The Glenwood post., 1923-12-13
Uncle Ted's Bed Time Stories
Current Events for the Children
and Grown-ups, Too
LESSON IN TOLERANCE,
WITH A FEW EXAMPLES


but it would be hard to believe that they
could look more tattered and torn than
Jack when he dragged one foot after
the other up the back walk, apparent
ly SO tired he could just about move.
"For goodness sake, Jack, what
HAVE you been up to now?' asked
his mother. "You have ruined your
coat, and your face is simply terrible.
l am ashamed of you"
81 couldn't help it, mother,' he
answered. 81 was just talking to
Freddie about something and he kept
saying one thing and kept sticking
to what L thought and 1 told him he
didn't know what he was talking
about-and he hit me and-well, l
won't let anybody hit me.''
"My, oh, my! Will you boys ever
get over the idea that you have to
fight at the slightest provocation
was his mothers disgusted reply to
this real boyish explanation.
"What Again?' exclaimed Uncle
Ted as he came into the kitchen from
the front of the house, almost running
into Jack. "Guess III have to take
you over my mental knee and give you
a good sound word thrashing and try
to pound some tolerance into your lit
tie head.'
"But you won't get stick?" said
Jack.
"No, Jack, I won't. think 1 can
make you see my point and reasoning
without that
Before very long Jack had succeeded
in scrubbing the worst of the dirt off
and after good supper he looked quite
u different boy.
"Ruth, began Uncle Ted, 81 want
you to listen to this little story to-
night, although it is particularly for
Jacks benefit. Nevertheless it is
something we all need at times and
some of us need it badly. That thing
| is Tolerance. Tolerance with the other
fellow and tolerance with his idea;
and viewpoint plus kindness to our
fellow man. The dictionary says about
tolerance: Quality or state of being
tolerant; freedom from bigotry.' Big
otry is just the opposite from toler-
ance. A bigot is person who is OBJ
stinately and blindly devoted to his
own ideas, church, belief or anything
else.
"That is what none of us want to
/ be. When you have your idea about
something and Freddie has his, be big
enough and manly enough to admit
that Freddie not only has as much
right to his ideas as you have to yours,
but perhaps he may be able to teach
you something new. Maybe after all
Freddie is right, and the only way you
can tell whether or not Freddie is
right is to keep your mind clear and
open for suggestions and new thoughts,
"I don't mean, now, that you have
to swallow everything anybody tells
you or to be influenced by every Tom,
Dick and Harry. That would be car
rying it too far in the other direction.
What I DO mean is, that in this world
today we must all remember that the
other fellow may have better idea
than our own and it at least pays to
listen to him. Then decide for your
self whether or not his thoughts are
worth adopting or adding to yours.
1t may be that after all you will de-
eide that you are right. There is moth.
ing wrong in that. But at least you
have listened and have not been so
tied up in your own thoughts that you
have missed n chance to get his view
point.
"It was that mavelously developed
sense of tolerance that helped make
Warren G.. Harding a great man. 1t
was the same tolerance that made Lin
coin the great Civil war president;
Mckinley the kindly man and Roose-
welt the popular idol.
"Today, we find another man in the
White House who knows what toler.
ance means and how foolish it is to
take the attitude of the bigot. Presi-
dent Calvin Coolidge is tolerance
itself. He is thinking hard, working
hard and has his own ideas on all the
problems confronting him, but at he
same tine President Coolidge is receiv-
ing hundreds of people each week in
his office in the White House-people
from all walks of life. He listens to
what they have to tell him. Bank
presidents, farmers, mechanics, men