The Cauldron No. 1
This “newspaper column” was typed out in six separate segments over an unknown period of time by my grandfather Nelson Douglass Jr. , circa 1939 & 1940’s. Copies of the originals are part of the literary legacy that he left behind. The title and byline are taken directly from the copies I have in my possession. There has been no editing of the material beyond its being transcribed to this (digital) format. He, like all of those of our families that have gone before us – are still with us. Let us remember them; Without them, we would not be.
It would be sad if one were to read these thoughts of someone who had a bit of a literary flair (and was also a cartoonist) and a good sense of humor and not take into account the period of time in which he authored these musings. It is actually shameful in my mind that I should have to make such a statement i.e. that people today are unable to see the humor in simply being honest and human. Perhaps I am just being too cautious. I hope you enjoy these six (in total) in the series of The Cauldron. ~Anthony
The Cauldron No. 1. By – Granville Douglass
Introductory
May I, a humble layman, outside the field of letters, presume to fill one column of this worthy sheet with my wonderings and my wanderings through the days which we must all live together? It really isn’t presumption on my part, but only a desire to get some things off my chest from time to time. For instance, there are a lot of things I don’t like about people. When they occur to me, I want to tell someone about them. There are things I miss and things I’ve always wondered about. Then too, there are important matters which have to do with each day’s adventure – and living is adventure – which deserve some consideration. All of these things are worthy of reflection, and I’d like to think of this endeavor of mine as something akin to a seminar, which, if possible, will be swell. At any rate, I’ve always thought of a column as a sort of boiling pot, into which a lot of thoughts and ideas could be thrown, mixed around, and dished out so as not to hurt the other fellow’s feelings – but wherein one could occasionally disagree – without being disagreeable. Whether I am able to get away with this depends in large measure upon your reactions. And so I tremblingly take my pen in hand for this, my maiden effort.
Headlines –
The trouble with us nowadays is that we all have headline-itus. We’re jumpy. And I wonder how much this war would affect us if we didn’t have the radio and airplane, and our other means of quick communication and transportation. Maybe we’d be better off, if we didn’t know so much about what’s going on elsewhere in the world. And maybe the horse and buggy days wouldn’t be so bad for a change. That is, if everyone elsewhere were in the same fix.
Things I don’t Like About People –
The affectation of those who in public eating places adopt the European custom of wielding the knife in the right hand, and when they think no one is looking, do a quick change act in order to get in a few mouths-ful in the good old American way.
Eloquence –
The most effective eloquence usually is to be found in a few carefully chosen words – and sometimes in a simple gesture. The most eloquent words I know of were the four spoken by General Pershing at La Fayette’s tomb when our first troops landed in France during the last World War – “LaFayette, we are here”. It electrified the French and did wonders for their morale. Which reminds me that about six months after the Armistice was signed, some of us were saying, “LaFayette, we’re still here”.
Reflections of a Bachelor –
When a woman aims at love, she always mortally wounds friendship.
Blind Man’s Soliloquy –
“I am living along with you, but my life is not like yours. This is not as it should be – so that’s why I want to tell you things. You see, I live closer to my soul than you do. I am in the midst of life and yet I live apart. For me, the windows are closed and the blinds are drawn. It is dark – but I am used to it now. At first it was confusing, and I was a little panicky – but now I somehow enjoy the quite serenity of it. My mind has delved into the hidden places and I have learned much about life……… You see only reflections. In my darkness I see the forces of life at work. I can tell which are real and which are not, and I can sense the limitless possibilities of our endowments…….. Your days are full of the artificial. You are the victims of bluff, selfishness and insincerity – and too many of you practice these devil-arts yourselves. You have no idea how easy it is for me to see through the insincerity and intolerance of people and the shams of life. And when I work on a problem, I can go straight to the insides of it. Somehow most of you cannot do this…….. And let me tell you this – I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, for I am a pretty lucky fellow after all. I can out-think most of you and I know more about real values than you do. Always remember that there is a law of compensation. For everything that is taken away from us, something we didn’t have before is given to us – to keep us all in balance. I guess I really am a lucky fellow. I am blind, but I can see.”