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Show Uncommon Sense By JOHN BLAKE I . Bell Syndlcate-WNU Son-ice I We are negligent of the needs and the difficulties of others only because be-cause they rare-Help rare-Help All ly are hrought to You Can 0,,r aention- Whenever people clearly see and understand the troubles of their fellow creatures, they rarely fail to help them. I was in San Francisco within a week of the great fire that drove thousands of people from comfortable comfort-able homes to seek shelter in tents beyond the fire zone. Working on a newspaper I had an ample opportunity to see how help was coming in from all sides, and to observe how the rich forgot their pride and, taking off their coats, labored twelve hours a day till all that had been driven from their houses were supplied with shelter and food. This is one of the fine traits in human nature. It takes cover during dur-ing the average run of events, but it comes out when there is a call for aid. In Carl Sandburg's fine biography of Lincoln he tells how in his early life one of the greatest of men and of Presidents could never endure to see a hog in distress. The hogs would go down to the creek to drink, and become mired in the thick mud, which, had they not been helped, would soon have drawn them down to their deaths. Then the tall lanky prairie youth, driving past and observing them, would pull off his coat and sometimes some-times the remainder of his attire, and by exerting his tremendous strength, pull the squealing porkers pork-ers out on high land. He smiled happily while they waddled away to safer footing. Little in that time did Lincoln, or anyone else, dream that before so many years he would be rescuing a great nation from destruction. Today there are many reasons for mutual helpfulness in the world. It is a time to scrap selfishness and self-seeking, and do nil that can be done to keep going the movement move-ment which is to bring the world back to its feet. The vast majority of the people in America understand this. The concerted efforts that are being be-ing made to restore better conditions condi-tions Is the proof. There will be sacrifices and hardships. hard-ships. But where is the man in this wide country who, while struggling himself, will not reach out a hand totvard a neighbor who is in a worse position than he? In the days of my youth there were men who could not afford laundry bills and who wore what were known as "dickeys." Dickeys were shield shaped devices de-vices of linen or cotton which could be used to cover False up the triangular Fronts space which begins be-gins where the vest leaves off. But they were not very satisfactory. satisfac-tory. They had a tendency to pull out at the corners, permitting the public to view contemptuously the soiled white or whitish shirt underneath. under-neath. They saved laundry bills for a while to be sure though In most cases It was the toll of the poor wives or mothers at home that they saved, but they were known throughout through-out the town to be poor pretenses at respectability. And as soon as a man's financial condition Improved a little he abandoned aban-doned them and went back to the old hard-boiled standard. But the "dickeys" supplied a lesson les-son to some of the people in my old town which more than atoned for the embarrassment that they sometimes some-times cost Their wearers discovered that sham was no good, that they might better have donned the old red flannel flan-nel shirts which were worn by the railroad boys and truck drivers than to attempt to be something that they were not This Is not an argument In defense de-fense of the "snappy dresser" or of the boy who keeps his mother at the washboard so she can save money to buy her offspring the evening eve-ning suit he says he must own In order to keep up with the parade. It Is merely an effort to Impress on my readers that, while rags may not be "royal raiment when worn for virtue's sake," It Is better to stand for what you are Instead of what you would like to be, or what heaven willing you mean to be when you get your chance. Be what you are, and don't be ashamed of It But don't use false fronts or pretenses. pre-tenses. Even If they were not found out they would be bad for your character. char-acter. And, believe me, they always al-ways will he found out probably at some time when the discovery will emharrass you almost beyond your jiower to stand up nnder It Wenr a bold front always. But be sure before you wear it that it is not a fnlse one. |