Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 143, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 June 1914 — HAVE THE FINAL DECISION [ARTICLE]

HAVE THE FINAL DECISION

Great Men Borrow Others’ Brain*, but In the End Always Decide for Themselves. ‘The wise man seeks the wisdom of others, but, if also strong, decides for himself and acts on his own judgment The unwise man relies first and last on others, for even if he seeks wisdom in a multitude of conn* selors, he is the plaything of the latest adviser and does what this mad says, no matter if It flatly contradicts what was first advised. There exists confusion of thought!, between taking counsel and relying off oneself. It appears to be thought that asking Information about one’s course from those who have information that he has not is leaving the decision to them. But the two things are not the same. An Intelligent or sensible man knows that his judgment may be biased by looking at matters only from his own point of view or from having insufficient data for forming a judgment But when he has consulted friends and increased his information, 1 then, if strong and wise, he thinks for himself and steers his own courses This is the method of such men as Socrates and Lincoln, Roosetelt and Wilson. Socrates did not believe he was the wisest of thei Greeks, but he questioned his fellowaj everlastingly until he became convinced perforce that he was less un4 wise than they. Nappleon held a council of war with his field marshals be-i fore every battle and heard and! .weighed their every argument, but the final decision was made by Rodsevelt took his cabinet freely into his counsel and gave weight to their, judgment, but it was he himself who! decided the course of President Roose-! velt Mr. Wilson, in his own picturesque phrase, "borrows all the brqina he can,” but the man has yet to bo discovered who determines his judgment as to what the president should! do. The wise man knows his own limitations and tries to enlarge himself through thg wisdom and counsel of others. Then, if also strong, he takes the tiller himself and steers the ship. —Spokane Spokesman Review.