Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-06-30
CULTURE
By H. Addington Bru:e


OOME people, fear should say many peo-
ple-are disposed to underrate culture.
~ They do not see what is to be gained IN
any practical sense by developing keen and
INTELLIGENT interest in art, literature, music,
and other products of refined creative thing
ing Too often, indeed, the tendency is 10
sheer at those who seek to make themselves
cultured.
And undeniably there is such thing as be-
ing overcultured. Devotees of culture as an
end in itself rather than a means to an emo
Law themselves open to just criticism. YET
they are not really so mistaken as people VINO
60 to the opposite extreme OF scoring a'
culture as something quite valueleSs.
For if the overcultured lose touch with the
material realities of life the uncultured mss
the higher satisfaction culture conferS. sun
worse, no matter how successful they may DC
in a material way, they really are only haii
alive. :, :.
safe to add, would be more successful even
from a wholly material viewpoint If they rem
forced their physical energy and business
sense" by the resources derivable from cut
ture. Fl: ~
This if only because |culture, among its
many virtues quckenS the lmaglnauon an; anu
thereby increases the capacity to come into
sympathetic relations with ones fellow beings.
Ali deficient in this capacity are necessarily
handicapped in their business dealings. FOR
successful business doing is grounded IN ease
in social contacts. And ease in social contacts
is impossible to the man who is so unlmaglna-
tive and so self-centered that he cannot read
ily put himself in anotherS place IN DONG
business with that other.
Clash will then result from contact, not
harmony AntagoniSmS will be created, having
harmful effects of many kinds, not least on
business progress.
Culture. to be sure, is not the only antldote
to unimaginativeneSS and self-centeredneSs. FOR
that matter experiences shows that culture Is
not essential to the gaining OF an uncommon
power to Sympathze.
But experience also shows that when cul-
ture is not possessed sympathy-power is more
likely than not to be deficient. So is ability
to think broadly as we'll as intensely, to, i've
graciously and happily as well as etflclently'
ind ito see life clearly and see 1t whole"
Grenville Keiser admirably presents the case
for culture when he states:
Couture IS that form of education which
ma1ifests itself in refinement OF mind, morals,
and TASTE Culture includes not only knoWl-
edge, but sympathy and intelligence. Culture
embraces simplicity and courtesy.
Culture is the growth of all the graces OF
love- beauty, taste, and service, and the repreS-
sion of everything mean or unworthy. Culture
expels evil with good, ignorance with knoWl-
edge, and falSity with truth"
Such are its benefits to the individual, ben
efitS tending [1recty to emancipation from
sordid, selfish. and materialiStic dogmas and
ideals. The dominance of these in the world
of our day accounts in Chief part for the mis-
cries of that world and against them we Will
do we'll to invoke and increasingly bring into
play the remedial force Of culture.
(Copyright 1921, by The Associated NeWSpa-
perS.)