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Show I I NOT SEEING OUR ; t LIMITATIONS t : I By THOMAS ARKLE CLARK j J Dean cf Men, Univertity of j Illinoii. - -a It Is wise, we say, for a man to realize his limitations. By so doiir,' you-- ne does not rusn Into things for which lie lias no fitness ; he does not attempt that which Is beyond his powers of accomplishment. ac-complishment. I know, for instance, in-stance, that I nm not musical. I am neither a performer nor have I musical appreciation sur-flclent sur-flclent Intelligently to criticize a performance per-formance to which I listen. For that reason I say nothing, and I am convinced con-vinced that many of my friends whom I hear making wise comments upon this or that musical performance might better follow my example. Ball has little or no sense of humor, and he has the judgment to realize his lack. He can never see the point of a Joke even when It is explained to him In detail. If he laughs when some one tells a funny story It Is to be polite, and not to put himself outside out-side the circle, rather than because he Is amused by the recital or understands under-stands what It Is all about. But Bali never cracks a joke. He never launches out, as many people dc Into a narrative narra-tive Intended to amuse and then forget the point and ends his tale without a climax. He knows his limitations and lie wisely never goes beyond them. "Wisely," I said, but I am not always sure that It Is wise too acutely to realize one's weaknesses. Too keen a realization takes the energy out of one, robs him of Initiative ana makes one afraid at times to try anything. We all thought Clancy less than ordinary when he was in college. He was handicapped In two ways. He did not have any money and so was forced to earn his living by acting as a sort of chore boy In one of the local stores at twenty cents an hour a Job which brought him only a meager subsistence sub-sistence and In addition to this handicap handi-cap he had a dull brain. Even his best friends admitted that Clancy was very ordinary. But somehow he himself never realized this fact. He stumbled along In his stupid way, insisting on being a leader. He had neither tact nor social finesse, but whenever anything any-thing political or social was under way Clancy was always on hand pushing himself to the front and insisting in a crude Illiterate way on being heard. No one thought he would make a success of his profession. He was too crude, too stupid, too lacking in the qualities which enable one to get on with men, but Clancy never recognized these limitations of his, and he has got on. It has never occurred to him that he Is commonplace. He has put a good estimate upon his own abilities and with that In mind has forged ahead. In some way he has apparently fooled people and they have taken him at his own estimate. He is really quite the literary critic; his friends are among the best peole in the city in which, he lives. He has risen above his limitations. ((). 1623. Western Newspaper Union.) |