The Minnesota fiery cross. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1924-19??, 1924-05-30
TWILIGHT'S
THINKLINGS
THE WORLD
OF SELF1SHNESS
LESSONS THAT SHOULD
TEACH US
N/HEN that great British
w statesman Gladstone said

Of the human race" he gave us
the benefit of his careful obser-
vation. On every side we see
selfshness blighting human hap
piness and ruthlessly destroying
friendships. There is so much
misery and suffering in the world
today as to make us wonder time
and time again what is wrong
with humanity. Yet the more
you ponder the more often you
come to the same final answer
There is too much of Satanic
selhshness and too little of
Christ-ike unselfishness in the
world. The children of men need
a baptism of love like unto that
which was SO beautifully dis
played by the Man from Naza-
reth.
The words of Coleridge come to
me as | write: Milton has care
fully marked in Satan the intense
selfishness, the alcohol Of ego
tism, which would rather reign
in hell than serve in heaven" A
person who worships in the tenn
pie Of the Goddess of Selfshness
cannot truly understand the
meaning and sublimity of genu-
inc service. Altruism, heroism,
self-denial, are the affairs where
on we sacrifice self-love.
/ agree with Henry Ward Bee
cher's statement where it is en-
phasized that no man is more
cheated than the selfish man.
Yet how few of us realize the re-
actions of selfish actions? From
the beginning of the world until
this day, the selfish man digs a
grave for another and shortly
finds himself therein; then the
four winds of heaven fill the ex-
cavation, leaving no mark to tell
n tragic story to unborn. genera
tions. "As frost to the bud, said
Upper, "and blight to the bios
SONS, even such is, self-interest
to friendship; for confidence can
not dwell where selfishness is
porter at the gate" Blessed are
the unselfish, for they make life
easier and mans earthly sojourn
more pleasant.
IGHTH grade arithmetic" the
teacher announced. There
Is no response. "Efghth
grade arithmetic" again the an
n0uncement was repeated, this time
somewhat impatiently. A girl dressed
I'm t:rkey-red calico garment rises
and speaks. Jimmy couldn't come
today, 'cause he had TO help ma wash
Clothes" ~Thanks, Beatrice" said the
teacher. "Next class-sfxth grade
reading.' A boy and girl go forward
The great contrast between the two
children would be amusing IL it were
not 30 tragic. He is a big, raw-b0ned
boy who walks with a st0Op as he
shambles toward the front; she Is .
pretty little lass .daintily dressed,
who, though Mt least five years young.
er than her classmate, reveals the su.
perior mentality. "Michael, read the
first FIVE stanzas," said the teacher.
i listen to the reading Of 'sThe Song
Of the Shirt" by Thomas Hood. Mi.
chael does his best In sing-song
manner:
With fingers weary and worn.
With eyeifds heavy and red.
A woman sat in unwomanly rags.
Plying her needle and thread.
stitch Stitchi Stitch
In poverty. hunger. and dirt,
And still with a voice of dolorous
She sang the Song If the Shirt"
You can imagine how much Joy
Michael finds I'm this reading lesson.
We wonder what induced the teach.
er to torture these two children with
eleven stanxas Of this "stuff," which,
although called literature, Is not suit
BE for the sixth grade. Helen reads
next-"the last six stanzas"-and
manages to put little more into the
reading thereof than Michael When
the reading of the poem Is completed,
the teacher dfsmisses the class In
sixth grade reading" No comment
is made on the poem and no questions
pertaining to "the song Of the shirt
Is asked. Vainly 1 strive for the aim
I'm the lessen. The "wherefor" of the
"which' Is beyond my comprehension.
fifth Grade Arithmetic" the
teacher calls. A class Of seven goes
forward. "Pass to the board" the or
der comes. "Take this problem, chill.
dren.D The teacher reads "prob.
lem" from n textbook written In
1890; "A wagon wheel Is 15 feet 8
inches In circumference. How many
revelations will IL make I'm going D
milesf" cant see any more sense
I'm giving such a problem" to chill.
dren than the one which runs as fol.
IOwss 'If it takes 3562 pancakes TO
shingle q dog.h0use, how long will it
take cross.eyed toad 60 walk from
Rome 70 Jerusalem3" When your
child insists that he or she doesn't
like arithwctlc, maybe there n a
good reason back Of the dislike.
We must make our pubIic schools
more effective. We have neglected
them altogether too Ions. visit your
school and Inform yeurselves seme'
what ~ 20 what ID taklnG place there.
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