Evening star., 1933-02-01
Common sense Is mostly caution, isn't

The dictionary calls 1t good. prac'
tical sense In everyday affairs"
Normal understanding Is another
definition.
All of these boil down to caution, o.
discretion, or tact, or whatever ont
wants to call 1t.
There Is q midpoint between tn.
radical and the conservative. There /.
an exact point In dispositions wher,
common sense begins and where Il
leaves OF.
The only fair way to find this plac,
Is to look closely at the caution dis.
played in any given case.
It will not amount to cowardice.
Nor will 1t appeal to any observer a:
flaming"
Most people would just call it com.
mon sense. and they would be right
for II one has a proper amount of eau.
ton in his disposition he will auto.
matically have common sense.
This will apply to all the walks o.
life, not just In relation to money mat
tiers or personal affairs where one run.
q danger Of fisticuffs II he speaks tot
frankly.
The man possessed of common sens,
- C1utAOuSs nc xuk1D lAO uk1lCCcSoAIl
danger, not because he Is more afrail
than the uncautious individual. bu
mostly because he has . sense Of humol
and decency.
Common sense is basically just wha
the dictionary says it is-good, prac
tical, and in everyday usage
Caution itself is no obscure thing
1t simply involves thinking ahead.
Thus II the man possessed of com
mon sense does even SO small q thinl
as 60 down the basement stairs he give!
some thought to the matter before ht
goes down.
Perhaps there Is one step shorter
than the others. Even those who have
been using the flight for years tend t.
forget this simple difference, but thu
gentleman possessing common sens,
does not forget it.
Every time he starts to 60 down HI
recalls that different tread and make.
up his mind to provide for It by short.
ening his step in proportion.
His recollection may not be exactl!
conscious-that IS, he will not give him.
self a lecture on steps and their fail.
ings-but somehow he will keep tn.
defect in mind and thus be in a posi-.
tion to make up for it.
A lot Of trouble to himself?
So the mountain boy said to thu
overnight visitor after watching him
make his toilet:
"Yure a lot O. trouble to yerself
amt you. mister?" he asked.
1t all depended on what one called
trouble. Of course.
The person lacking the spirit of eau.
tion. as exemplified in ordinary com.
mon sense, might well tend to think
that the man who possessed it was 6
lot Of trouble to himself"
He Worries" might be the accuse.
ton made against him.
1t would all depend on ones defini.
ton Of worry" What is mans worry
is merely another's normal thought
There Is no need to worry about that.
Positively there is no worry to the
cautious person In taking thought be.
forehand as well as he can There will
be many situations in which he will
make wrong decisions OF come to the
wrong conclusions: nobody knows tina,
better than himself
Upon occasion he will be inclined ts
feel that he never makes a right deci.
sion. Then he will look around him
that they, too, no more make perfect
decisions than he
Upon occasion he will be inclined t.
feel that whole communities, entire
nations even, make wrong decision,
upon very important matters, compared
with the importance of which his little