The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-03-16
Howe About:
Poorhouse Author
Misbehaving
A Big Mans Family
BY ED HOWE
q. Bell syndicate.-wNU Service.

I HAVE received an unusual letter
1 from a man / do not know. and
who lives In distant state. He says:
"You once wrote that book entitled
The Autobiography of a Failure
might meet public favor. ! enclose an
attempt at such writing, and, as
preliminary, tell you my qualifications.
spent ten years in an insane asylum,
but was never discharged as cured.
At present I am In a poorhouse, and
half blind, in addition to being some
what palsied and rheumatic. am
sixty-four years old, and have never
married. My manuscript was typed
by another inmate of the poorhouse
where live"
Probably no editor would consider
this writing for publication, as 1t Is
carelessly written and arranged, but
believe any of them would read 1t. as
did, Curiously enough, this author
Is conservative, and quotes with ap-
prevail some Of the most noted writer's
of history who have denounced radical
ism. He grumbles at the rich good
deal, but admits the ordinary facts OF
life with considerable intelligence.
Altogether, do not believe this man
Is insane, or ever has been; he dis
plays, indeed, more than average sense
In his thinking I think his trouble Is
failure to properly manage his mind
and his body, which is the fault of
millions Of other unfortunates. l have
not been more interested In writer
in many years. At times he is almost
brilliant In his observations; nowhere
is he vulgar or foolish, but frequently
| commonplace, as all are outside or In
side Of poor houses or insane asylums.
In the unexpurgated edition of the
Memoirs is printed letter Silerius
once wrote. Apparently the CORE
| spondent had written that he was
handicapped in life because of his
having been divorced, Of his drinking
a good deal, and being known as an
atheist. In his reply Silerius said:
81 have been divorced twice, but, long
| after / am as well thought OF by my
neighbors as either of the women l
divorced; and both are good women.
/ am an atheist, but neither has that
injured me. I have experimental free
ly with liquor, and solved the problem
by quitting both drinking and talking
about the subject / do not believe
you state your real problem in writ
ing to me. Mine has always been to
better manage my own mind and
body, and thus gain the respect OF
those with whom I associate In small
and great things"
There is argument as to whether my
preaching is sound. / wish it to be,
and to say 1 am occasionally COM
mended. A man thirty-five years old
recently wrote me: 'I have liked your
articles for some years, but the finest,
most beneficial sermon that ever
reached me (and my father was a
clergyman was printed lately. You
said: The ambition to behave, sound
| ly based on the selfish (not noble)
knowledge that II Is finally the best
and easiest way, will supply all the
human service a human can hope for
l think / now understand what
you have tried so we'll to make plain,
| to-wit: that actually 1t Is stubborn
fact, counting the after costs in con-
science, disrupted plans, shocked
nerves, time lost forever, and injury
to others, good behavior is easier than
misbehayior. I thank you, sir, FOR
help In my weak endeavor to become
a better man."
A noted Big Man lately appeared at
an airport with his wife, son of four
teen and a daughter Of seventeen. The
| Big Man was rushing from one i'm
portant duty to another, and chatting
at the delay Of forty minutes, when
reporter found him. The Big Man
loved publicity, and talked freely. He
had enormous ideas. very much better
than professional writer's put into
books and magazines. But members
of his family were tired of his talk.
"Start tanning" said the impudent
boy: dads turned on the hot air."
The wife and daughter, expressed al
most equal impudence and disapprov-
al of the Big Mans talk. /. re-
call that, when a child, we were all
very tired Of my fathers talk, we
heard it so much, and 1t was always
the same. But we were poor people;
I had supposed that. Big Men talk so
wisely that members Of their own fam
lilies listen with awe and interest 1t
seems they do not.
We are commanded to love all alike.
including our enemies, but l often sin,
and confess have favorites. Some peo-
| pie annoy me so much and unneces-
sarily cannot love them; few 9TH
ers treat me well, and I special
| ly like them. And / think I'm
right about it; do not believe the
| command that love my enemies as
well as my friends had any great au-
thority back of it.
In my town the Junior league girls
"a nice crowd, except l sometimes fear
they are engaging too much In public
welfare brawling) have issued cook
book, made up of recipes supplied by
your most capable women. 1t is a
better book than one issued lately con-
tanning recipes supplied by the noted
chefs of the country. I'd like
to arrange contest between Oscar,
the famous cook of the famous Wal
dorf, and a noted woman cook of our
| toun who has nineteen REGIMES In fhe