Milford chronicle., 1931-04-03
Be Yourself

Be yourself, for you will never be
anybody else.
Being ones self seems a simple
matter, but it seems to be a thing
difficult of accomplishment fol
many. Never before was there a
more. general tendency to try to be
something else. Mass production has
extended to habits and opinions.
The cult of being ashamed of ones
own loyalties and enthusiasms, ones
own inheritance, ones own conyic-
tions and ideals draws many peo-
! pie into the current of conventional
ISM including especially the con-
ventionallsm Of posing as unconven-
| tiOnal
In, the effort to avoid appearing
ridiculous or provincial, many peo-
pie 5hecome. both through. the. accep-
tanoe .of mail order ideas sprouted
by people. in tall. Office buildings for
back-country consumption.
There is and always has been
more originality and independence
of thought in small towns and the
country than in the. big cities after
whose standards the real provin-
Gals seek TO pattern themselves.
People acquire herd-mindedness
where the herds are gathered.
Nearly all the real leaders of
thought in this country have emerg-
ed from rural surroundings. In pro-
portion to their population the con-
tributiOns of superior intellect and
character by the big cities have been
insignificant.
Those who accept the sneers and
jibes of the literary smart -alecks ut
small town dwellers, and then pro-
ceed to pity themselves and others
for having been fated to live in such
surroundings, are in truth pathetic.
1t takes some intelligence to meas
ure the values Of ones environment,
but brainlessness can criticize, and
spends most of its time in that pur-
suit. ... -.
Many of the failures in life arcI
due to the acceptance of alien meas
ures of value and the neglect of near /
at hand inspirations. The most use
ful job anyone can do is to discover
and develop himself. for all else
may be added to that.
1t is impossible for an individual
to know great deal about Il great
many things due to the RAPIDLY in
creasing sum Of human knowledge,
and the cOmpleXity of so many
problems. But he may know more
about few things, or one thing
than most other people, and this is
far better than having superficial
knowledge of many, though it may
bear the name of culture. AS has
been said, little knowledge is a
dangerous thing" The world suf-
'ers more from ignorance than from
wrong intentions, and ignorance i'll /
many fields of thought is no re-
Droach. since it is essential to know
ledge in a few fields. 1t is only
when a Henry Ford or an Albert
turns political pundit that
such ignorance becomes dangerous,
)r amusing, as. the case may be.
The greatest boon civilization has
conferred is the ability to be your
self; to think, speak or act as you
nay wish. up to that line which
projects. the liberty and safety of
'thers. To maintain that liberty il
$ essential to avoid hanging on your
elf the label of conservative, liberal
II radical; such terms have made
many slaves, Aand are meaningless
ecause they seldom tell the truth
bout the true inwardness in all
hings Of those who wear them.
acts are facts, and truth is truth,
o matter where thcv may be found.
AS for leaders or ideas, as Lincoln
aid, we should stand with them
'hen We believe them to be rieht,
nd stand against them when we be-
eve them to he wrong; it is that
ttitude only that is worthy of a
ian.
Wn WOudar IL boOl,ore. o,,..- -,