Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1937-01-22
Bruce Barton Says---
LET'S HAVE HUMOR PLEASE


with the alumnae secretary Of a
woman's college, an estimable lady
seeking to raise more money for
her institution, which it we'll de-
serves.
Our letters developed quite an
interesting exchange of ideas on
education, until l made the mistake
of sending this comment:
l am a believer in women's col
leges, and I think they receive
much less than their rightful share
of legacies and gifts. But l some
times think they have pushed their
scholastic standards too high, and
are applying them too vigorously.
Two of the most successful and at
tractive middle aged women of my
acquaintance are college graduates.
Yet, if the present standards had
been in force in their day, both of
them would have been thrown out
of college at the end Of their first
semester. They were poor students,
but they are great women.
I added rather facetiously AFTER
all, a majority of college girls are
going to enter the profession of
matrimony. My de- of a college
program would be to teach them
to look after their health, cultivate
their sense of humor, and then add
whatever amount of book learning
they could absorb without spelling
their good looks.
This STOPPED the correspondence.
The lady regarded me as lacking
in seriousness, and wrote to me no.
more.
Yet l have the termity to pub
fish the comment, and to add this
firm conviction: that the world
does not need more knowledge as
much as it needs more humor.
Do you remember the famous
session of the Cabinet at which
Emancipation PROCLAMATION?
preceded it by reading n of the
Numerous essays of Artemus Ward.
He laughed until tears came and
then, looking around at his asso-
ciates and finding them all solemn,
he exclaimed:
Gentlemen, why don't you
laugh? With the fearful strain that
is upon me night and day, if l did
not laugh l should die; and you
need this medicine as much as l."
BUSINESS HAS NO GRUMBLE
I was lunching with a group Of
high executives, and the discussion
turned to economic problems. Pre-
sently out came the usual line.
congress is a bunch of idiots.
How can we hope for any sensible
program when our laws are made
by such men?
l was annoyed. All my business
life l have listened to that sort Of
talk. I have known a good many
Senators and Congressman. My
judgment is that they are fairly
representative of the nation, neither
better nor worse than the rest Of
us. They do not originate very
much in the matter of national
policy and legislation. They merely
record in laws the sentiment that
grows up around them. They re-
spond to public opinion.
And what does big business do
to create and guide an intelligent
public opinion? Practically nothing.
Big bankers and corporation Of
ficials regard this a policy of dig
nified silence" AS a matter of fact
it is laziness and cowardice.
My father was a distinguished
clergyman. He never hesitated to
have views or to give them vigor-
Gus expression. Sometimes parish
Toners criticized him. He said to me
once: IF I do not know better than
the members Of my congregation
what sort of preaching my people
should have, then l am not emit
tied to be their pastor"
Ours is a democracy. For a gen.
Grafton or more we have been Turing
our best brains into business.
The time is coming when those
best brains must render some more
positive service in the formation of
a sound public opinion. 1t is not
enough just to sit back and grum-
bic about Congress.
Prisoner: Judge, must I be tried
! bv +h,+ i,,rv with al those women