Evening star., 1931-12-22
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

apply it to ourselves in our dealings
with our fellow men.
This mental sort of blindness is easily
enough seen in others, not so easily In
ourselves. We are forever applying the
naxims Of old to our friends and
acquaintance, not to ourselves. We
put this latter of to the day which
never arrives.
The life of most human beings Is
lived in a curious time, composed of
one fourth present and three-fourths
| future. Since most Of it has not yet
come into being, in one sense 1t never
exists at all.
Hence, from this standpoint. most
human beings may be said not to live
while they are alive, or at least to live
only about one-fourth.
The great things we expect to do, the
honors which we hope will come to us
buoy us up, even as they constantly
recede from us: We wake up in middle
age to find ourselves living in beautiful
| homes, and wondering why we are not
as happy as we ought to be, not as
happy as we were years ago living in a
little two-room apartment
We realize suddenly, with a start
that we had something then which we
do not have now-hopes and dreams
which have been shattered by life. AnG
this applies to you, oh. SNUG one, as
we'll as to everyone, for no man reaches
his dreams. That is why they ere
dreams.
II we had made those dreams come
true. we would have built larger and
better dreams. and still be dissatisfied
no doubt of that. Space stretches out
one knows not where, and time is made
81 ontI,
three-fourths dreams and hopes. II
the dreams come true, if the hopes
materialiZe, we dream new dreams, and
suddenly regard the materialiZed hopes
as poor stuff Such is the fate of man
1t is adding to the hardship to refuse
to credit those around us with the abil-
Itv to be able to tell us something OF
other.
If we adopt that supercilious attitude
the sublime sneer to be found in tht
book OF Job may well be directed
against us:
NO doubt We are the people, and wis.
dom will die with you!'
The most innocent l2oking fellow NAV
have struck upon a vein of though
which We have never thought to ex,
plore. as wise as we are.
This honest plumber here, who han.
dies MS pipes ana WTeLCneS Win SUCI
zest. in secret may be music lover
Do not despise his advice, therefore
when he points out the merits of thu
symphony orchestra and says you ought
TO hear it.
He may know what he is talking
about. as strange as it may seem Simi.
larly. when this ouSeholder who OBJ
viously is Of the studious type launche:
into free lecture on the comparative
merits Of various theories of home heat.
ing do not draw back as if the mar
were an utter fool
He may have had some experience
which you have not had, may have paiC
large sum of money to find out what
he is talking about may be laying dowT
laws of engineering which professional
engineers already know, but which, fol
various reasons known best to them
selves. they prefer to say nothing about
at this time
And so it goes. The plain truth l.
that the wise man the man with Just
ordinary common sense. is willing t
listen to any man who has anything
TO say and to give it honest conSidera
ton. Because George III would not. h
lost America. Most of use do not func.
ton in such dramatic circumstances
we run no risk of losing an empire
when We think that no one else can tel
us anything Of worth. What we may do
very easily. and with the best will il
the world, is to miss something good.