The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-10
@ apTNCHLNG Shoes

have done with them altogether. The one is
founded on the accommodating prlnclple OF
human nature, by which 1T ts enabled to
fit itself to circumstances, the other is the
high handed masterfulness whereby the earth
ia subdued and obstacles removed; the one is
embematc of Christian patience, the other OF
Pagan power. Both are good in certain states,
and neither is absolutely the best for all con-
ditions. There are some shoes indeed which,
do what we will, we can never wear easy. We
may keep them well fixed on our feet all our
life, Loyalty accepting the pressure which fate
and misfortune have imposed on us; but we
90 lame and hobbled in consequence, and never
know what IL is to make free step, or to walk
on our way without discomfort. Examples
abound for among all the pilgrims tolllng
more or less painfully through lie 10 death,
there is not one whose shoes do not pinch him
somewhere, how easy soever they may look,
and how soft sOevsr the material of which
they may be made. Even those prOverbial
possessors OF rOOmy shoes, the traditional
King and Princess, have their own private
little bedroom slippers, which pinch them un-
detected by the gaping multitude who mea-
sure happiness by lengths of velvet and
weight of golden embroidery; and the pro-
verbal owners of the treasure which all seek
and none find, might better stand as instances
ofsOTTow than Of appiness-examples of how
badly shod poor royalty is, and how, far more
than meaner folk, it suffers from the pnching
of its princely shoes.
The ungeDiality of profession into which
q man may have been forced by the iDjudi-
cious overruliDg of his friends or by the ext
gencies of family position and inherited rights,
is one form of the pinching shoe by no means
rare to find. And here again poor royalty
comes in for a share of the grip on tender
places and the consequent hobbling OF its feet.
For many an hereditary king was meant by
nature to be nothing but plain country gen
tleman at the best-perhaps even less. Many,
like poor "Louis Capet," would have gone to
the end quite happily aud respectfully if only
they might have kicked off the shoes Of
sovereignty, and taken themselves to the high
lows of the herd; if only they might have ex-
changed the sceptre for the turning-lathe, the
pen or the fowling piece. "Je d6teSte mon
Yq6tier de roi," Victor Emmanuel is reported
to have said to republican friend who sym
pathized with the monorch's well
tastes in other things beside his hatred of the
kingly profession; and history repeats its
frank avowal in every page. But the purple
is almost as hard to be got rid of comfortably
as Deinneira's robe; for the most part carry
ing the skin along with it, and trailed through
pool of blood in the act of transfer-whioh is
scarcely what royalty, oppressed with its
own greatness, and willing to rid itself of
sceptre and shoes that it may enjoy itself in
list slippers after more bourgeois
fashion, would find in accordance with its
wishes. Lower down in the social scale we find
that the same kind of misft between nature and
position is a very frequent occurrence-pinch-
ing shoes productive of innumerable corns and
tender places. How often We see a natural
"heavy" securely swathed in cassook and
bands, and set up in the pulpit of the family
church, simply because the tithes were large
and the living lay in the family gift But that
stiff ectoral shoe of his will never wear easy.
The mans secret soul goes out to the parade
ground and the messtable. The glitter aud
Jingle and theatrical display OF soldiers life
seem to him the finest things in the whole
round ofprofessons, and the quiet, uneventful
life of village pastor is of all the most abhOr-
rent. He wants to act, not to teach. Yet there
he is, penned in beyond all power OF break
ing loose on this side OF the grave; bound to
drone out muddled sermons halt an hour long
and eminently good for sleeping-draughts, in
stead of shouting terse and stirring words Of
command that set the blood on fire to hear;
bound to Tout the shadoWy enemy of souls
with weapons he can neither feel nor use, in
stead OF prancing off at the head of his men;
waving his drawn sword above his head in q
whiTlwind of excitement and martial glory, to
rout the tangible enemies of his cOuntry's flag
He loves his wife, and takes mild parsonic
pleasure in his roses he energies his schools,
and beats up recruits for his parish penny
readings; he lends his pulpit to the mission
ary delegates, and takes the chair at the
meeting for the conversion of Jews; he does
his duty, poor man, so far as he knows how,
and so far as nature gave him the power;
but his feet are in pinching shoes all his life
long, and no amount OF walking on the cleri-
cal highway can ever make them pleasant
wearing. Or he may have passionate love
for the sea, and be mewed up in lawyers
musty office, where his large limbs have not
half enough space for their natural activity,
where he is perched for twelve hours out OF
the twenty-tour on high stool against desk,
instead of climbing cat-like up the ropes, and
set to engross a long-winded deed of convey
ance, or to make fair copy OF bill of costs,
instead of bearing hand in gale, and saving
his ship by pluck and quickness. He could
save a ship better than he can engross deed
while, as for law, he cannot get as much Of
that into his heavy brain as would enable him
to advise client on the simplest case of assault
but he knows all the differences of rig, and
the whole code of signals, and can tell you To
nicely about the flags of all nations, and the
name and position of every spar and stay and
sheet, and when to reef and when to set sail
with any other nautical information to be haC
from books and chance cruise as far as tn,
More. That pen behind his ear never cease
to gall and fret, his shoe never ceases to pinch
and to the last day of his life the high stoo
in the lawyers Office will be place of penanoe
and the sailors quarter deck the very HEAVIER
OF his ambition. No doubt, by the time tn
soldier wrongly labelled as a parsOn
or the sailor painfully working the legs
treadmill, comes to the end of his ca
reer the old shoe which has pinohed him s.
long will be worn comparatively easy. Th,
gradual decay of manly vigor, and the sloV
bnt sure destruction of strong desires, reduc
ones feet at last to masses of accommodatin
pulp; but what sufferings we go through befor
this result can be attained-what years