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Show Howe About: My Most Important Job The Big Fellows H. G. Wells IS, Bell Syndlcato. WXD Service. By ED HOWE T CONFESS to 80 years of idle- ness, work, observation, mischief, wisdom, folly. What have I found my most Important job? To constantly con-stantly strive to better manage myself, my-self, that I may increase efficiency of mind and body. A man named F. C. Fox became general manager of the Santa Fe system some years ago, and went out on the line ln a special car. Two or three of the older officials were with him, and they sidetracked one morning, somewhere. An Irish section foreman soon appeared who was well acquainted with the older officials. The Irishman had come down to demand more wages (really very generous, and he knew It, but like the rest of us, he was always clamoring for more). So to the officials offi-cials he knew he recited what a good man he was; how he had long been imposed on ; how valuable his services were to the company, etc. The officials he had long known agreed with him (in our disposition to get along, we all lie to a man's face, and roast him behind his back). "The man to see is inside," the officials offi-cials said ; "the new general manager." mana-ger." Then the Irishman started climbing the car steps, grumbling his protests, and declaring he intended in-tended to speak a piece of his mind, after long suppressing his indignation. indigna-tion. . . . Almost immediately the Irishman returned from his visit to the new general manager. "A big fellow, ain't he?" the Irishman said, and returned to his work. F. O. Fox is a large man ; at that time young and athletic. Mr. Fox was sitting at his desk, back turned. The Irishman sized him up, did not speak to him, and quickly backed out. Everybody respects the Big Fellows, although nobody admits It. Perhaps they should not ; such admission may be confession of cowardice of lack of nobleness; I do not know, and am not discussing the question here. I only w-lsh to say everybody respects the big fellows fel-lows a little more than they respect re-spect the little fellows. We all bluff a good deal ; and bluffing Is mostly foolish. Your "hand" has a certain value. The ten will take the nine; and so on up to the controversy between the two spot and the ace; or the controversy betwen the section foreman fore-man and the general manager. There may be a certain satisfaction in indignation meetings, public and private, but they have brought me so little through my many years that I attend few of them. The world has widely accepted H. G. Wells as a man of unusual fairness, fair-ness, education and Intelligence, by giving him honorable distinction. He recently made a speech in London Lon-don and said: "In many regions of the earth there is an epidemic of intolerance w-hich takes ugly and novel forms. To nre it seems, more than anything .else, a rebellion of the clumsy louts against thought and sanity; and they are now ram-paut ram-paut everywhere with idiotic symbols, sym-bols, and Idiotic salutes contriving Idiotic cruelties. Is the civilized majority ma-jority safe? Personally I do not think so; I expect to feel uneasy for another ten years; by that time I expect the clumsy louts to be conquered by a capable majority which should have better controlled them long ago." Mr. Wells' statement is true enough, but It Isn't new. I've been saying the same thing, In almost identical language, at least four years. Why should not grand opera be given for what it will bring In at the box office? Why should we go so far in art as to pay- a lot of men and women enormous salaries to screech ln a manner we do not actually care a great deal for, and demand that business men or the government, pay the deficit? All the rest of us are compelled' to advertise our show, and take what ever comes In. Why should not artists do the same? ... You may reply they simply will not. All ri-hf then let them go to the devil or to Italy, or wherever they come from. "The less we have to do with women," Schopenhauer wrote "the better. They are not even a 'necessary 'neces-sary evil' ; life Is safer and smoother smooth-er without them. Let me recognize the snare that lies In women's beauty, and the absurd comedy of reproduction will end. Thus the ex- unr'f,tlle racewm achieved Why should the curtain that has Just fallen upon defeat and death always rise again upon new life How long shall we be lured 1 to this endless pain that leads 0 ,ly o a painful end?" y I do not endorse this sentiment-I sentiment-I Quote It only that more won e n nay kD0wnl)0nt Us -.en |