Evening star., 1923-06-17
BY THOMAS II. MARSHALL.
Former Vice President of the United
States.

BY THOMAS II. MARSHALL.
Former Vice President of the United
States.
\ the dear departed days of In
diana politics, when we had just
democrats, republicans and i'm
migrants to deal with, a party
leader once was asked how he pro-
posed to conduct the campaign. His
answer was typical of the age. 1t
was, Boys, when you make scholars
of all the school, school is out"
Oracular. indeed, was this state
ment. made not SO many years ago.
We are approaching. if we have not
already reached, the time when
scholars have been made of all the
school. and school is almost out.
Times have changed. No longer can
II be said that results of the political
game depend primarily upon the
shrewdness OF the players. or that
secrecy as to moves, which then was
one of the strong points of the game,
is now essential. Voters have ceased
to be checkers, white and black, to
be moved about by players of the
game. They have had the breath of
political life breathed into them. and
they move themselves.
Much might be written about the
relative merits of the old and new
systems. Advantages and disadvan-
tages of each might be noted. I care
nothing about the merits and de-
merits so far as mere Office holding
and party supremacy are concerned,
vet ] cannot be unmindful Of the
fact that il IS impossible in America
to disassociate partisan habits from
the conduct of those affairs which are
far more important than the tempo
rary holding of the reins of power.
When in practice. regardless OF any
theory to which we held, we began
to get away from representative gov
ernment, a new habit of political
thinking began TO develop. and nat
urally enough this habit invaded
other avenues of life. 1t could not be
otherwise than that man of re-
stricted environment and devoid of
real education would become asser-
tive and self-opinionated about every
thing coming under his attention
after he had asserted himself on
things political. Though lacking suf-
hcfent experience to realize that
much may truthfully be asserted on
! both sides of nearly every question.
he had been encouraged to believe
that upon his judgment hung the
hopes and fears of humankind
x x X x
In this age of universal informa :
tion more than ever before, perhaps.
the old adaEe "A little learning is
a dangerous thing" holds good. It
was a little learning that induced
the surgeon with knowledge that a
I IdjSaaSad nd Sh ha
! moved to cut into the left side of
patient and sever an intestine. 1
recall one of Bill Nye's stories He
was slumbering and snoring on a
railroad train when the conductor
| rudely awakened him and admon-
ished him against disturbing the
other passengers. who told you I
was snoring?" Nye demanded to
know. II heard you. myself" re-
torted the conductor. whereupon the
humorist advised Don't you know
| that you must not believe everything
you hear?" Good advice il was for
this day. Do not believe all you hear,
but take time to think out things
along principles and ascertain the
truth about them.
The hardest thing for a man to
do is to convince himself that he is
"ioAS lic easiest u cbHNllCe MIMI
self that he is right. Throw off the
restraint of principle, destroy the
yardSticks of life. release the minds
of individuals. and we will have some
queer opinions, honestly formed, as
to right and wrong. The Anglo
Saxon who lives in the mountains is
Il God-fearing and religious man, but
he writes his own commandment s ,
he determines his own conduct. The
feud is not murder to the feudist. but
self-defense: he can kill his enemy
hold family worship, and go to