The Other Fellow’s Fault

From the Omaha Daily Bee, November 30, 1912.
 

 The other fellow’s faults loom big
     There is no doubt of that
 We always see him at his worst
     And have his flaws down pat.
 We’re always quick to recognize
     The weaknesses he’s shown
 But, after all, they’re not so big
     When measured by our own.
 
 If we would take the other chap
     And size him up by us
 And think about the things we’ve done
     When he does so and thus,
 And note the selfish ways we have,
     We might not throw the stone;
 His flaws might not appear so great
     When measured by our own.
 
 It’s mighty easy to map out
     The other fellow’s way,
 To say what virtues he should have,
     What he should do today.
 But we should always bear in mind
     The pitfalls we have known,
 And judge his weaknesses by those
     Decidedly our own.
 
 When we are on life’s level path,
     The other chap may be
 Down on the rough and rugged road,
     And all those faults we see
 Are, no doubt, faults we too had
     When fighting on alone,
 And maybe, too, they’re very small
     When measured by our own.