The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-04-29
Just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or lneonsidsrsss

Slowly but surely electronics lis that singular
plural?) take or takes the activities of
the race Soon perhaps, direct application Of
atomic energy will out.node eectronics But for the
present brief interval we sufficiently served
and distracted by electric power.
If you had told great-grandma that her old wood
burning stove or her coal stove would one day
give way to an electric range and that fire of any
desired intensity might be had by turning small
knob, that whole meal might be set into an
oven which would turn itself on at predetermined
hour and turn itself off when the cooking
done-f you had told greatgrandma these things.
she would have dismissed the tale as fantasy,
and yourself as nit-wt
And if you had insisted that the weekly task
OF washing and ironing would one day be
matter Of switches and sWishes and superheated
roller; if you had foretold the function of the cleo
trio refrigerator and the deepfreeze; il you had
outlined the prospect of the pop-up toaster and the
vacuum sweeper, and the sewing machine that does
everything but knit up the raveled sleeve OF care
grestgrandma would have been less astonished
than disgusted
Certainly, electronies have reduced the grinding
hardships of domestic life. And just as certainly the
benefits thus bestowed are unappreciated Those
who have never had to endure the ancient hard
ships can hardly be expected to regard their cleo
tronic independence as a liberation. Greatgrandma
would not have believed it, and would not have
trusted ii even if demonstration compelled belief;
would not have wanted it in any case. And her
greatgranddaughter, moving about in maze of
buttons switches, gadgets and blown fuses has no
realization that things we're, or could be, different
We have come on We have reduced the business
of bodily stress and strain But have we adjusted
the mind to / proper attitude of thankfulness and
aonreciaton? We have served the cause of ease and
leisure. But have served the of basic human
happiness? Are people more cheerful more full of
joy more peaceful and serene more delighted with
the glory of life and health than in the days of hard
ship and deprivation? Relieved OF unceasing and bur
densome demands upon physical energy, are mod
ern folk given To the great things OF mind and
spirit7
Surely il might be expected that mental and
spiritual benefit would parallel the steady easing
Of physical demands Nov that so much of human
labor has been turned over TO the gadget and the
power-plant we might expect that mankind would
make giant strides in art in literature in philosophy
in the grasp and appreciation of religion IT, as old
Sam Johnson thought 'ess than two hundred years
ago. poverty and the poor mans burden of heavy
toll tcf The Man Nth the Hoe by Markham) are the
things that crush person into subhuman degradation
what must expect when the crush and
degradation more? What we to expect
when thousand bent with hoes have been
supplanted by handful of unbent chaps riding
tractors?
Perhaps We should realize all our expectations
If humanity could rise out of its inherited dulness
and show a spark of appreciation. II is indeed a
great achievement TO have relieved the human race
OF drudgery. IL would be still greater achievement
il could relieve the of its Stolid insensibi
ity In word if only we could nduct lasting note
OF gratitude into human lives we should confer
greater benefit than all the scientific discoveries
of all the centuries have been able IN confer
thoughtful man like Gilbert K Chesterton
sure to notice that athe world will never per
sh for lack of wonders, but only for lack of won
der" If we could only preserve through life the
wide and welcoming eyes of childhood But original
sin and our actual pride and pettnesS unite to
fill us with ennui. that s to make us cloh.headed
mugs. W. even Indifference as pose, and
strive to appear hase; perverse and inane thing
is our fallen and twisted nature.
10 keep alive in us the stir of wonder-in the
Latin sense Of admiration-iS to keep alive the
of gratitude, the sense of humble and appre
ciative thanks We all tend 10 cling TO life matter
how We talk sometimes, we all know the value Of
existence We want TO live even when all the
dtions of life are harsh and uncomfortable And
yet how hard ii is TO keen thanking God for life
when life IS largely pleasant and easy IL only
We appreciated life, and were simply and sincerely
grateful for ii!
We want. leisure, and arc bored with ii when we
attain it. We want all that the electrical gadgets
can give us but we quickly TO enjoy their
amazing activity and complain be we have
not bigger and better ones We are not grateful;
and We fail in gratitude because duly love the
of wonder, the awareness Of delight and bene
Fl in the things generally possess.
Give little girl old tin cup and cracked
saucer, and she will play house" for hours; she
will entertain imagined royalty; she will set out a
table more delightful ,han that of a rich devotee
OF Emily Post Imagination is alive in the child.
Adults let their gadgetS ahead of imagination,
and SO lose all of wonder; eventually imagnat-
tion ceases TO play its proper part in life dullness
and 1rearness take IFS place And all the wonder
full electronic devices in the world cannot brighten
the deadly wasteand of mechanical routine.
Wordsworth complains that out of tune
with the natural wonders of the universe. He might
have added that We are out of tune with the
artificial artistic and scientific wonders. grown
man would likely consider ii unmanly and even
unreastic to enjoy his telephone child enjoys
toy telephone And that is where he fools himself
If he enjoyed it, simply as child enjoys it.
he would like it, and he would be grateful for It.
And having achieved gratitude he would lay solid