The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-05-10
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY E. HOUSE
(From Philadelphia Public Ledger.)

There is no wallop in the news. An
hour of meditation has yielded nothing
by way of inspiration. Have we the
permission of the readers of the col
umn to spend the remainder of the
afternoon arguing with a woman who
thinks she takes exception to its at
titude and its viewpoint, its reasoning
and its philosophy? Thank you, After
a few additional preliminary remarks
we shall proceed.
We have said the woman reader in
question thinks she takes exception to
the column. AS a matter of fact. she
doesn't at all. 1t is merely that we
have been able to stir her curiosity.
She doesn't quite understand it and
wants to know. There are two or
three fundamental tricks in column
ing. One of them is to give the col
umn atmosphere. For the reader in
question We have succeeded in Great
ing an atmosphere of doubt and mys-
terry. Because of that she thinks she
dislikes the column. But she merely
is curious about it.
The argument which we shall pres
emily have with her is of no i'm
portance in itself. We engage in it
for the opportunity it gives US to
project certain observations.
She writes: "The mere fact that the
lduN disappeared 1rOI1 d LIMOUSINE
seems to prejudice you against her.
Might not a tragic death be just as
painful for her as another? Why SO
often make class distinctions? You
boast of being democratic, yet the
fact that you are on the off side for
| the whole telephone book as against
! the social register does not alter the
fact that you are always making class
distinctions. Which class you are for
is not the point. We have no SYM
pathy with the child of the rich whose
| chauffeur had just missed running
some one down who asked, DO the
pedestrian classes feel pain as we dog
Even altho it is reversed, your vision
! is quite as narrow in many of your
| jibes against the few and for the
many"
! OF course, no child of the rich ever
made any such remark. 1t is a good
story, but an invented one. There are
no fundamental differences between
the children of the rich and the chill
dren of the poor. except that the chill
| dren of the poor, being less bound BY
convention, are likely to have a better
I time.
| We recall a daughter of the rich
who once visited in our own humble
household, the little place at the cor
ner of Fillmore and Huntoon streets
She was a lovely girl, clever, winsom'
| and with a keen sense of humor. She
had lived sheltered life surrounded
by every luxury. Up to the time sh'
came to us she had never ridden in {
street car. She had known only on
kind of people-the right kind. Al
sorts came to our house. We liveC
with decent regard for the conven
| tions, but we did not stress them. Sh'
came to us for four days and stayed
| two weeks. She told us when she lef
/ that she never had enjoyed a visit 81
much. All we did for her was to Civ
her a glimpse of a perfectly respecta
Bile side of life of which she had pre-
viously known nothing.
| People are alike. Fundamentally
! humanity assays about the same nC
! matter where one finds 1t. Most of il
| is stupid and a little tiresome. A grea
man is one with special talent. Aside
from that particular talent, he is like
ly to be commonplace and uninterest
| ing. We have known a reasonable
number of interesting men and WON
| en-. Two men stand out particularly
! in mind. One of them is a gigantic
figure in Wall street, whose name will
not be mentioned in the circum
stances. The other was "Uncle John
Forester. Uncle John" homesteadeG
a quarter section in Chatham town
| ship in 1868. Uncle John" passed or
some years ago and will not object tc
the publicity. He couldn't read it il
he were alive-he never learned tc
read or write. The Wall street man
was born to the purple. All things
considered, these two were the most
Interesting men We have known.
We have never boosted of being
democratic. We are anything but
We have no particular interest in that
segment of humanity which describes
itself and is described as the people
We do not wish to cave it or lift it up.