The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-11-10


about as well as anybody.
Men will cease to be slouches, loaf
ers. bandits. drunkards. killers, when
they learn these habits do not pay.
That these habits cannot be made TO
pay Is the surest thing In the world
Whether we shall ever be able TO learn
this truth, I do not know; In fact,
am rather discouraged.
/ have long been interested In
man see at intervals Of four or five
months. CAS- a matter of fact. ne is
my son, now more than forty-fye years
old.) / wish to pay him the highest
compliment one man may pay another.
Be 9 my son, he has many weak
nesses, but every time ] see him ! am
able to remark that he has decreased
the number a little. or more carefully
hidden them. His general average IN
intelligence is a little better; his con-
versation a little less tiresnme. His
general attitude toward me is a little
better, and l am a little better salts
fed with him.
little Improvement, persisted in.
is enough. Knowing myself and 9th
ers, I do not expect too much.
Every day around noon bell rings,
and / know another temptation is
reckoning: dinner As [ march down
stairs 10 ii. utter this silent prayer:
20. Lord, grant me strength in the or
deal | am about TO encounter. that |
may not eat too fast, or too much. and
select the most suitable food offered.
Amen" lin my appeal to the Lord.
l mean such intelligence and expert
ence as | am capable off,
The dinner usually is so good | soon
forget my prayer. and violate my scrip
ture. 1 am one of the great army of
which we say Of the soldiers: "He
means well"
A compliment. possibly, but indicat-
ing a poor devil who does not do very
well
The first thing | remember is that
ours was a farm family called Howe.
and that | was called Ed to distin-
guish NE from a brother Jim. who ar
rived earlier. Next heard of school
and a church In the neighborhood
which we all attended with some re-
luctance Probably a little later first
heard the neighbors talk about town
a considerable distance away, and
which they liked to visit, that they
might tell tales of its wonders Can
elaboration of this talk about the town
included occasional references TO a
place called the city. which most Of
the neighbors themselves had only
heard off,
estimate | was around five years
old at that time, and at six began
hearing of a still greater thing, still
further away and more mysterious
than the town or the city. The neigh
bors called II THE World"
Since the old Sugar creek days. now
IS years In the past. ] have Wis
tied the town. the city and the world.
but the facts have not changed much.
There has been elaboration. but Sugar
creek facts merged naturally into town
facts. town facts into city facts. AMI
city facts into world facts
Life has never been a very great
wonder to me; it's mysteries have soon
explained themselves. The Sugar creek
neighborhood is still there. with its
old facts; so is the town and the city,
and the world still performs in its US
ual way. II is l who have worn out,
in discussing old things with Sugar
creek men. town men. and world trav-
elers. might have done better. and
with less trouble. had I behaved BET
ter. worked harder. and acquired more
of the sound education and common
sense offered daily in my journey from
Sugar creek to Mandalay.
The old quarrel between the sexes
is as complicated as the old quarrel
between the nations.
Every woman indicts the men every
man indicts the women
Peace, disarmament getting rid of
war. soldiers and guns would seem
the easiest thing nations might accom-
plish. yet war has always been the
worst curse of the hnman race.
Germany tells terrible story on
France, but France tell a worse one
on Germany. and increases its arma-
ment. Germany is only trying 70 re-
cover now that ii may whip France ;
another war between these two CONN.,
tries is as certain as thar there will
be other wars between husbands and
wives
What crimes have been committed
by men against women, when wof,en
tell the story; what crimes have ben
committed by women against men.
when men are goaded into breaking
into the conversation. as they always
do. Every one believes in peace. yet
there is no peace, and no prosper
of il
Good advice is very old. and there
has never been much new in IL What
men learn, they are able TO learn
quickly: one blister is usually enough
to teach a baby that fire burns. As
good advice as | have ever seen was
written By Persius. the Roman. nine
teen hundred years ago. He said !:
Learn. hapless youths. and inyesti-
gate the causes of things-what we
are and for what purpose born-what
station of life is assigned us-how
delicate the turning round the goal
and whence the starting point-what
bounds the love Of property requires
what II is lawful to wish-how far
the genuine use Of wealth extends
what are the first claims Of country
and dear relations-what kind s1 be-