The Washington herald., 1921-07-05


ADVOCATES GOSPEL
OF PERPETUAL GRANGE.
TT is the fashion nowadays for
individuals to rise here and there,
and ascending some lofty summit,
turn their spyglasses on the world
and sound a note Of woe and in
evitable destruction" said Thomas
F. Caldwell, of Chicago, at the Hotel
Washington.
"In the changes taking place in
this era of reconstruction they dis
Germ no hope. The horizon to them
Is all o'ercast with clouds, and even
the proverbial silver lining IL
missing.
II have an idea,' continued Mr..
Caldwell. "that these latter-daS
prophets are loaded with wind. The
old globe, scientists tell us, has been
turning around for some millions of
years, and 1t occurs to me an insti-
tuition which can show as much
stick k-to-it- as that won't
crack as easily as We have been led
tc infer.
If GOAL IS GEHENNA,
LET us BE ON WAY.
Moreover. I take it that 1t is up
to man to use his best Judgment,
and il the world in spite of this
persists in travelling toward Ge-
henna, let it travel.
but view the situation even
more hopefully" said Mr.. Caldwell.
"All of these changes taking place
around us instead of blighting my
| heart, brighten II. / am an apostle
Of the gospel of change.
''It was that leader of the utili-
tarians. John Bentnam. who pointed
| out that the newest was always the
oldest. That which happens toncr-
! row being later in time than that
most ancient. Hence those who are
ever barking back to the old things
| and condemning the new for its
want of age know not whereof they
| speak.
| CHANGE FOR WORSE
BETTER THAN NONE.
T am one OF those who believe
worse than not to change at all.
For not to change is merely to die.
| Changing from bad to worse at
| least enables us to contrast the bad
| with the worse, and may lead to n
more active espousal of the good as
a result of the experience, but not
to change is to have reached the
| summit Of our growth. And when
there are no more SUBMITS to climb.
| when We have learned all there is
to learn. 1t is time to call in the
| undertaken.
| The late DR.. S. Weir Mitchell
once facetiously suggested that
clergymen should never be permit
ted to practice their calling until
they had gone through a course of
crime sAd wickedness. This is, OF
course, a bit extreme. and yet there
is at least the suggestion of a
truth in the idea.
There are several ways to skin
cat, and there are several roads
to the formation of character. One.
of course, is the stereotyped way of
avoiding all temptation. The other
is of facing life, of trying all
things and holding fast to that
which is good The former is the
safer course, but the latter, II not
the best, is at least equally good
and more interesting.
WINDS OF DESTINY
GUIDE HUMAN CREW.
But we really need make no plea
for the gospel of change. For
whether we wish or no, events
happen which make US change willy
nilly. A war, an earthquake, a
change of government. a wave ct
political or religious persecution, &
hundred things occur which uproot
man and make him cast anchor fol
other shol es, induce a transforma'
tion of his philosophy of life, altel
his life and habits.
Some of US perhaps change ;
little too much. In that event" de-
clared Mr.. Caldwell, tho individua
for a change should cease chang
ing for a while