Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1924-04-04
: THE GOOD OLD DAYS
>**x***#*#***#**>
BY Guy Flenner

At very large and representative
community dinner recently in an
Idaho town there was considerable
good-natured rivalry in the pretend
ed claims for predominance as be-
tween the various agencies contrib
uting in their influence to the NOR
al, mental and material development
OF the state. The representative of
the press satirically made the most
elaborate claims for his profession.
The minister for his calling, the law
yer and the educator for theirs were
equally emphatic, although not TAX,
ing in quite so much territory as
the modest editor
| Between all the sarcasm and hui
NOR, however, there were flashes Of
| serious thought One statement that
seemed to merit consideration was
that, in former days, it was more diff
fcult than now to arouse even lead !
ers of various activities to sponsor
departures from the custom and hab-
its of the times. There was less dis
position then, it was pointed out, to
try experiments. to enforce changes.
The people were more eontented with
their affairs. more satisfied with
their condition. less disposed to wor-
Try and fret, more concentrated on
their own business, conservative, and
hesitant even TO the extent at times
of absolute lethargy as to meritorious
proposals and needed reforms. All |
this was contrasted with the spon-
taneous and often hysterical accept
ance nowadays of most any PROPOSE
ton presented in pre-digested form
for our mental containers.
The thought arises, Might we not
better strike a middle ground with
the earlier processes of the public
mind and be in more safe position
than either the eitizenry of yester-
day or of to-day?"
We often hear of "the good old
days" but after all, who would have
them back? Who wants to go back
to the coal oil lamp, to the isolation
Of no communication by telephone,
to transportation by stage coach and
freight wagons? Who would deny
himself of the manifold material
blessings of today.
Who wants to go back to the stuff
fly little church of yesterday, with
hell-fre and birthstone twice every
Sunday and then some? Who wants
to go back to the primitive school
methods and the exclusive three RS?
Who wants to go back to the saloon
and legalized gambling?
Who wants to go back to the old
days, filled with discomforts, incon-
veniences and lack of opportunity,
checker boarded with commercial
vice and complacent virtue; to the
old days when the wash tub was the
popular bathing resort and dried ap-
pies a luxury?
But we might go $3.50 in way,
taking the best of Then and mixing
it with the best of Now-and one
If the best of Then was the spirit of
Will Oul lOL anu lAbIlO
If the present day eagerness to out
10 others merely for the sake of maxi in,
ng a personal show, to fight for the NV
,auble of notoriety, to sacrifice health III
md happiness in mad competition to tat
satisfy our own vanity-all ingredi-
snts that form the opposite of whole -
some ambition and earned recogni- ~
ion ~
Another feature of the Then life nj
o be commended and revived is -,
more studious contemplation of the -.
movements of the times, which bear nj
Iown with a swiftness that has car IN,
led many off their feet. Everything -,
proposed is not worthy. Some things a.,
re- Why not discriminate? The
Then folks may have erred in being -
90 phlegmatic, too immovable by ~,
urgid appeals, but the Now folks NJ
rr more often in accepting without a@
Investigation the representations of ~
very wind-jammer they hear and
he nostrums of every faker who NJ.
Iolds out to them his bottle of pana- NJ
ca for each industrial, moral or M
mental ailment. We will not be 49,
ost if we shall hesitate here, as they 80
i'd in the so-called good old days.
instead of plunging thoughtlessly -
nto the stream of sophism and inn VA