Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-07-03
Imbibed With Ones Mothers
Milk, Fortified by Youth
full Surroundings.
ONLY BROKEN THROUGH
BY EXPERIENCE OF WORLD
More Damaging and Corroding
in Its Effects Than Most of
Evil Habits. /.
By Lord Bcn,crbrooh.

mon. and perhaps the most serious,
OF Voc" i. prejudice. !, liz n thing
;mbibeh with ones mothers milk.
fortified by all ones youthful
surroundings. and only broken
through. II "a, all, by experience OF
effort
Prejudice is indeed a vice In the
most serious sense az the term. II
IL more damaging and corroding in
It's effects than most Of the ovD
habits which arc usually described
! by that term. II is destructive OF
/. judgment and devastating in It's
effect on the mentality because ii is
symptom OF a narrowncss of
outlook on tho world. The man who
can learn to outlivc prejudice has
broken through AN iron ring which
binds the mind. And get VIC all come
into the world Of affairs in carly
youth with that ring surrounding our
temples. We have subconscious pre-
JUDGES even where we have no con
scious ones. Family. tradition. early
instruction and upbrInging fastcn on
every man nreconccp,ions which are
hard - break.
SON of the Mnnse.
write out OF my own experience
was brough, up as The son OF
minister OF tho Church OF Scotland.
who left Edinburgh University as a
young man to take up u ministry in
Canada. The Presbyterian faith was.
therefore. the one in which was
brought UP In my boyhood. and
still feel IN my inner being n prcJu.
dice. which I cannot defend In r..t-
son. against those doctrines which
traverse the Westminster Confession
OF Faith. Howcvcr-much thought a.i
experience have modified my Views
on religious questions. my tendency
is TO become the Church Of Scotia III
militant IL any ether denomination
Challenges It's views or organization
~ Lontbc That Mnn."
Such are the prcpossessions which
surround youth. They arc tormid.
able. whether they take the shape
OF religion or politics OF class-and
fixed form or religious belief ie
probably the most operative of them
all. II Is quite possible that but
for subconscious training of the mind
Inbred through the generations neith-
CT man nor society would have been
able to survive. None the less. now
that man has attained the stage OF
social reason. prejudice is rather Il
weakness than "a strength
The greatest prejudice in social life
is that against pcrsons-nnt against
people known to one. for in that case
II is dislike or indifference or even
hatrcd-but against some individual
not even known by sight.
4 mentions B to G. Oh" says c.
81 loathc that man" But have you
ever met him?" says \. no. and I
don't want to, but know quite
enough about him
e But what do YOU know against
him?"
"Wcn. ] know that L told d. who
told me. that he was black through
and through and bad man
a few weeks afterwards c sits next
at dinner: finds him an excellent
sort of man to talk to and to do
business with. and henceforward goes
about chanting his praises. Thus is
personal prejudice disproved by the
actual fact. 1t is curious freak of
circumstance, not easily accounted
for, that men who possess that fasci-
nation OF personality which makes
them firm friends and violent enemies
are most liable to he adversely judged
out OF lack OF knowledge which is
called prejudice.
There Is another form OF the error
which is found in the business world.
Men OF affairs conceive quite ira
tionaI dislikes for certain types of
securities or transactions.
They are given. perhaps. an excel
lent offer, out of which they might
make a considerable profit. They
turn the matter down without fur
Their consideration. Their ostensible
reason is that they arc not accus-
toned to deal in that particular class
of security. Their real reason for
refusing Is that they are the victims
of their own environment. and that
they have not the intellectual cour-
age or force 10 break away from it
even when every argument proves
that il would be to their advantage
TO do so. Tlfeir intellects have be-
come muscle bound by habit or ira
dition.
The fourth and perhaps the most
violent form Of prejudice. outside the
sphere Of religion, may be found In
politics Men embrace certain po!iti-
cal conceptions. and, though the
whole world breaks into ruins ana
Is reconstructed around them. notE-
ing will alter their original ideas.
The Radical says that the Tory does
not change his spots. and the Tor!'
Is convinced that the Radical is stiil
direct emanation Of the evil one.
In the middle of these conflicting an
tagonisms the real road to national
peace, prosperity and security Is
missed by those who prefer prcju-
dice to the lessons which reality
steaches. The most infamous case Of
alto the unbending partisan Is that
Of a man who has so far outlived tho
prejudices Of party as to BIO able to