PALMER, ALASKA
Derothy M» Bell, Editor
Published every Friday at Palmer, Ala,skar for the Matonuska Valley Farmers’
"roperqting Association for the purpose of giving news of the Associations Work,
oblemsto . aqd ijqpcmplishments. ' / , .... •.
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AND ISN’T IT SO?
From Jessen’s Weekly, Fairbanks, under the title of GLEANINGS from the GLOAMING
appeared -an article by Frank **. Camp on Human Nature in which he. says
"Ain’t Human Nature a funny thing, Folks? You’ll find it practically the s erne
throughout the world in all the largo cities end small towns. A stronger comes to a
community to live. He establishes a new business c'r buys out an old one; he buys a'
h.me or rents a heme or an apartment or just a room to live in, or he accepts a pro
position with seme old or newly established business--he attends his particular church
'and he becomes a citizen of the community in which he has elected to live.
"From that time on, while h'e is adjusting himself tc the new environment and learning
to "fit in," -he encounters‘practicelly every phase ef human nature. Ho comes in con
tact with the "Heme Folks,’* S< me of them meet him and welcome him with open arms
and a sincerity which is unquestioned as far as its realness is concerned.
"Others high-tone him and simply ignore his presence among them. Still others go cut
of their Way to get acquainted with him. S; me of these because they really wait tc
make him feel at heme-^seme of them because they can sell him or because they wi*h
to give adVice or warn him against isreme individual who does not belong to their
pa rticular clique,
"Then there are others who look down on the new arrival. They consider him beneath
ieir notice, they treat him ns if he. had the leprosy or smallpox; they disparage
_m to all who.will listen, but always beyend his hearing'and behind his back. This
..atter class of human animals, Folks, are usually narrow minded, bigoted mortals or
selfish egotistical members of certain cliques from which we common folks are barred.
Thank Gcd. , *
"They usually belong tc the codfish aristocracy cf the community or they wn and
operate an eld established business and resent any intrusion in their particular
field on the' pert of a stronger, or they control or imagine they control the local
community politics and being large toacls in the small puddle, they resent the intru
sion of a' small,* strange tadpole into their particular puddle, because this self
centered, narrow minded person, realizes that a small tadpole may thrive and grew and
eventually become a*largo frog in the small puddle cf the community and that in fro
doing, might in the course of time prevent the older frog from being the ’Whole Show,
because" if was able'to croak just" as loud, swim just a wee bit better, dive just as
deeply, jump just as far and float in the. puddle just as serenely as the Big Frog
and that it COULD and WOULD inject new, worthwhile ideas into the minds of the ether
sincere frogs in the puddle, who were really desirous cf bettering conditions in the
puddle.
“Very often the BIG FROG in the small puddle is able to eliminate the newly arrived
tcdpcle, by;direct or 'indirect means, either fair or foul, Ke will try scaring it
out, freezing if cut or even chasing it out. If the tadpole lacks backbone and
spi-it and'initiative, H*hy sooner or later the BIG FROG succeeds m eliminating it
entirely or makes it a spineless follower with no voice of its own,.
’’’When the little tadpole refuses to be intimidated and chased out or made subvert!ve
and demonstrates to all of the frogs in the puddle, including the BIG FROGT , that it
is In?the piddle to stay, during high and low water and that it is determined tc be
come a small frog and grow l.;to [a big frog, in the s'-me -puddle with the other fr^gs ‘ ' r
and become a member of the circle that has a voice in the puddle?s affairs, it is '
low od the freedom.of the puddle and is welcomed by the worthwhile majority of the
ddle»s frogs-who are trying *t'o, improve existing ponditiensj ;
This isnH quite a'll the story if the BIG FROG in the small puddle jand the new
tadpole,'but it is sufficient to give us something to think about*—whether ybu are
the BIG FROG or the tadpole.or just one of the Community Frogs who does the bast he .
can for the g< cd e’f the community. When the Big Frogs and the Tadpoles can fill work
together then we have.-a- Progressive Community. :■