The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-07-07
Howe About:
Neitzsche
Henry Ford
The World Court
Rv ED HOWE
By ED HOWE
G. 1898. Bell syndicate.-wNU servic

proclaimed as one of the greatest
books ever written. AS matter or Gu
riosity ] lately looked over eight OF
its pages and noted the lines contain
ing ordinary common sense easily IN
derstandable. | found bur five such
lines in the eight pages. Neitzsche
had enormous common sense, Dut IL
was so corrupted by nonsense in the
literature of the past that in his most
famous book the proportion of good
to bad is five to two hundred and sew
enty-two.
"Thus Spake Zarathustra" is writ
ten In mongrel poetry, a weakness
the author certainly inherited from the
past. The book is full of references
to gods NeitZsche did not believe in
The title is tribute to a tissue OF
myths originating more than thou
sand years before the Christian era.
If Zarathustra ever lived, he was 3
type of man utterly unknown in the
time of NeitZsche, hundreds of years
before. or in the present; better
title would have been THUS Spake
Frederick Neitzsche."
There is value in the book, but 1
shall not bother to dig it out, as il
may be found in many short sum
maries. Neitzsche was highly educat-
ed. but never learned to write simply,
naturally and properly except in five
lines of two hundred and seyenty-twO
of his best product. Probably the pro-
portion of nonsense in the converse
ton and writing of men less noted is
greater.
A foreigner was quoted lately as
saying depression is about the most
natural thing there is; that he was
born during a depression, and has
lived in one ever since.
Americans will not accept any such
reasoning; they demand boom all
the time. and, failing to get it 90 bawl-
ing to the government for relief. For
many years we have been breaking
records and astonishing foreigners
The action of the foreigners in laugh
ing at us now after robbing US, is very
humiliating.
| once saw in the newspapers a
statement credited to Henry Ford in
the days of his greatest prosperity.
He said the standard of living in the
United States should be advanced until
every man who wanted a job was
guaranteed one at twenty-seven dollars
a day as a minimum. Every Ameri-
can, he admitted, was so noble, so in
telligent, so much better than the peo-
pie of other countries. he could not
live fittingly on less.
And you needn't laugh; probably
you read Mr.. Ford's brag with ap-
prevail.
the incompetence of great men when
called upon to make decisions in ques-
tons of a public nature. Men who in
business life achieve reputation for
sound sense, honor and capacity, when
asked to consider questions affecting
the public at large, have in thousands
of cases become pitiful fools and dis
graced long lives of probity. There
is In existence world court to
which most nations belong. the men,
bership made up presumably of as ca
pable men as can be found among the
better classes booklet is available
giving it's history. membership and
proceedings to date. and | have read
it during idle time. The object of
the world court, of course, is to get
rid of war; of the expense of armies
and navies during intervals of peace.
In most parts of the earth practical
bakers, after hundreds of years Of ex-
perience at their trade, have found il
convenient to operate night shifts,
surely one of the simplest and most
unimportant questions. Yet on page
fifty find the World court consider
ing night work in bakeries Many
nave been profoundly discouraged by
the lack of intelligence In men. | be-
lieve statesmen are responsible for
most of the encouragement; any fair
review of the situation clearly indi-
Gates that the common people In their
private affairs have done very well
As moving a tragedy as l have ever
heard was told me by an ancient
maiden of the martyrdom her mother
endured In living with the father OF
the relator of the story. | knew the
old man, and thought so little of him
I believed most of the charges against
him. Some men are very hard to get
along with; the worst of the women
haters admit 1t.
What is the greatest trouble at pres
emit In the United States? ! believe
1t Is gripping the best and most use
full men by men less worthy. Why
have we unemployment? Because the
fools prevent better men from provid-
ing it. (Not many will accept thin
reasoning, but finally the sane wills
it is sound.)
Once | thought it possible soldiers
might be able to save the country. La
ter | discovered that armies become
inefficient mobs. like citizens and thar
when soldiers return home they light
taxpayers for pensions more efficiently
than they fought when in presence Of
the enemy.
My hope next turned to the farmers.
usually steady modest and economical
men, but they disappointed me. too;
they are now as unreasonable and
riotous as the foreign coal miners we
mistakenly admitted to the country.
Lately am pinning my last hope TO
editors. They are the most powerful
of all men, and If we can somehow in
duce them to teach common sense
and practice it themselves, the people
may yet win.