Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-03-04
The Luodiceau.

Geographically, Laodicea has ce ased TO exist.
But the Laodicean is independent of geographic
cal centerS. He seems as immortal rs the wan
dering jew, and surely must be as unhappy
Homeless, oveless, blO0dless, loyless he dIifts
on the waters, losses on the winds We know
him wherever we see him. We know bis work
wherever we come uron it. AIT, science, ethics,
economies, whatever he touches, he dwarls and
chills by his eternal egotsm, indifferentsm and
blindness 81 would that thou vert either cold
nor hot. "Btcause thou art neither told or hot
VIII spew thee out of my mouth" was the
verdict pronounced against him eighteen cens
turieS ago. To-day echoes the impatient protest;
but as vainly now as then, as hopeless in New
York as in Patmos, to cry out against them
who are sure that they "haFe need for nothing"
Ii there was but one single known aIitidOte TO
the LaOd'cean; one preventive of his mischief,
one revenge Tor his impUdenre! But he seems
to combine in mis- own monsuous person all
methods OF defence known to animals The
chameleon c. change his coorS: the porcupine
throw his quilts; for the rhinOCeros there is
SKIN, for the armadillo mail, and for the Mephitis
americana volatile essence. The Laodicean
can Guido them all, each on his own ground and
with his own weapon. Never yet was the Lao
di, can found stretched dead of honest death in
open field. When you thought you had him
under your foot, and your good sword standing
out hands breadth beyond his head loi it
was another man you had slain, and the Lao
ilcean stood by, accusing you of murder! Again
ne might not invade! But there is not. No
ireside but is in danger OF him. No pursuit
nut is infested by him. No good thing but is
hlndeled, no bad thing but is helped by his life
less breath.
In homes it is he who makes life dull, weari.
some, insufferable. HIS monotone of carping
praise wears out nerves and breaks hearts
women and little children drOOp and die if they
are condemned TO dwell by his side Then how we'll
he discourseS on the pros and cons of their dis
eases, and the innumerable reasons why they
could not live. How conSpicuouSly he paradeS
his prophecy, and his gief at its futment
An! there is marvellous art in the Laodicean
But it is in literature that the Laodicean revels
II the bloodless can properly be said to revel
anywhere.
The LaOdicean is a critic-not in the true
sense of the word, but in the popular one. How
should he ever be pleased since truth has no
sradationSP What has he to do with humanity
at white heat? Who is 10 see TO it, in midst
of matters oflile and death, that the thermome-
Ter Is kept just right for the LaodiceanI Hence
he is uncomfortable most of the time. No
builder builds, no singer sings, no man writes,
and no man acts precisely as the Laodicean
would have him, precisely as the Laodlcean
would have acted in his place. Then the Lao
dlcean lifts up his voice and interrupts the cur
rents OF affairs with his wonder and disgust
at is impossible to conceive" he saws. "what
motives can have led to such conduct. We
would not venture to predict the extent of the
disasters which may result" If it isa work of
art OF which he speaks, he says: "For our part,
we ind TINS work inSup portable, though there
may be lersons OF whose nature and antecedents
we may be ignorant, who will find it in some
sort repayng; and perhaps we ourselves ought
TO confess 10 having experienced one or two
novel sensations of agreeable surprise IN connec-
ton with il"
Honest and simple minded readers wade
through pages OF this sort of heightened, dis.
unct analytic criticism. They are left at the
end IN much the same frame of mind as Alice
was in the Looking Glass World, after hearing
the admirable ballad OF "Jabberwocky," begin
nlng:
"'Twas bieig and the stilthy toyes
Did eyre and gimbe in the wabe;
All mimSy were the bOrogoves,
And the nome raths out grabe"
Somehow, it seems to fill my head with ideas.
and don't exactly know what they are" said
Alice.
But the Laodcean in literature is apt to hunt
IN couples. Back of the critic sits the editor.
Give the Laodicean journal, aud he is as happy
as his naturepermts. The Journal ''cest mojf'
Sure enough and worse luck for the journal.
Party after party, measure after measure, trusts
its9lf and its interests to the Laodicean
ralty after party, measure after measure, the
ha9dleeiasnI 1 tht9wS them overheard. What is the
Laodicean's journalistic ambition? Has he
such weakness? Is there any one spot which
he prefers over any other spot2 any one thing
which he would rather be than any other thing?
1t does look little as if he sometimes thought
that all good editors when they died went to be
devils in the Saturday Review office; but of
even that sit would not do to be too sure" But
II is in measure waste work TO talk about the
Laodcean and his following. The terse words
of the grand old Scripture cannot be improved
on. Let us take comfort in borrowing those,
and calling out as vehemently as the apostle
called: Because thou sayest am rich and in
creased with goods and have need of nothing,
and knowest not that thou art wreched and
miserable and poor and blind and naked we
counsel thee TO buy gold tried in the fire, that
thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that
thou mayest be clothed, aud that the shame of
thy naEedness do not appear; and anoint thine
eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest seeP-Ia-
dependent.