The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-02-16


By ED HOWE
"A MAN of thirty-five lately wrote me
he drank so much he lost his job.
Ii he could quit two weeks. he said.
he could overcome his bad habit, and
again become a salary Garner and re-
spectacle citizen.
In my reply | said II he would quit
drinking. and write me In six months,
l would quit smoking. habit In which
l had INDUCED many years. Some
thing | wrote seemed to encourage
him: he replied later he had passed
the critical two weeks, was again on
the pay roll. and doing well. He fur
ther said he. too. was a smoker. and If
I'd quit right away. he would.
In replying. ! said: Another Of my
bad habits is to put off until tomorrow
that which | should do today; so
beg you will grant the delay ask. In
addition. suggest you do not overload
yourself in good endeavor. Would 1t
not be wiser for both of US to have the
solace of smoking while thinking of
the great reform we have promised to
accomplish in six months?"
Everyone has probably remarked
how bold policemen are in arresting
citizens disposed to obey the law. Such
man. learn from the Associated
Press. was lately arrested and fined
three times in ten minutes. The man
said In court be had been a taxpayer
forty years, and had never before been
arrested. The judge fined him fourth
time for that The offending citizen
had bought pistol, owing to the prev
alence of burglars, and was taking 1t
home. Also everyone has probably re-
marked how slow policemen are In ar
resting men who not only carry con-
ceGled weapons, but machine guns, or
sawed-Off shot guns, which cannot very
well be concealed about the person.
I am greatly interested In manu-
script sent me lately for criticism. The
author says in an accompanying letter
that | once suggested that writing
entitled 1.-The Autobiography of Fail
ure" might attract public favor; that
he has prepared such a writing, partly
while an inmate of an insane asylum
(where he spent ten years., and partly
while an inmate of poorhouse
(where he is at present, troubled with
palsy. rheumatism and bad eyes.) As
to the merit of the writing, | will lei
the reader judge, by giving several ex'
amples. The author confesses he may
occasionally quote unconsciously from
others, of which the reader may also
Judge from the following paragraphs
cit is quite job to maintain sane
policy in an insane world. He is q
prudent man who is not only undo.
ceived by apparent stability or insta
bility, but is able to forecast the lines
on which movements will take place
An optlmist is one who be
lieves that nothing will happen but ma
terialization of his dreams.
How unanswerable history proves that
nothing inspires bad faith like perfect
faith! +. Though / would moi
part with such scraps of education as
have learned at school, do not place
the same store by them as of certain
odds and ends came by in the streets
If nobody dropped out at the
eighth grade who would hire the col
| lege graduates? -. Ambition be
yond capacity is the first American
weakness. The only semblanct
of equality is found in an insane asy
lum. There all are treated alike; it Il
socialism in action. One WON
an outlived three husbands, each leav
ing her fortune. When she died, hel
money was left to spread screect
from the grave of mans worthless
ness. Buy at a secondhand
book store few books of deep thought
in which the former owner has marked
numerous passages. Leave them ly
ing about your room. The chamber
maid will see them, and be awed b!
your learning. She will tell the neigh
bors: they will tell everybody.
Judging a man by what he reads is a!
| wrong as to say he swallows all h'
smells. No man is complete
failure until he delights to think hil
virtue is what keeps him poor"
Something l once heard l have
carried along in my mind for years, al
new, important, and inspiring hope.
cannot remember whether read it II
newspaper, book or magazine, Of
heard some one say it; nor can l re
call the name of the author.
Briefly, the statement was that IL ,
man practices good behavior for 1t,
own sake because 1t is finally easie
and more profitable than bad behavior
| and renders his success In life NOR,
probable) such practice improves hi
intelligence; strengthens and better
his brain, as other organs of the bod.
may be improved by exercise.
Thus well-behaved man has doubl
pays him, in increasing his comforts
2. He is pursuing the course In lif
best calculated to improve his intelli
gence and his character.
One of the best of our monthly mag
azines has board Of editors to decid
what shall go In, and what kept out
These men must be among the best AM
most experienced of editors. In re
cent issue one of them writes an al
ticle explaining how members of tn
board make their selections. | shout
say the board acted wisely in de
Gliding on this article for publication
since 1t interested me. and prot
ubly interested others; here was frs