Show howe about moth and the flame new york men question of truth by ED HOWE awil A who ho reads what I 1 write wll have to stand a good deal of repetition so I 1 ask indulgence for saying again that old maxims have significance as representing the best wisdom there Is another virtue in maxims Is 13 they are always well and simply written A very old one tells of the disposition of a moth to hover around a candle and get its wings singed there was once a man named henry nolt holt who had high intellectual equipment and as a much education as the best universities and long association with the best people could supply ile he was a book publisher with such rare critical taste that his firm was outstanding lie owned and edited a quarterly magazine so excellent I 1 have preserved nearly every issue as an example of perhaps the best average writing ever displayed in a magazine ue ile wrote a good many of the articles himself and ranked as one of the best american writers gut but in every issue of unpopular review there was nn an article usually by mr holt himself about spiritualism tills this hovering about a dangerous flame finally resulted in the failure ot of the best printed and best edited magazine in our long list and bad scars on the reputation of the brilliant edl editor in the use of ink pen type here was a master comparable to napoleon bonaparte in the use of guns powder soldiers but henry nolt holt could no more keep from hovering around the flame of his most dangerous candle than napoleon bonaparte Rona parte could keep away front moscow in the early winter of 1812 A long time ago a new york tork roan man called on me and requested that I 1 introduce him to william jennings bryan A few minutes after the men met the new yorker said something that infuriated mr bryan and he displayed a rage I 1 did not know was wag in him the encounter took place in the bryan home in miami fla before I 1 was out of bed next morn morning ing mr brynn bryan telephoned and apologized tor for so completely losing his temper ills his explanation was that all new york men infuriated him they so generally believed themselves superior to others because of their residence in the big town I 1 understand that the depression has greatly chastened chasteney chast ened new yorkers travelers inform me they now display considerable respect for men from other sections al 0 I 1 once published a war story on the authority of a common soldier of 1602 at the time I 1 wrote the former private had become a bank president ll and an all exceptionally intelligent and reliable man the general in command denied the authenticity of the incident outlined by the private who in his defense said he witnessed it with his own eyes eye g heard with his bis own ears the conversation reported and in person participated in the charge described bed was not the evidence of this witness worthy of consideration in describing a famous ancient battle a leader reported that a river left its bed and charged uphill up hill after a regiment of retreating soldiers had a hundred r reliable pliable common men participating in the same action dec declared lared no such marvel occurred I 1 believe the testimony of the majority should have been considered with that of the leader who wrote a book 0 0 0 spartans spartano Spar tans practiced health efficiency em clency that they might become good soldiers history tells some terrible cases of butchery practiced by them the pennsylvania dutch practice good habits that they may become good citizens and thus avoid war poverty drunkenness idleness and other of the extravagances of civilization in the upper middle class in the united states there are millions of men I 1 admire more than any spartan in cultivating good habits the spartans spartano Spar tans made too much of bravery as exhibited in fighting the pennsylvania dutch and other citizens successful above the ale average rage are not fanatical about any one thing but try for a reasonable average in all goo gooc habits do you recall how the american people were forced to advance the money loaded to foreigners during the tha world war and which the foreigners now impudently refuse to pay back in hundreds of communities the news papers printed daily lists of those citizens who were slow in producing money to be loaned abroad the american who refused to make a loan to his foreign brother was everywhere denounced by the rabble and publicly insulted 0 0 0 wise men have hare fooled me so frequently in the past I 1 have hare grown an auspicious of them still I 1 try not to carry suspicion so go tar far as to miss a warning of value when offered tree free as occasionally happens 1 I have great respect for old maxims one was written long ago affo about a shepherd who being employed to guard fouard sheep often cried wolf when there was no flo wolf the master was thus lulled into such carelessness that when a wolf finally appeared he gave no attention to warning be had paid to get early newa dews of C hit bell ball service |