| Show S 'S Between You and Me sense is the he most uncommon hind kind of sense By HAROLD DELL BELL WRIGHT J Best People I 1 aint never nover seen a whale myself but Just the same there aint no lowdown lowdown low- low down onery old gain goin to pass himself off ort on mo as as a whale so longas long loner as 8 Im I'm sober Bober Bober Dill Bill RINK iNK It over THINK I say It Is a good thing tiring for tor all of ofus ofus ofus us that most of us are arc a lot better than the tho rest of us A person verson without a saving sense of superiority would be a poor eort sort of human buman being I If I were not very certain that I am ama ama a better man than some 1 I would simply sim ply Vly quit trying I admit I am not much to be proud of I never ne took any prizes for nn anything I 1 dont don't even claim to be one of the Best Dest People vat Siut ut if I were no better than some of the worthless mean 1 lying Ing cheating thieving ing heartless cruel vicious degenerate degenerate de de- generate murdering folk that I 1 know about I would shave shove In the dark lark for forlear tear lear If It I met myself face to face In a mirror I would be forced to cut my myown myown myown own throat Between you and me I suspect that coroners coroner's juries might more often than we know render the verdict Suicide In self I wonder who started this equality thing thine anyhow I tell you Jou It Is dan dnn Professor Drummond rang the bell when he said The Immediate need of the world Is not more of us but If I may use the expression a better brand of us The trouble Is our Ideas about this better brand of us are so hazy The most popular brand of Be Best t People are distinguished from the vulgar vulgar vulgar gar herd by their money I am not speaking of at small change No I do not say that we all nil look upon an any person with money as ns one of I You and I know very well J that a person may possess I great grent wealth and be not one of the Best People but one of the the worst j t I The te test t should be not how v much have you ou but where did didI t tf I f you ou get it and what use are t tou I you ou making of that which t you ou I F t have t t JI S J. I L LIe The test should be not who i were your ancestors or who Ie are your our relatives but what 3 f good are you ou i 1 I Even thou though h I am not educated educated edu edu- t T cited I know enough not to accept ac acv s ever every graduate at his own IT valuation oS ss' ss I 1 T k T T T I would rather receive a r great vital living Jiving truth front from froman J P I an m Illiterate back back woodsman i a who every rule of i grammar than to have a un university uni ml- I. I 4 i p. p president e lie Hc to me me In i perfect English t J It Is the usefulness of ot the t tI i I I graduate n not t the graduation 1 which counts I i i It Is not enough nO gl to be goo I one must be good for some some- I thing e. e I I I I r our Best Dest People I say that money Is quite commonly held hei 1 to set one apart from the common crow crowd You know exactly what I mean Wh Why certainly To 10 possess money I for lor which one has rendered a real service Ice is good But you ou will notice that it Is s not the service rendered which brands certain people of at wealth in their own eyes and In the eyes of i those who look up to them as superior j to the rest of us us-It us It Is the mere fact t that they do actually possess the thc coin Bow lIow the they got It or what hat they do with It seems to have nothing to do with the cu case e. e t Some wealthy people are In truth salt of the earth They spend millions mil lions to make male life more endurable for r the rest of us uS' But Lut still sUlI the brand which distinguishes them Item Is not that lint i th they do good with their money but f that they have lia the millions to SIJ spend Indeed the strangest most ridiculous ridic ridic- ulous most humiliating phenomenon about the possession of much money is Is- Is this The less one does to gain It it and sand the less one cine does with It for others the higher one seems seem seeing t to o rank ranka k kr r 1 a among amond g this brand of Bust Best People Witness WIness how those who have come Into possession of at their fortunes with no more personal effort than they C ex expended In acquiring the color color of of of their eyes S look down train from those topmost heights height of glided gilded d uselessness with sneers sneers of superiority upon U those ose who by y the magnitude of the sel service the they have ha rendered by years of grilling labor and personal sacrifice or by hy the sheer power of their genius and Industry Industry In hove have earned their fortunes You and und I know very ery well Veil that a 8 person may possess posses'S great wealth and be not one une of nf the Bert Det People but one of the worst vorst J Judas for Instance made more money n money mey out nut of n certain transaction than nil all the other ills ills- t I j 1 It would se seem seem m that the test should he be not how much have ha your rou but where did lid you s get et It and anti what t u use e are you ou making of that which i i you have I r Oh no tin Indeed money Is Is' Is not not the it only brand hind WhiCh I Is SUP I mark markT r IS T 4 t 4 i 1 f the Best People The Family Tree Tre brand brund Is quite distinguishing oh oh quite I Why of course coil it Is 19 a n good thing tiring to have ancestors As you may have no- no Uc tic d most of us do have them them them-of of one sort or another One may even en say that to have ancestors Is more or less necessary necessary necessary-It If one wishes to get on But Dut a walk In the woods will convince oven even the most Indifferent observer obren-er that there are fire many of these old family tre trees s whose withered and fruitless branches are so nearl nearly dead that they have barely life enough to keep Jeep their hold on the ancient and sapless trunk And they are poor timber these so nearly dead limbs limbs good good for neither the hearth nor the shop You are right no one of common commonsense commonsense commonsense sense will discount breeding A grand old family Is a n grand old thing tiling It Is 19 Isa a a very eQ real and tangible asset That Thatis is It Is an asset if the strength and glory which made It great In the past are real and antI tangible In the present But what about these useless tag tag- ends of grand old families that have petered out What Wha t of these well well- bred imbeciles and noble Idiots these Idiots these social parasites who cling so precariously precariously pre pre- to the edges of what to them is the best society Is a piti pitiful I pitiful piti- piti ful Mr Ir or Mrs MIs Lazarus hanging around the doorstep of a certain house hoping against hope for entree while feeding on the social crumbs which fall faU from th the table of some rome society Divests Dives es Is ts such a person In fact one of our Best Dest People Again It would seem that the test should be not who were your ancestors or who are your relatives relatives rela rela- tives tl but what good are you ou Then consider the brand Education i 1 mean are tue mea Idea tIl time teat t ones one's rating in life Is determined by hy the school or schools which one attended To pronounce words correctly with the thc proper accent and ever everything Is of Importance I wish I could But even though I am not educated I know enough not to accept eTer every graduate I at his own valuation To hold that people who have been tp certain schools are therefore our Best People regardless of how they do or do not use their education isto Is Isto Isto to keep the shell shelt and throw the milk and meat of the coconut to the mon mono ke keys sAs s As I have ha said before I would rather receive a great vital living truth from an nn Illiterate backwoods backwoods- man mun who every e rule of eram- eram oc 1 I mar than to have ha a university president president dent lie to me In perfect English It It is the usefulness of the graduate graduate graduate grad grad- not the graduation which coun counts ts Oh j yes S and there there- Is the brand brantI of ot Goo Goodness ness Are not religious people church people people those those who make maJe it their business burl busi ness uess to be good good are are not these out our Best Dest People Well not necessarily neli Religion ion you see Is not primarily something to get or OJ something to be It Is something to use If one makes no use of reli religion Ion one simply has no religion religion religion re re- ligion to use YO You ou ought to see my lio boy John said a n fond parent He Ile doesn't smoke he doesn't chew he doesn't sw swear ar he doesn't drink he lie doesn't do donn nn anything thing It is not enough to be good one must be good for something By all of which I am DIll merel merely trying to sa say that to the Certified Accountant of Life it is not what we have finan have finan financially lady socially Intellectually or religiously re re- but but but what we do with It that determines our rating When ones one's balance sheet shows a gain of 00 99 per ller cent In service received against 1 per cent in service rendered that one Is headed beaded strul straight ht toward bankruptcy That despicable toadies and social bums make much of such insolvent ent In IndivIduals Individuals In- In Individuals does not alter niter credit with those who know After all it really reany matters very little that comparatively small groups of people for one reason or another consider themselves es our Best Dest People A gentlemanly stranger says to me Tills This brick is solid gold bold eighteen elgh teen karate Then he explains carefully why he Is giving me an opportunity to purchase this gold brick at ut less than half Us value For all nil I know theman theman the theman man ma may honest honestly y believe that the thc brick bride is gold If lio honestly believing things to be of value actually made them of value we would all be rich Well all Ill that the gentlemanly stranger believes es and says about his gold brick Is very Interesting and harmlessly amusing to me so long as ns I know the brick Is not gold But Hut the moment I accept his estimate of the the brick and purchase It at his valuation that drat moment moment mo mo- ment meat 1 I am hooked It does greatly that so many of the r rest st of us are ready to accept these gold brick Best Dest People at nt their own valuation We alwn always s 's have had our Cams Cains and Ju and I suppose we e shall al always al 11 ways S 'S have e our Clur moneyed de degenerates degenerates' te our OUT social franks our educated Incompetents incompetents our religious defectives Butis But Dut ButIs Is there an any rea reason on why the rest of us should brand hrand them our Best People There here Is only one standard by hy which Life measures a life usefulness If you were cre a a castaway on a desert island in the last stages of starvation and und found an nn oyster containing a pearl pear of great grent which value value which would you vou throw aside the tile ornament or the the edible c 1928 by the tho Bell Dell Syndicate Inc Ine |
