The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1924-06-13
THE MENACE OF
MUCH WISDOM
Saunders Says Folks Used Tt
Know Too Little-Now
They Know Too Much

the history OF the human lam
ily; it is an age of contradic'
tons, filled with hope or fillet
with despair, according 10 the
way we look at it," declared
w. O. Saunders, editor oi The
Independent in his commence
mcnt address to the students
of the High School at Hickory,
Va. last night.
The curse of the world In past
ages has been the ignorance of the
masses: the menace Of the present
civilization may he the sophistica-
ton of the masses: for ages the
common people didn't have scnce
enough to get In ont of the rain; |
Egypt had it's pyramids, Its gorge.
orIs i0mbs and magnificent temples;
Greece had its beautiful architcc.
turc and its glorious art; Rome
was mistress Of the world In her
turn: hut none Of them had the
r.inting press, the masses of their
people were grossly ignorant only
n few philosophers and priests hnd
access To the knowledge Of their
times. And the people persisted.
Things have changed. y little
more than three hundred years ago
our forcfathcrs came Ia America
across an uncharlcd sen and hcw.
cd their first crude dwelling places
out Of virgin wilderness. Their
life was hard and simple. To-day
life Is soft and complex. Our fore
fathers got their fire from flint ANA
steel and had not other artificial
light than tallOw dips and crude
rinc knots. They lived from sun'up
10 sun down only and seldom saw
n nrlghbor or heard word from
bryond their own narrow horizon.
To-day we have annihilatcd time
and space with the telephone, the
telegraph and the wireless. Only
yesterday u photograph Of the presf.
dent of these United States was
flashed across country by telephone
in less time than 1t would take To
describe the features Of the man In
words. Here In these United States
we have l5,OOO,O0O telephones keep
iug us In constant communication
with our npighbors: J,OOO,OOO radio
sets feed us an unccasin: flow or
news. information and entertain
mrnt from the air: 10000 moving
picture theatres flash their pre-
scntationS Of The life OF the whole
vide world Oh the silver screen for
The edification of millions daily;
our printing presses arc turning dut
more than 10000 different news
papers. periodicals and magazines.
say nothing of more than 1000 new
books every year. And l2,OOO,OOO
automobiles have provided lis with
speeding feet Ivy which the average
individual of lis covers more ground,
secs more folks and absorbs more
new facts about life In day than
were available for an average In.
dividual, of q half Il century ago,
in year.
1T all means that at last all the
knowledge of the world, past ana
present is for the first time In the
long, tedious history of the human
race suddenly available for the
humblcSt Of us. And there Is our
dilemma we are confronted and
confOundcd by such Il raft Of In.
formation In this electric age that
the average poor little numbskull
Is in imminent danger of becoming
Overburdencd with unasSimllahlc
facts. figures and opinions, and
becoming 80 hopelcssly confused
that he will be far worse OIL ulti.
mutcly than were our benighted IN.
ccStOrs who had few opportunities
to learn much Of anything at all.
And | insist that before 1t Is too
late we should try to take an i'll
vcntory of the astounding mess and
try to seGregate and nail down the
few essential things about life that
all of us ought to know. Get these
few essentials first and take time
about getting the rest; doubt the
wisdom or the Importance of one
trying to know much about every.
I thing.
( Drawing practical lessons from
/ the lives Of successful men and
women knows to his audience. the
speaker unfoldcd some of the es.
Sential things that every boy and
girl should know; first and fore
most of these being nothing more
nor less than the time-tricd and I'M.
bcatablc Golden Rule of Jesus.
Summing up cpisrammaticallly h,
said: There can bc no progress
without effort. no beauty without
art. no JOY without health and no
peace without love; TO work. to
dream. to love then must be the
aim of man. Know these simple
truths and the rest will follow.