Evening star., 1933-01-14
He cannot understand.
He does not understand.

He cannot understand.
He does not understand.
If he did, but had wink in his eye;
If he could be brought to comprehend,
despite his slavery to the mass likes
he would be worth talking to.
Perhaps he is very much worth talk
ing to, after all, but only as a horrible
example q shat o txee soul falls into.
and becomes, If he does not possess the
questioning mind.
Let it be emphasized that this sort of
mind is a gift, in the first place, but it
may be acquired. In the second
Whether one who has 1t not should
attempt to secure it, Is a question even
the questioning man would hesitate to
attempt to answer.
Ancient legends picture God giving
certain gifts tot man, but only on the
pain of certain painful understandings.
He who is without questions. in the
everyday life, perhaps is happier far.
everything considered, than is the man
or woman who instinctively is blessed
or cursed with curiosity.
He is saved doubt and the pain of
the attempt to be fair.
How difficult 1t is, in q world where
Self-interest often conflicts with social
interest. to be fair
Only those know who have tried il.
Just how many have tried it is a matter
for conjecture. Many a man thinks he
Is being fair when he isn't, while many
another has never even made an at
tempt at fairness his whole life through
Usually the latter is blissfully unaware
of his falling, and it is not a very long
transfer from this point to that Whereat
a human being fails to comprehend how
anything which is thoroughly popular
can be regarded in any light except as
thoroughly good as well.
Yet it is not difficult to explain it.
An elementary class would consider
| the following case. for instance:
That of popular cigarette.
Millions upon millions of them are
sold every year.
That shows they meet the taste de-
mands OF millions Of Americans, does
it not?
Then how does it come about that
this snooty person here dares to brand
them as "tasteless"?
Here Is how it comes about:
He realizes that the manufacturer. in
striving to suit the taste of the COM
poSite American, composed OF many
hundreds Of thousands Of separate in
dividuals. has succeeded in turning out
product which offends none Of them.
1t is not too sweet for any one: it is
not too straight" for any one.
1t is not strong; it is not too mild.
II Is. in other words, a perfect
product-perfoct in its way.
But now its way does not happen
to be the way CT the snooty person who
says he does not like it.
He holds himself aloof from the
crowd. What the crowd likes he in
stinctively draws away from, because
he knows that in order to suit that
multitudinous taste a certain leveling
process has taken place.
Myriads Of experiments have been
conducted to take out the burn, to take
out the sweet, but to refrain from
taking out just too much bite, or too
much sweet.
If you want something distinctive you
will have to go somewhere else, for
distinctiveneSs was ruled out at great
cost
But the point is that the man who
wants diStinctiveneSs wants it. and has
right to 1t, If he can find it. He
should not have to bear the burden of
querulous complaints from standardized
people who have not yet come to the
point where they realize the value of
the questioning mind He should be
looked up to as the hero some think
he is