HERALD Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas. Founded 1897. BENEVOLENCE
VOLUME 53 — NO. 24
HUMANITY
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 with Undeliverable Copies to: SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P. 0. Box 100, TEMPLE, TEXAS
JUNE 16, 1965
FROM TIP EDITOR'S DESK THIS AND THAT We recently came across an amusing story in the FRATERNAL MONITOR, which, I think, makes a good point. It concerned a doctor — a psychiatrist. As a professional man he was very skilled and highly respected among those of his profession. As a person, he was a nice guy, but he had some fairly advanced ideas about bringing up children in our modern society. One of those theories was that children should never be punished. Now when he practiced that theory within the limits of his own property and household, it bothered no one, but when his own kids were mixing it up with the other kids in the block, it was rather disconcerting to see the fathers of the other kids lay it on their kids and see the doe's kids get off scot-free. Some of his neighbors politely chided him about his theory, but he held fast to his theories. One day, the doctor had his car parked in the driveway, the hood up, doors open and, was busily engaged searching for whatever ailed it. It appeared to be the carburetor. Apparently he wasn't having too much success locating the trouble, for his temper seemed to be getting progressively worse. His youngest charger, about five, started to sneak around the end of the car, being careful his daddy didn't see him. Slowly, he crept along the side of the car, opened the front
door, slipped onto the front seat. Then all of a sudden, he went clown on the horn as hard as he could: The Doc came out from under that hood as if he'd been shot from a cannon. But he must have for g otten where he was because he really bit his head — whamo For a minute it looked like he was gong down, but he didn't. With one great bellow he turned, and for a guy as big as he was, he moved like lightning. Just like that — his modern theory of punishment went out the window, and you never saw a finer job of a young boy getting his britches tanned. Doe's theory just didn't hold water long when it was HIS head that hurt. The life insurance business is a whole lot like that. In the impersonal world in which we find ourselves, we are constantly being bombarded with the idea that human values are less and less important. At least, there seems to be a trend toward de-emphasizing human values. This tends to make us blind to what this is doing to potential life insurance purchasers, our clients. In the SPJST, we strive to point out and emphasize the human value side of life insurance and its advantages, not just the monetary benefits of it. We may need a fiveyear-old to blow the horn for us some day. Another point: some folks are like the doe in the story. They don't get too excited until something affects THEM PERSONALLY. Until it
does, they have all sorts of theories about life insurance, and what it does and does not do. But when tragedy or misfortune strikes — and it will — then all those pet ideas and theories go out the window. But it takes a good "bump on the head" to make them realize it, like the five-year-old blowing the horn. There is a Czech (and I believe German) proverb that goes roughly like this: A lie cannot run very far, for it has short legs." There is a big piece of truth in that. I try to remember this little gem when the going gets rough. Remarks), slurs, and otherwise untruthf ul statements, motivated by ill or good, are usually grounded in jealousy and/or hate, and don't have what it takes to last very long, but they might do damage in the process. In the end, they tend to boomerang and in the long run hurt the one who started it in the first place. So take it easy when sharp-tongued people take out after you. Just wait it out. It may be hard to do, but do it. Actually, it isn't going to hurt you too much, if at all, unless you let it rankle you. When you let it "get your goat," that's where you get into deep water. 4
There was once a well-known public figure. Being before the public and doing things for the public, he was naturally on the receivinp: end of a good deal of criticism. Most of it stemmed from envy. Yet he always seemed un-