St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1937-01-01
HERE and
THERE
By w. M. Smith

Much as I am Inconvenience by
the cold weather of these Mime
sofa winters, I was glad to well
come the change that came with
the bracing and freezing winds of
this week. It beats all hollow the
sickly wet weather we have been
having during the Christmas sea-
son. In fact our rainy week de-
strOyed much of its pleasure for
many more people than myself.
Both you and I, however, can find
many more pleasant hours than we
do by forgetting those things that
can not be helped and pay more at
tentiOn to those that will respond
more readily to our personal in
fiuences.
And that brings me to the mat
ter of New Years resolutions. One
of the most pleasing features in
the advent of the new year is the
opportunity it brings to look back
over a space of months, locate the
mistakes, the neglects, the unfor-
tunate things said or done, feel
sorrow and regret for their ir-
reparable injuries and resolve not
to repeat them in the coming year.
Arthur A. Brisbane is dead. In
his life I had few good things to
say of him. I didn't like his atti-
tude toward our people. I felt that
man of his large abilities and
wide influence was guilty of a very
grave injustice in giving such far
flung publicity to his thought that
the Negro people of the world did
not measure up to the standards
of the rest Of the racial groups of
the world. Especially did I object
to his writings upon the Italy
Ethiopia embodiment. There his
prejudices in favor of Italy were
rather brutally expressed.
But now his career has ended in
death. We speak no evil of the
dead. Rather we seek to find in
the life of Brisbane something we
can admire; something we can
profit from. He was said to have
earned an income of more than a
quarter of million dollars annual
ly from his writings. Any man
that succeeds in doing that is out
standing. He had a world Of sys-
tematized knowledge and a capti-
waiting way of placing that knowl-
edge at the service of his readers.
Many of the leading periodicals of
the country were glad indeed to
give publicity to his Illuminating
COMMENSURATE pay well for the
privilege. Mr.. Brisbane held an
all possessing belief in the power
and efficacy of the aeroplane and
was constant in his urging of the
government to adopt his ideas.
Only the next war will prove him
false prophet and alarmist or a
seer with uncanny insight into the
developments of future war STRAIT
egg.
At any rate his death furnishes
the material for my most impOr-
tant resolution; to be less sure of
my own judgments; to remember
that even those with whom I dis
agree have the right to their own
opinions.
One other resolution am max
ing and in this I would most earn
estly invite my readers to join. I
have ever held a high regard for
serious hard work. It has account
ed for so much of the worlds prog
ress. It lies at the basis of all
that has ever been done in behalf
of needful people. But now as
I look back over the year that has
passed I seem to see that much
more could have been accomplished
had I worked a little more faith
fully in behalf of my church, my
community, my people.
SO I resolve that in 1887 there
shall be no let-up in my efforts in
these directions. no getting weary