Show r r Differences Make Life I I In Interesting I IBy By JOHN BLAKE I know a man who goes to Paris once a year year year- gets his his' business over as soon as possible and hurries hurries hurries hur hur- ries home He doesn't like the French because they are different dif dif- dif dif- ferent Another man I L know lived for a time In the South sea islands as did Robert Louis Stevenson Stevenson studied the natives talked with them made himself one of 01 their friends and wrote fascinating fascinating fas faa books about them This man came away as soon a as possible Those people are superstitious he said They dont don't eat th the same kind of 01 food that we do or wear the he same kind lind of clothes Just one look at them themIs thema Is a enough A sure sign of mental stagnation is to get so BO settled in your our ways that you are Intolerant of 01 people of ot different appearance or different cus- cus toms oms It Is the differences in life that makes It Inter Inter- esting eating We read in the newspapers accounts of all sorts of events that are out of the ordinary and the themore themore themore more out of the ordinary they are the more excitIng exciting Ing ng and fascinating they are are Crowds run to fires tIles because roost most houses do not burn down but remain standing In the same old place through lifetimes A circus attracts attention and makes money because It brings together all sorts of men and animals ani animals ani ani- mals nals who are unusual either in the things they can cando cando cando do or In their appearance Yet the majority of ot people In the world in their dealings with others are a little frightened when vlen these hese others sa say or do things t that tat at are not just what they are expected to say or do o. The great are not subject to this rule They are expected fo to be eccentric and to be behave behave behave be- be have In a way which Is ts unlike that of th the common run But the the minute an eccentric person appears Ina in ina ina a settled community big or little he Is looked on onas onas onas as a n little queer and only others who are rated as asa asa a little queer will associate with him It is possible for two men whose views on religion re- re ligion and politics are diametrically opposed to be firm friends provided they are intelligent But among the unintelligent all associates must be cut from the same pattern belong to the same church chulch and political party have the same ideas about how to dress and how to bring up children and what newspapers he reads It will be be bea a long time before this herd Instinct In men is eradicated Only training and education will diminish it The Tle majority are still as suspicious of 01 an unusual unusual un un- un- un usua usual person as a n. flock of ot sheep is suspicious of an unusual l animal One of the reasons that men like Keats and Shelley and Po Poe had such hard lives was that they were different and the people with whom they lived could not understand them But had not such people lived this would be a a rather dull existence And it will vIll not be the interesting existence it it ought to be till men cease to be afraid of ot unusual people and delight In differences wherever they can be found Copyright 1926 by the Bell Syndicate Inc |