Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1922-11-02
Some Dogs and
Some Folks
90. 1922. Western Newspaper Union.)
By C. B. WHITFORD

DOC. L wish o would find out what
it is and put me right"
You're not a bad looking dog, Max.
You make a good front and they say
you're a pretty wise fellow, too. Why,
l hear you a do more things han
any dog in the neighborhood. What
appears to be the trouble with you
My father, you know, was a pretty
good water spaniel. SO l took a no.
ton that my best graft would be in
the water line. l liked the water for
awhile and just as l was getting wise
to my work took an awful dislike to
it. l was in trouble all the time with
everybody. One of my grandfathers
was a pretty good greyhound. He was
a great success in his line. l kept
thinking about him so much that I
just hated to go into the water and
finally gave it up altogether and tried
the greyhound graft. I liked the job
for a while. Then they told me 1 was
too cunning to do greyhound's work
and wasn't fast enough. Besides every
; once in a while the old love for the
+ water Would come back and that is
bad business for a greyhound. They
told me that if l didn't know anything
else might do the ~greyhound's work,
very well. AT any rate l was so smart
about so many other things I lost my
job"
II suppose now you'll try a ter
rier's job and just as you get going
nicely the old greyhound and water
spaniel blood will crop out and distract
you. Some day when. you ought to be
attending to a terriers work you'll
want to take a sprint just to satisfy
the old feeling and show the rest of
the terriers what you can do. Then
you'll want to go fooling around the
water when you ought to be looking
after the rats and the w~oodchucks.
You're Just like some folks l know
that amt bred right. They flop from
one thing to the other and get a whole
lot OF general knowledge that won't
get them anything. The fellow that
finds out what his best graft is and
sticks to it is the fellow that gets the
money. Of course he looks foolish
wI:er he mixes up with q lot of folks
who know everything, but in his OWL
line lie has them all beat. No, Max,
the aN-round wise folks won't do. It's
the fellow that knows one thing we'll
and knows enough to stick to it that
shines. He's a star. The rest have
got too many little lamps scattered so
they don't shed much light. This is
the day of the big single star"
Maybe amt just struck my right
graft, Doc. Pm wise enough to make a
hit If l could only get in right"
ut amt that. You amt wise enough
to stick. You think you'll strike some
thing better when you can show off
your versatile talents. But all jobs
are pretty much alike. They are what
the fellow makes them. l know a man
just like you, Max. He's bright, he's
Industrious and a good fellow. He
has done almost anything from making
ice cream to running an undertaking
establishment. His ice cream was bad.
The livery and his funeral service was
not fit for the dead.
but I'll tell you, Max, there Is a
little hope for you. | know a lot of
folks that have failed at everything
they had undertaken and having moth
ing else to do they went into politics
and made a great hit. If you can find
a job something like that you may be
q winner. Otherwise you are lost.
"The really wise man who is a spe-
cialtst has no chance in politics. He
car shake hands but one way, and
he is ail the time talking and saying
things people remember. He's got
opinions that are fatal to his success.
He can only carry one bucket on one
shoulder and if he don't like a bad
thing, he can't help saying 50, and
offending a whole lot OF voters that
look at these bad-things through prac-
tical eyes. The man in politics that
knows n line well knows enough to
know he doesn't know everything. If
he Is the big chief he knows enough
to pick out ahis specialists. But he
don't often get the chance to be big
chief. for If he did he would kill the
game. 1t is one of your all-round
fellows that knows a little of every
thing and a great deal of nothing that
makes his mark in the political ring.
A fellow with just your kind Of mixed
breeding. A real mongrel in the al
fairs of the world, who thinks he's an
all-rOund philosopher, able only to
make a front and play tight and loose
with any proposition the people hand
hin."
I'm there with the front all right,
Doc, and l don't know enough about
anything to hurt. What me and the
political stars have got Is talent all
right, and If l can fit my talent into
the tight place / ought to shine. Some
star politician ought to appreciate me
because can sure 90 all the gaits."
Mastodon Finally Clothed.
After standing for half n century