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Show THOUGHTS OF AN IDEALIST By EZRA J. PAULSEN In Which He Refers to a Kin of The Man Without a Country (Glad We've found one man who can talk about the poet Lord Byron) Jim Corbett was once jostled rudely in an elevator, but merely tipped his hat, and apologized. "Why didn't you knock that fellow's block 'off?" a friend asked who saw the incident. "You know you could do it." "That's true," said Gentleman Jim, "and for that reason, rea-son, I can afford to overlook the fault." i ' There is a principle in this. The strong can afford to be generous to the weak. Many of them are; and when this is true, the weak take heart and make an effort to improve their own shortcomings. But when the strong grind them down that's manufacturing social dynamite. The other day a badly disgruntled loser in the election was heard to r emark, "I'd rather live under Hitler than live here under the leadership of that blankety blank ! 'regime'. " ' Brbther, you should have the chance, but since it's impossible, why not practice a little self restraint, and, perhaps, learn a little about the party of Thomas Jefferson. Anyway, where's all those fellows who called Lincoln a dictator? Lord Byron, in his Childe Herold, complained of the "struggling hordes where none are strong." He was rather contemptuous, but the truth is there's too much struggle over petty things. That's something for nations as well as individuals to learn; for nations, like individuals go farthest on what they contribute to others, rather than on what they get and keep for themselves. |