Askov American., 1934-02-01
WHAT is GREATNESS

distinguished civic service is here
again. While this newspaper has
never gotten excited over such con-
tests, if they may be called such,
there is perhaps no harm in it, and
some good may come out of it.
1t was brought out at the recent
Minnesota Editorial Association an
nual convention in Minneapolis that
ST. Paul has eight contestants for the
honor. Perhaps it is only natural that
newspaper men and women would like
to see journalist occupy the place
of honor, and it is also natural that
they might think first of journalist
for this honor because of the closer
contact. But those are not the only
reasons that the name of Lawrence c.
Hodgson LARRY Ho) has been prom
inently mentioned for the honor, and
that this gentleman who was formerly
mayor of the capitol city, an able
writer of prose and poetry, with thou
sands of friends, has been the subject
of kind editorial writings the past
week
Larry HO is known personally to
about as many people in the state as
any other individual in Minnesota. He
has made visits by the hundreds to
our cities and villages with his mes
Sages of optimism, the spirit of broth
erhoOd and community welfare. And
through his column in the ST. Paul
Dispatch and Pioneer Press he has
further spread good cheer, love and
Brotherhood
But one of the best articles penned
by Larry Ho was in the last Sunday
issue of the Pioneer Press, entitled
What is Greatness" The entire
article must be read to be fully ap-
preciated. Likely st. PauTs ambas-
sador of good will was aware that the
newspaper boys and girls of the state
We're boosting him for the award, and
he rose to the occasion and wrote
some very true words on what he
deems greatness.
Checking over awards in eight east
ern cities Mr.. Hodgson said he noted
they went to a lawyer, a banker, a
mayor, an editor, the president of a
man, an architect.
No reason to doubt the merits of
those chosen writes Larry Ho. ''but
the fact remains that all of them
were considerably in the limelight.
widely known and praised, and GER
tain, in any such appraisement to be
considered among those as eligible
for honor"
Because there were no selections
from the more lOwly people-those in
humble positions, it in mo wise i'm
pugns the honesty of. the selections
indeed the selections made are large
ly inevitable" writes the former
mayor. ''They are made by commit
tees Obliged to depend on the recon-
mendation of clubs and societies and
on published items. They cannot
know of the humber services of the
lowly Masses
Going on, Mr.. Hodgson writes:
THE noblest woman | ever knew
could not read or write. She sat by
fifty death beds in loving and under
standing ministratiOn. A whole town
loved her and followed her to the
grave with tears. The most useful
man l ever knew was an illiterate
EngliShman who had a peculiar knack
OF finding out what people were in
trouble, and an equally rare gift of
Knowing what to do for them and how
best to do it. He did lovely service
able things every day, and the COM
munity in which he lived accepted
them casually and expected their con-
tinuance. When he passed away the
town realized, that it had lost some-
thing OF glory and nobility. If | had
to pick out the most completely un-
selfish and worth while men now liv-
ing in Minnesota, would be confined
to about six men-all living in little
tOwns-whOse names are almost nm
known outside of their own neighbor-
hoods.
I'VE have tended to forget that one
of the truest tests of greatness is SIM
plicity, because simplicity of the high
kind comes out of goodness. Rare Ben
Jonson had hold of the truth when he
said: For he that once is coed is
ever great; and Mencius believed that
the great man is he who does not
lose his child's heart
when offering medals suppose we
asked these questions: