San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-02
A HUMAN-NATURE PUZZLE

| 1t taxes all kinds oil people 10 ili"he
. the world. Therefore mankind is an
inexhaustble study. Such obvious state
mcnts are not interesting until they are
illustrated by specific acts; then, observ-
| ing what we regard as fragrant neon
sistencies in each other, we mark this
one as queer" and that one as foolish.
And to most of us. even though we orr
selves may be subject to the same in
dictment, the habit which some people
have of putting off or ignoring alto
gcther an obviously important task,
while attending meticulously to the rcla-
lively unimportant, is never-ending
wonder.
Some time ago a San Antonian came
upon a bit of information that threw
him into fever of excitement. For
generations back his people had been
in moderate financial circumstances.
They had lived, and some of them had
died, as most people live and die, with.
out having experienced the thrill OF
actual wealth. Then, one day, this son
of financial mediocrity learned by acct
dent that one of his ancestors OF a CEN
fury or so ago had died, leaving a very
large estate; that the heirs had never
received any part of it; that several
years ago some lawyers had presented
to the heirs a plan for recovering what
was, or originally would have been,
rightfully theirs; that some of them had
accepted the plan; that the lawyers had
proceeded to work up what appeared
to be a good case; and that, just as
success seemed to be within reach, the
matter was suddenly lost sight of as
though it had never come into being.
The excited man got busy; he wrote
to this relative and to that, seeking some
definite information. some thread OF con-
crete fact that might lead to materiali-
cation OF the whole fabric OF his dreams.
But none OF the relatives, even those
who had accepted the plan, could fur
nish any such information. They knew
almost nothing besides the fact that they
had been willing" They had received
several highly encouraging letters from
the men who had proposed TO regain
for them their ancestors lost riches, but
beyond those reports, which had been
so suddenly broken off, they hadn't the
least Pigment of fact-not even the ghost
OF gossamer idea. For years they had
done nothing in their own behalf.
Here are the most curious features of
the story: Those who had approved the
plan for recovering the property which
they should have inherited were frank
in their statements of doubt that any,
thing would ever come OF it; they were
simply willing" to receive anything
that might possibly, or miraculously, be
delivered into their hands. Yet they had
most carefully preserved from year to
year the letters they had received from
the promoters of the plan, including
even those containing not the slightest
information that an investigator might
work upon. They had preserved them
as though life and happiness were at
stake. And when the excited man. grab
hing at straws, asked for the letters
in the feverish hope that they might
contain some. vestige OF a clue to the
mystery he was trying to unravel, they
were sent to him with the solemn, Oft
repeated instruction to preserve and re-
turn them with the utmost care!
Anybody who can give the correct
answer to this human-nature puzzle
ought to be awarded, without further
effort on his part, the 100000 peace
plan prize.