Evening star., 1932-10-11


son lament that he Is "inarticulate, {"
meaning that he is not . ready writer
or speaker.
Perhaps he is to be congratulated.
after all.
There are certain beauties to being
inarticulate which are not commonly
realized.
It is easier to understand this In q
campaign year, after which its wisdom
may be carried on into the other years
Of ones life.
The great beauty Of being inartic-
ulate is that one does not waste time
on an impossible proposition.
Argument, such as goes on intermin-
ably, does very little good, because 1t
necessarily Is received mostly by those
who already believe as the talker or
writer believes.
This is the great limitation.
There are few persons, either read
ers or hearers, who change their opin-
ions from anything they read or hear
At least, If they do, they never let on
The writer or speaker on behalf OF
what he fondly regards as "the truth
knows this Is so every time he stops to
think about it.
race, however. he is forever hoping,
even II against hope, that something
or other Of what he writes will sink
in Sometimes 1t does.
He knows well enough, from bitter
past experience, that his audience Is
cut squarely In two, at the very begin
ming, by the great invisible line Of those
who are with him on any given PROPOSE
ton and those who are "agin" him.
He cannot altogether fool himself
into believing that what he says will
sway any large number Of readers, OF
hearers, except the group composed OF
those who already are swayed.
There lies the great limitation.
Human nature is such that the stiff
nscked members Of the opposition In
stantly begin to mass their reasons
to line up their counter arguments
to see in perfect good faith the entire
proposition from another angle.
There are as many angles Of ap.
proach to topics-all topics. Of whatso-
ever nature-as there are human beings
The result is. in all writing ano
speaking, that those are swayed who
want to be swayed.
They believe, anyway, 30 Wy waste
time on EN-?
The answer is that there Is no other
way.
One must be content with the be-
levers, and the opportunity Of making
few converts.
Think of what might have happened
to Christianity. in its formative years
If its adherentS had taken such view
THE Christians already believe, the
Romans will not believe anyway so why
should we try to convert any one?"
1t becomes apparent that the "grea,
limitation" Of which we have spoken
is not impregnable. 1t is sort oi
norm. whose obduracy the speaker OF
writer faces.
Half the fun is in attempting to over
come the opposition, in any battle. The
winning Is often enough valueless.
What counts Is the intent.
And the intention of being fair. OF
using ones mind to the best OF ones
ability, of really trying to see both
sides to question
These are only few Of the necessary
intentions. if any writer or speaker Is
to even begin to chjnk the stern wal
OF the great limitation.
But, above all. the articulate one must
do something which, alas. some articu-
late ones do not always do.
They must give the other fellow
credit.
They must give him df he is the SUBJ
ject Of their theme) credit for being
about as decent as they are.
If he has done something, or said
something, which they do not alto
gether understand. they ought not tc
seize upon their own understand
ing as the theme for their writing OF
talking, but should make a fair attempt
to question themselves first Of all, in
order to find out if they know as much
as they think they do.
No man, not If he be a Shakespeare
or Kipling. or Demosthenes, can dc
himself justice, or make anything out
of himself but an arrogant ass, II he
insists on Understanding the opposi-
ton.
The opposition Is divine.
The great religions Of the world ART
based on overcoming.