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Show He Wanted Something For Nothing "THERE'S an age-old fable which, like old wine, gains flavor with the years. And because it portrays one of the eternal verities which in these days we are being led to believe that we can escape, it can well be told again. The era of this fable long antedates today's $100.00 per plate testimonial dinner with an automobile for dessert, where the donors' names are carefully checked for future reference. It seems that they hadn't got on to that, but the difference is Oi appearance only. It's as modern as today. But we mustn't verdress the introduction. Here's the fable: "The people who lived in a certain village having occasion to hold a feast in honor of one of their number who had returned re-turned from another country after long absence, and all of them being without great wealth, agreed among themselves that each should bring a bottle of wine which he might pour into a large cask which had been provided. "One, thinking to save his wine to his own use, said to himself, him-self, "If I fill my bottle with water and empty it with the others, it will not be observed.' But behold, when the villagers assembled and when the time arrived that the wine should be drawn off, only water flowed forth from the cask. "All the people had acted with the same thought, each one saying to himself, 'Lo, my contribution will not be missed'." Each wanted credit for a gift which he only appeared to bring. Each felt that he would not be discovered. Each served only his own. selfish interest. Each wanted something for nothing. noth-ing. THERE WAS NO PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. And ily what they put in came put, as is always the case. I wonder about the citizen who doesn't bother to vote because his vote wouldn't make any difference, anyway. I wonder about the citizen who draws unemployment insurance in-surance to which he knows he is not entitled, because his case won't make any difference.- I wonder about the man who puts pant buttons in the contribution con-tribution box because nolxidy but himself will know who did it. I wonder about those politicians whose vote depends upon whether or not the vote is recorded -those brave champions of the right. s Finally, for this -page anyway, I wonder what we will ' eventually find when that barrel is opened into which our government gov-ernment has poured hundreds. of thousands of millions of dol-lars dol-lars in the name of service to its citizens. Only time will tell. Whereupon, I sat me down to think, and came to the conclusion con-clusion that "something for nothing" is as attractive and as evil as. sticky flypaper to the fly. You can try it, but it will get vou in the end. THE MAN WHO SEEKS SOMETHING FOR NOTHING WILL WIND UP WITH NOTHING FOR SOMETHING G. E. S. (The Lever, Fall No. 1949. |