The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-12-18
Today
AND
Tomorrow
Frank Parker Stockridge
inperfectiOn

GRUMBLERS imperfectiOn
Everything is wrong with ev-
erything, is a brief summary of
the opinion of perhaps Is per cent
of Americans.
Most of that Is per cent spend
the majority of their waking
hours grumbling. If you talk to
them about politics, war, labor,
or any current subjects, they are
primarily concerned with telling
you what is wrong about it and
how the men in the positions OF
leadership are making a mess OF
things.
Most of them carry their grumb-
ling into minor matters-domestic
affairs, business problems, and To-
cal politics, and of course they
grumble at automobile drivers
who 60 too fast or too slow, traf-
fic lights that are red instead of
green, trains that are too crowded,
houses that don't heat properly or
weather that interferes with their
plans.
When you analyze things from
the grumblers viewpoint, it is
easy to see that he usually has a
case. The majority of things could
be improved and it is quite pos
sible to find legitimate fault with
everything if you approach each
thing with your ear cooked for
trouble.
BROODERS unpIeasantries
Grumblers for the sake of clas-
sification, may roughly be divided
into three groups: mooders, brood
ers and frowners.
Frowners are the garden or
common variety of grumbler.
They are the people who are just
a little more vociferous than the
average in their expressions of
righteous indignation. They pass
over many little things and are
fairly easy to live with. But they
have a deep sense Of right and
wrong-and when wrong goes un-
punished or right goes unrecog-
nized, deer burrows appear in
their foreheads and bitter words
pour from their mouths.
The mooders are a sort of DR..
Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde breed of HUI
mainly, who have some mental
quirk which makes them shift,
for no apparent reason, from sing
ing in the rain to growing in the
sun. They are not dependable
grumblers. They flare and fade.
They may sulk over some incon-
sequential thing for hours and
they pay no need to something
which upsets the world.
The breeders are the worst of
the grumbling family. Like squir-
rels store nuts, they tuck each
subject for grumbling in a COR
ner of their minds, ready to bring
it forth at moments notice when
they meet someone with whom
they have the opportunity to ex-
change unpleasantries.
INJUSTICES unity
These days are Roman holiday
for all varieties of grumblers. In
international affairs, in national
affairs and in our private affairs
theer are so many opportunities
for grumbling that a conscien-
tious grumbler has to work over
time. War troubles, union trou-
bles, defense problems, congress
sional actions and the effect of the
war on our daily lives and bust
nesses are just a few Of the sub
jects he can cover.
But the strange thing about the
average grumbler, unless he has
reached the incurable stage, is
that he grumbles less over things
of real Importance than over mi
nor injustices.
In England, for instance, where
there is even more to be indig-
nant about than theer is here,
most confirmed grumblers now
are going around with their
thumbs high in the air predicting
victory, complaining less about
taxes because they realize the
emergency need for funds and
finding almost Pollyana-like SOL
ace in the number of buildings
that haven't been bombed yet.
If we ever get the unity in this
country which so many forces are
working to bring about, it seems
likely that the ordinary subjects
of malcontents can be engulfed
in the united indignation against
Hitler and dictatorship.
LEADERS OptimiStS
Improvement in national af-
fairs, or any other affairs for that