Evening star., 1949-05-12
This and That
By.Charles Z. TracepeH

Looking out an upstairs window the other
day, we saw a squirrel leap from one slim
branch In one tree to another even simmer
bough at distance on another tree.
1t was a breath-taking leap. and we
thought: eff he had stopped to think. he
never would have made it,"
The terrible thought then came: Could
the great trouble with humanity today be
that we think too much? UT
Perhaps IL we. as nations. humans peoples.
slived life without 50 much thought. we would
like 1t better. and not have 30 many, so
pressing and SO seemingly insoluble questions.
Certainly mankind has made sorry mess
of 1t. as of the year l949.s>
There are wars and rHgnors Of wars,
incessant disputes among nations. and
among little groups Of individuals: the fer
ment of democracy versus communism rolls
around the world.
This is where the reading Of history can
be Of help
seller" to the book clubs, to the vain idea
of keeping up with the latest books" that
we seldom stop to read history any more.
Yet history. as told by able men. is one
of the most salutary readings any one can
undertake. Some of these works are as
readable as fiction-well, almost. One does
have to concentrate bit more. that Is all.
Modern historical research. by bright
youngsters, has tended to show some of us
older readers that we were not wrong in
admiring such writers as George Bancroft.
and many others.
The stress of the times has made modern
historical writer's go back and search the
past. to see If the problems faced then have
any relevancy for us Of today.
It has been found that this is true. that
axa,v a oo occc fbroa1of1 StreSs and strain
and that in this evaluation there naturally
comes a revaluation Of the older writer's.
The amazing thing. the enheartening thing,
is that so many OF the old writers, for a
time allowed to go unread. are seen under
the new tand let us say fairer) way of read
ing to be better than we thought.
In this same way. some Of our Presidents
are seen to have been far greater men than
we sometimes tended to think them.
One hears so many people saying that the
times are out of joint, that the problems
faced by the nation and by the world seem
insoluble.
People try in vain. with their minds. to
find out what seems to be the trouble. Some
say 1t is radio waves. That Is solution.
such as it is, which has been held by many
persons since radio receivers first became
popular.
Others say a lack of religion. Yet there
seems to be more religion, at least in the
popular sense, than ever before.
Some say lack of morals. Some assert
it is too much gambling. There are as many
reasons as there are people.
Every one who puts forth an idea. whether
popularity held or not. is painfully conscious.
at the same time. that 1t probably Is not
the reason.
One tends to so back to the doctrine
OF original sin. but even that seems slightly
out of place. in the face of q smiling baby
and its innocence.
Man has always faced two ways, into
nature and ignorance and into light and
knowledge. But it seems the harder he tries
to study the more stress he places on edu-
cation, the worse he fares, and the more
difficult the national and international
problems become And behind 1t all Icons
the face Of the poor brute beast from which
he has raised himself 50 painfully through
the centuries.
Is his faith In the powers OF the mind 70
overcome nature and himself misplaced?
The writing Is on the wall. now. Unless
we read it Alright, and act right. from now
ON. We win have lost something that no
amount of thought viii cure. But In the
meantime, 1t is interesting to read history,
and realize that in the troubled times OF old
men thought much this same way. and yet
mankind came out Of it at. last into what
seemed better times. Maybe today. II We
didn't try TO think 50 hard Ne would come
out better In the long rum