The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-08-28

Who Occupies . Unique Position il
the Writing World rs an Author
ity on the Problems Of Life.
<(T|EEP up your defense of
~ common-sense personal lib
erty," writes Annie K.
stop urging women to depart
from the good old standards" sug-
gests Victoria G. "Why do you
want to advocate bobbed hair and
such crazy things? Can't you see
that what was good enough for our
grandmothers ought to be good
enough for us?"
Well! Well. friend Victoria. stage
coaches were good enough for
grandmother. Is that an argument
against neat little motor cars and
efficient trains? Did Elias Howe do
the world a terrible wrong when
he decided against his wife's sitting
cramped over her sewing and set
his brain to work on the idea which
has given us the sewing machine?
"Common-sense personal liberty
strikes me as pretty good slogan
on which to build a campaign Of
action.
Commons sense personal liberty
means honest expression Of a nature
which isn't running amuck, but
which has considered Its needs ana
which has determined to get the
most 1t can out of it's equipment.
Heading toward efficiency is COM
mon sense. And the only way to
achieve the utmost of which one Is
capable Is to find ones potential
tiles. gifts and possibilities and put
them into action.
No great musician was ever made
without practice. Probably the
neighbors don't enjoy the first ef-
forts of the tyro violinist. but dur
ing the day the neighbors have
places to go and things to do, and
though they may be annoyed spas
medically by the mechanics OF the
violinist's struggle to achieve per-
feet D, they can go away ana Tor
get 1t.
His quota of personal liberty en-.
titles him to his six or eight hours
practice, even II it doesn't make him
popular with the neighbors. But
nothing can Justify him In such
course as practicing at midnight, or
in the dawning hours. and interler-
ing with other folks sleep.
Common sense personal liberty
doesn't interfere with other folks
share of the same commodity. IL
allows everyone all the elbow room
he wishes. 1t permits freedom to
nd
seek to pre-empt all the lnoepeh-
dence in the vicinity.
Common-sense personal liberty
entities folks to opinions. And 1t
gives them a right to express those
opinions IL they are honest and sane
and don't break any laws OF God or
man. 1t doesn't mean that sixteen
year-old Mamie IL entitled to stay
out until IL o'clock at night and TO
cayort around in dance halls. But
il does mean that at twenty Mamie
is entitled to decide that she would
rather work for her living than
marry some fifty-year-old eligible
for whom her parents hold not
altogether disinterested brief.
II isn't fair to call woman a
freak because she wants to wear her
hair short. nor yet to dub man by
the same name because he likes his
longer than perfect grooming seems
to require. Suppose I don't like
chocolate cake and you don't care
for black coffee. Probably both OF
us would be better without an ex-
cess of our favorite-but neither or
us has a right to interfere with the
oth er's notion of what's a treat.
We all have to do our own think
ing and decide what little harmless
we can indulge in and
what big principles we must fight
for-and we mustn't try to force
other folks to take a cause just be-
cause it's our pet, nor yet to make
a sacrifice just because we hold