The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-04-15

By ED HOWE


of the irst-raters. In letter to me,
he says Il am convinced writing is a
poor business; writer's a poor lot. If
could make an equally good living
I'm any other way / wouldn't be a
writer long" In an older day
writer's had a tremendously good opin-
ion of themselves. But lately men
who do things in engineering, mechan-
les, manufacturing, agriculture, etc,
are being recognized as the real force
in the world People are lately point
ing with pride to those who have built
a railroad, a tunnel, bridge, a tall
building. or done some other practical
thing of real use to mankind, instead
of to those who have written book
We have been trying for centuries
to get rid of flies, but so far as can
see, flies are as numerous as ever, and
as regularly find their way into every
ointment
Law and custom have both decided
that men and women of certain age
are too young to marry. There
should be an agreed age, also, when
men and women are too old to marry.
The old should be protected, not
laughed at, as is our way.
What is the thing we can common
sense?
It is prayer practically applied as
sistance given hope.
Life is like game of cards Re-
liability is the ace, industry the king.
politeness the queen, thrift the jack
common sense is playing to best ad-
vantage the cards you draw.
And every day, as the game pro-
ceeds, you will find the ace, king,
queen, jack in your hand and Oppor-
tunity to use them.
Some men seem to wish to run wild.
and associate with wild people. Ber-
nard Shaw, possibly the wisest man
writing today, is tame, and believes
others should be: he believes that
wild men drift; civilized men steer.
I'll not combat selfishness. I'm self
ish and never knew a decent man who
was not
The greatest trouble with teachers
of morality is too many of them teach
morality is unseIfshness.
Morality is rank selfishness.
Why does man prefer to be at lib
erty rather than in Jail? 1t is selfish
ness: the fact that freedom is more
comfortable than Imprisonment
Why have we progressed from bar
barism? Because pure selfishness
finds civilization more agreeable.
In Kansas City recently man died
as a result of slow starvation. AS he
suffered he kept moaning:
"Oh, my hearti Oh, the disgrace !"
He bad been a respectable, popular
young man, but suddenly changed to
thief. The change was so great he
could not face a frowning world, and
starved himself to death, moaning as
he suffered: "Oh. my hearth Oh, the
disgrace p
Had this man been decently selfish
would he have suffered so tragic an
experience?
When first arrested he said: Il so
loved my town l attempted too much
But the people he loved didn't come
to his rescue; they were selfishly look
ing after themselves, and trying to
keep their records straight.
1t is known that at birth one child
may have more intelligence than an
other; that while one child's DISPOSE
ton will be toward honesty. anothers
will be toward idleness and mischief
There is no helping it: God
has so ordered perfectly respectable
parents of the human kind may pro
duce "black sheep" through accident
or freak in the process of reproduc-
ton. Scientists are trying to find out
why this is the case but make no prog
ress it is one of the human facts we
must accept with bushes.
Writers are always saying there Is
no aim in life.
1t is a weak, senseless observation.
There is an aim in life, written over
everything in large letters.
1t is to be as comfortable, as well
behaved, as useful, as successful as
possible. 1t is a waste of time to say
you should be born differently and into
different world You were not, so
that's the end of that Don't sit
around and grumble Get busy at
some useful. practical thing, always
easily within reach, and you will find
more comfort in 1t than in being idle
and silly.
And the jumping-off place?
Well, jump of. Every one had to
do it; there Is no remedy.
Jump off like gentleman, and leave
something behind to be remembered
pleasantly.
Your future? That has been taken
care of, too and millions and millions
have found it bearable.
rf,s,o... ~ ~ ,,ot1,fv, =.