly bringing to me
what he assumed and, for aught 1
knew, were patentable inventions.
They kept coming back from the
patent office with the explanation
that they were fnfringements.
cheWed q rye straw meditatively
and then sadly remarked, Doesn't
1T beat the world how many things
1 discover that other fellows dis
covered before me?"
With an utter disregard for the
best interests Of mankind l have
ofttimes wished that portions OF
life could be segregated and turn
ed over to the shoemakers for man
asement. Human nature Is SO
strange that the only sure way
really to convince man that he
cannot do thing is to let him try
1t. II the waste accompanying such
an experiment were not so fright
full. it would be well worth the try
ing. And yet no one. perhaps,
would be convinced. save those
who failed, and they. no doubt,
would lay the blame on some un-
toward interference, with their
management or some unhappy state
of the market.
What we particularly need in
business relations Of life is not
more information, but a little
more honesty with ourselves al a
little more wisdom. The common
idea that democracy spells COM
potency is a mistaken one. A man
may be just as incompetent under
q democracy as under the most
absolute Of monarchies. The idea
that because a man Is free he is
therefore competent to discharge
any duty Is wrong and constitutes
a serious menace to economic
government. The shoemaker must
stick to his last or he will starve
not only himself but his family,
in a democracy or elsewhere.
That is the best democracy which
has both the capacity and the de-
sire to force tho shoemaker to