The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1921-01-27

"aNAs 'N NNy
L hear similar remarks concerning him,
and l think 1t a poor appreciation of
his generosity. AS you say, he's al
ways giving, and it's a small business
to look a gift horse in the mouth, as
the psalmist says. If he hires a man
with a megaphone to announc Lis
b~enefactions, he isn't hurting any,
body.
"Caustic things are said Of every
philanthropist who manages to get
some advertising out of his liberality,
but it's my opinion that you'll have to
hunt a long time, with a searchlight
and a pair of gumshoes, before you
find the man who enjoys doing good
by stealth. If you do find him, he will
prove to be a freak, and it will be your
duty to see him returned to the asy-
lum from which he escaped.
"We are all more or less hungry for
the appreciation Of our friends and fell
low citizens. And l am glad it's so.
If we didn't care three whoops what
our friends thought of us, we wouldn't
paint our houses, or NOW our lawns,
spend any money for flowers or boiled
shirts or any of the things which make
life beautiful and attractive. If a man
spends a lot Of money for a gorgeous
lawn, with real trees and expensive
flowers, and all sorts of ornaments,
he's doing 1t because he wants to be
praised by the people who see it all.
You don't see any such lawns in lone
some rural districts. There the front
yard always is a calf pasture.
"The farmer reasons that it's no use
having a pretty lawn, for there's no.
body to admire it. Nobody ever goes
past the place except an occasional
lightning rod agent or a man who Is
taking orders for fruit trees.
"Why don't you sneer at the town
man who puts so much money into
beautiful grounds? It's all a grand
stand play. He expects to get adver-
Using out of. it, and he does, and he
deserves it. We shouldn't criticize any
man who is doing good, even if we
don't like his methods.
"Soge people say that Skimback is
of his past career. 1t is argued that
until recent years he never gave away
anything, but was after the dollars by
day and night, and didn't care who got
hurt so he overlook and captured
them. They tell of mortgages he fore
closed, causing ~unspeakable suffering
here and there. He is accused of re-
sorting to every dark trick to increase
his hoard. Most of the stories prob
ably are bunk, but what if they are
true? Now that he shows signs of re-
pentence in his old age we should en-
courage him in every possible way,
and if he gives a monograph to the
high school, or puts up a public drink
ing fountain in the public square, we
should tell him he's everybody's dar-
ling, and not dig up a lot of ancient
history for his confusion.
II haven't much money to give
away, but when / do loosen up to the
extent of a dollar or two / like to have
an audience. l like to imagine that
people are saying, What q great-heart-
ed, benevolent old geezer he isP The
other morning a man approached me
and asked me to contribute something
toward putting a new steeple on the
church, and l began to explain that
church steeples are out of date, when
he interrupted to say that the names
of all contributors would be printed in
the paper, and then I dug up IS with.
out further words. And we're ell
tarred with the same stick, my
friends"