OCR Text |
Show Dr. Richard T. Gottheil of Columbia univer- , sity has a broad knowledge of Oriental tales and proverbs. Dr. Gottheil was condemning pessimism one ' day at Columbia, ' ( "Pessimism," he said, "Is as old as the hills. Mankind has always recognized it and has al- 0 ways derided it. "There is a Persian story about a pessimist. This story is so old that no date oan be assigned as-signed to it. It concerns a pessimistic farmer. " 'Good friend,' a visitor said to a farmer, 'you are fortunate this year.' Ho pointed to the heavy and rich grain fields spreading as far as the eye could see. 'You can't grumble,' he went on, 'about your crop this season, eh?' " 'No, whined the pessimist, 'but a crop like thi3 is terribly wearing on the soil.' " |