The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1921-07-27
MAKING 1T ONE RASCAL LESS.
(Gunnar Bjornson.)

- you may be sure that there is one less
rascal in the world"
Who said that?
His name was Thomas Carlyle. If you know
him. you will know that the remark is character
istic. If you don't know hin-well, if you don't
know pork from mutton what difference does it
make which you are served?
But isn't that really, now, a brilliant idea!
Just for each one of us to try to make OF ourself
an honest an honest woman and thus, by
just that much, reduce the number Of crooks in
the country!
The trouble is that we all think it is the other
fellow who needs all the fixing and that we our
selves are just right.
There is nothing to that sef-satsfed bunk.
You may be able to fool yourself with it-but
just put it down as gospel fact that you yourself
are the only one who is being fooled.
We are all more or less crooked.
Most of us would rather lie than get
caught-rather steal than starve
That's horrible doctrine, isn't it
Well, we didn't say that it the right thing
to dove just said that it what most Of us
would do in pinch.
Now. we believe that people are honest, we
have in fact, rather exalted opinion OF the aver
age human being. We think most people are
met perfectly honest man or woman, never!-
because "there amt no such animal.
Barring the sub orn1als we win say that all
people are honest-only some are less honest than
others.
If all people were honest, if all people tried
to live, all the time, up to the best they know
how, then this world would be pretty much diff
ferent place from what it is.
Every race every nation, every epoch OF his
tory. has it's own special standard of honesty and
morals.
This standard is not the in all races, nor
is it by any means the same in the at
different periods Of time. The highest duty OF
man is to elevate the racial or epochal moral
standard under which Ne happens to have been
born into the world.
But if this is universal duty, it is also an in
dividual task
The most effective way for any reformer to get
results is to begin with himself. If you can not
make an impression, with your idea of superior
moral standards, upon the particular self" that
you should have the most influence with, how
can you hope to WELD power lives that
merely touch the circumference of your ndividu
al identity?
To reduce the number Of rascals in the world,
you must first Of all reduce the rascal within
yourself. And for most Of us that is pretty much
of life job.
But supposing that were all working on
that proposition, would it not be bound to make
a heap of difference in the way that mankind
would deport itself?
We have heard "dyed-in-the- wool Socialist
say, that he owned lot of property, that he was
buying and selling under the capatalistic system,
which he believed to be wrong and vicious, but
Oh he not 70 no To
Of his property in any other way than the con-
ventional way, as long as the system obtained.
To him the whole system, under which he was
making money, was false and rotten but he was
not going to "buck the machine" by making a
fool of himself in living up to his principles.
He wanted to make all the world accept the
principles of Socialism, but he didn't want to
begin by practicing the thing himself.
It is the same old idea-reform the other fellow
first.
It is the same as to say: Il believe in being |
honest and just as soon as the rest Of mankind
becomes honest will"
It is "band wagon" honesty.
The great reformers of the world have not
gone at the thing that way
They have tried to subdue the rascal within
themselves before they moved upon the rascals |
about them.
And that is the only way that true reforms are
accomplished.
Just why it should concern us so much what
the other fellow says and does when it is of so
vastly vital concern to US what we ourselves are
and do, is problem that presents puzzling side.
If we were really on the square could we have
all this interest in the conduct of others and so
little concern for the rascal within the gate of our
own heart?
We are busy weighing the sins of others when
we should be at work the shortcomings that
we ourselves have so many of.
We all have, within ourselves, the power to |
do a lot of good in this world and the best way
to accomplish that good is to improve and culti-
vate the individual soul-acre that has been en-
trusted to our care.
No cultivation that we can do pays as well as