Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-13
1fE WERE some of US consratulatins

~ WERE some of us consratulatins
Xya friend who had returned from a
*M9eopean trip on her Broad A. &C.
ujfed apparently during the three
'cawn't" and "shawn't" with tn,
surety Of a Bostonese. She Immediately
3 confessed that she never could have
worked the miracle and got herself cu'
OF her fiat AS with her family about.
Families are So hampering II you
want to TURN over new Leaf was her
verdict.
ME- ALI. agreed that that was only
w too true. There is always some one
In q family who is doubtful OF the
possibility of your being persevering and
Genuine in your desire to change. and
Y 4f you want to make the transition
noiselessly there IL always some one
who makes. il her duty and pleasure to
Z remind you that last week or last year
or oil your life you have taken the
opposite course. At best the family is
m amused, half tolerant, half skeptical
audience that makes any variation from
the conventional image they have agreed
upon to regard as YOU impossible to
carry on with aplomb.
If you are n prodigal son and want
te escape out of your old bad ways or
X you are a prudish older brother and
want to break up your harsh sense OF
better than thouness, you can accom- :
plish the desired change of character
better on n three months trip out OF
reach Of the family than during a year
at home trying to outlive prejudices and
revolutiouize your daily walk and con-
versation.
The home folks are patient with us
longer than outsiders if we are not a
credit to them, and they are prouder
OF US If we are n credit but once they
have decided that we are mo good,
the family, as a family makes stepping
heavenward' very embarrassing per-
formance just because they have pro-
nounced judgment upon US, and no fam =
lily reverses its judgment easily.
WET we all know that miracles Of the
j soul can happen, and have hap.
pened. We call them miracles because
they appear to us to happen suddenly
and without sufficient preparation tc
make the change a natural one. but for
all VIC know there may have been q
thousand causes. little and big. leadins
up to a complete revolution which the
thin veneer of habit---what is expected
of one-screens until the moment come!
when it drops off like an outworn gar.
ment and what it has hidden is there
for all men to see.
Sometimes that garment Of habi
clings because the person inside of it
the real person-is helpless to Olsen
tangle himself Perhaps he Ia awkward
from sort of rough shyness. or per
haps he Is defiant and hurt. or perhap.
he is ashamed and sclf.distrusting. OF
perhaps. and this is more likely still
ko 10 of ~ hot k,r
by persons who have reason not to trus
him.
One reason why such men and womer
are better with little children and witt
very simple. thinking -no-evil folk II
because children and simple folk TAX,
reople as they find them without think
ing much about their regulations; the,
are not on their guard against them.
r HAVE sometimes thought when
i hear things said about politician.
and the wickedness Of the political boss
and the dishonesty Of the gang. and tn
chicanery of the machine--I have some
times thought Of the difference betweel
the way most Of us who pride ourselve
upon our upright citizenship treat a.
Z politicians and the way Christ treate
them.
I have in mind one particular on
who was-so far as we can guess th
blacklist of the black sheep Of his ow>
family. a cousin of our Lords. James
the son of Alphaeus. a man who ha
SO far lost caste and patriotism as (
serve for money the foreign party O
his country, as a publican, /. e. custor
house receiver.
How long this had been a scandal an
what had led up TO it. the story give
no clue, but the fact that James wa
n receiver OF taxes. and that, on on
Of the thoroughfares of the same tow
In which his family lived their stric
Jewish lives, he pursued his calling q
extorting the hated custom house fee
from the merchants and countrymen an