The Washington herald., 1921-04-16
Get Rid Of Gloom.

THERE was college boy who, the morn
i ing after, delivered himself of the judgment
that life was the most unsatisfactory thing be had
ever tackled. So some persons who consort with
gloom, may decide as to this world of in 1921.
Yet they can remember other, and if they ever
experience another, they may be like Emma Gold
man who now prefers Jail in the United States to
freedom under Bolshevik rule.
This is not the first time, nor the 'steenth this
world has had political and economic and social
upheaval. 1t is not the first time it has turned
over and for time lain its back with its feet in
the air. The story of those other times also is Of
good out of evil; of wholesome advance in the
understanding OF men in their mutual relations, and
greater average of well being After kicking the
air for period, the world has always gotten on
its feet far ahead of where it was upset.
, Just now it is in the kicking stage It is the
victim OF gloom where there is the least occasion for
this, and of every graduation to deepest despair in
other lands Never before has there been organized
relief to take to those who had nothing at least
enough to sustain life. Heretofore men, women
and children lived or died their immediate cond-
tions could could not be met by them unaided
This alone sheuId be enough to mark the striking
advance of civilization in the past century more
Moreover. the perfection of communications
brings to ALL quite instantly, every detail of msfor-
tune, misrue, horror and despair from every re-
motest land. This was not at any other time
Today the whole world story is known; heretofore
any people knew but little beyond their own
boundaries, with look over their neghbors' fences
The whole is now in full view, all the time No
other period of history had this coremporaneously
With this disadvantage or advantage, which ever
it may be, of viewing the passing world events as
whole, there is the further fact that not before
has the truth of history been so widely distributed
for comparison and guidance, for consolation and
renewal of courage. 1t is the -antidote for gloom
Ii is the cure for pessmism. 1t should bring wis
dom the founts of wisdom are free to all But
above all it should impress the lesson that at the
roots of all such occasions has been intolerance in
all of its many forms, overriding ignoring,
refusing, crushing the equal rights of fellow men.
The world is here; it will stay here. Its re-
sources are here; they will stay here. Those who
people the earth here and all but comparatively
minor percentage will remain here They are but
readusting their relations and getting rid of factors
of intolerance They are fashioning new measure
ment and set of standards that fair, mutually
more just and better calculated to place advance
ment on a basis of the evener distribution of the
results of honest effort with squarer promotion Of
mental manpower.
When again the world gets on its feet, which
will not be long, it will be to have gone far in
the six or eight years. Maybe it will be actually inn
pressed with great truth-that it is possible to
make like progress without like costs; that wars are
not necessary to progress. but only through a
refusal to accept and adopt new standards whose
coming is inevitable. ~