Vagabond Editorials

By Jack Dionne

He preached of the Prodigal Son's return, And asked what they thought: said one "I don't see no reason for killin' the calf For somethin' the boy has done."

The great French liberator, Voltaire, was asked on a certain occasion the reason for his unusually bombastic remarks, and promptly replied: "Among wolves, one must howl a little."

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Voltaire will be famous forever, first because he did more to make men free than any other figure in history. Secondly, he will be remembered always for his famous replies. In the parlance of the slang of today, he "knew all the answers." They were not always polite.

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Once a lady with a well-known past boasted to Voltaire of her religious enthusiasm. Voltaire said to her: "Madam, I have noticed that when uroman ceases to be proclaimed by men-she turns to God."

Hundreds of famous r":;" lre attriuuted to voltaire, but none so well known as his declaration-which has become the textbook of tolerance-"I do not agree with a word you say, but I will die defending your right to say it."

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He appeared in Europe at a time in the world's history that fairly shouted to the high heavens for such a leader. He came as the ansurer to a prayer for such a champion. And today Europe rapidly approaches a stage once more where liberty sinks in a bottomless morass, and where another Voltaire is needed almost as badly as when the first one came.

Ego-madness, degeneracy, power-lust are in the European ascendency. The Four Florsernen saddle their terrible steeds in readiness to ride again.

I don't know what the outbreak of a European war would mean to business in this country. The outbreak of the World War, of course, made most lines of business in this country very prosperous. f am not thinking of the awful possibility that threatens across the Atlantic in terms of business, but I can't help wondering. But one thing is certain, whenever the China-Japanese war ends there will be a terrific demand for lumber on the Pacific Coast that will relieve the domestic market for years to come. Japan and China were mighty users of West Coast woods. Today they use nothing.

Talked the other day to an old friend of mine who is getting himself out of business as fast as possible. I asked him why. He said, "There is no fun being in business any more, so I am going to quit. For many years I have run my business from eight in the morning until six in the after' noon, and I did it because I got a world of fun out of it. I loved my business. Now all the fun is gone. My meri aren't my friends any more i they are just organized employes. I have to spend more than half my time studying and working on things that were unknown to business ten years ago, so my business doesn't get along so well with only part of my time directed to its practical operations. And if I make money, I have to give up most of it. There's no fun in business, and I'm going to quit."

Blessed is the man who has fun in his life work, whatever it may be. Otherwise work is but drudgery, regardless of the financial reward. John Ruskin said: "The entire object of education is not merely to make people do the right thing, but to enjoy doing the right thing; not merely to be industrious, but to enjoy industry; not merely to be learned, but to love knowledge; not merely to be just, but to hunger and thirst after justice." **rN€

Advice to the thin: Don't eat fast. Advice to the fat: Don't eat. Fast. ***

CAN and WILL are cousins, Who never trust to luck, WILL is the son of Energy, CAN is the son of Pluck.

CAN'T and WON'T are cousins, Always out of work, WON'T is the son of Never Try, And CAN'T is the son of Shirk.

Arthur Brisbane once wrote: "All life is ADVERTISING. And one great factor in advertising, as in all teach(Continued on Page 8)