The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-02-09
CHAPTER II,
THE CONTINUED, WITH A METAPHYSICAL CLAUSE
ATTACHED.


TUE SANE, CONTINUED, WITH A METAPHYSICAL CLAUSE
ATTACHED.
Now gl'om. like sneezcs. is very catching, and rs a
l have seen q whole company Impressed
by the Colo ,efs entrance. and finally COMPLETELY over
whelinei, although they fough. against l, like we mis-
self, fr | was personally acquainted with tile Cnloncl,
! was never safe for q Nom mt after he came in sight.
There was no escape but In flight. might kick and
struggle and ngonizc. might make m nttenpt ut a
i D"s. or = yarn v or . s%' nIl but they they were e always feeble IL
smoke, ms though ! had b Ell d candle and the Colonel
my grandfaihcr's s~nufrrs.
And yei, that 81 'oin WIS not the sim. n pure article;
and that WIS what always vpxrd mr. most. 1t WINS
Ike the gloom Of my friend Tom Jones. when Mrs,
OBricn told him how her "poo.er Guild mon was
~dhrawn.ded" and how 1.-The childler bawlca at the soIsli
OF 'um." It was the same rs that l have orteir seen a,
q funeral when the friends "f the family" wish to be.
tOEGh Il proper uIf8d6t Of sttrrrfw fur the loss OF The
"de,r deceased" Or such as might be secr, spring ia
the cnnntenance Of IN Indifferent 1nIembpr'' when the
preacher suddenly said to him, "Bruther Skump-r how
IL your soul to-tiay?" 1t Is not an assuned gluom, but
one that Is thrust nPon you by the force Of circum
stances. and sets there like q straight jacket making
you feel to the last degree uncomfortable. 1t does mi
make you n hypocrtt". becansc hypocrisy Is u v0lnnta.
~ affair, but 1t makes you feel as II you were frsi
c"l'sin to IL and as II you were " that extent inpos,
ing On society.
Another effect OF the C"lonel's so!ennity was equal.
y grave, but somewhat Of q more metaphysical KIND.
IT was the suppression uf human nature. Whether
one mn has the right To sqnelch another by the aw.
fulness Of his presence, | will leave for Iroinunder
philosophers to discuss. ] am speaking nov purely
Of the phenomenon itself. For that human nature wa.
brow beaten, pressed down, squeezed into the smsllcs,
possible cninpass, and to q certain extent slilvd wit
perfectly apparent One could not by my contrivance
mental or physical, b. altogether hims. II. lie must
be more or less OF toe Colonel. He must view every
thing and everybody as 4, were through smoked glass.
RS. He must ifnbIbe gravity and dislill It again. II.
must tome down hs imnsln.ti"n; control hts tongue
c;rcumscribe hist oughlS. quell bis spirits. shut uul
oil the 'air7 nothings" and Innocent ffivolities Of M.
uni h- is fmr all the world ike an unborn chicken en-.
tirely hound up In his shell.
Now. while a she'll Is q very convenient thing for m
occasional retreat when one Is 10 II rcticrni mood. iii,
not desirable Tor either q permanent or q lengthy resi-.
detice. Eveu q properly constituted chicken has u de.
sire to get ont II one occasionally. and when he 10
out he rirely-he never, no never. hardly ever" de
sires to return. lie prefers a spherr for the proper dis
play OF his feathers, and for the exercise Of bis wings
roam for the expansion VI his intellect and hi, -gresI
hearts sublime ilnakinings." And II chickens are Al
all 10 the line Of our fore fathers as the philosophy o
the day would lead as to suppose, It is easy tn account
for the natural propensity Of nam not only to come oul
0f his shell but as u rule To remain out.
He has q craving for space and DIR, and all that lati.
tuhe and freed"in 1T action, which Of all spheres o, so
ciety Is least to be sought for In tn. limited quarter.
and chilling atmosphere Of tho grave.
And this suppression OF human nature 10 to be dep
recalcd Sill further for the consequences It entails
With the cramping nf man In bis essence come, ,ht
cramping Of man In his arpurtenancrs, hs hopes, bi.
joys, his aspirations, bis affections, bis impulses
lucy are d~isiigured by compression, and conrus. d BY
internixture IN the ANAL area in which the, arr con.
fined. They are curtail~d until they are reduced e
the condition nf a rabbit Ut Its last extremity. And &
II seems to any one . trivial matter for + man 20 be
contracted thus for IN hour or an evening, which is al
of the Colonel's company. that social life might seerr
to imposc, l nm sure It Is because ho has not givrr
the subject due considerations.
The (,nlppal Ia fs,nh N ostot D,.thI-h-.. -
law Of qualiz ttion must DO maintained and sncisty /,
not fond o! him. II is not one hour or one evening
that We arr victimiz,d, but many. Whit then nusi
We expect from this frequent entumhmcnts! What
bnt that We be necs> sarily hindorsd In running the
race set before Us, that we fall behind In the develop.
mcnt Of onr powers, and can never again hope to catch
up with ourselves.
1t hss been said that q Georgia monntaineer, riding
one day to q rendezvous Of the "moon,hInrrs,r aud
over taking q Methodist circuit rider mounted on a
horse Of the 'Gothic' breed that rnuysd painfully on
its way, asked him with friendly interest what was his
business In those parts. II am q follower Of the
Lord" replied the preacher. "Well," said the noun.
~taincer, 'lny friend. II you don't swap horses With me
you'll never catch up with him In the world"
And ab Mr.. Wei er observed "thats lust hil." The
preacher was lus'ng time by keeping company with
such . beast. And with US every hour In the Colu.
nel's Company is o slice out Of our life; a p-rished up.
ns we'll try to catch the whistle nf the winters wind
that has pussed through the keyhoIe and died.
Yet utter al this Is really = trlvi al matter when con.
trasted with the loss of q mans identity. l have said
that in the ColoneTs Tre.eics one could not be Alto
Rether ones SELF And what can you deducr from this
but the loss Of identity! My m"mory reviv,s q stnry,
which l must have heard very shortly after l was born
about a Ir. Mann who visited 40 insane xsy lum. and
Was accosLed there by 3 lunatic who proposed q fight.
"Oh no" said Mr.. Mann, 1T wouldn't b. fair for me 10
6ght you, because l am too mean. | am 5 man by
name and a man BY nature" $50 I'm l" said the luna.
tic. I'm a man. and I'm a man b-side myself Let's
We two fight You two" True logic, Mr.. Lunatici A
man who Is moi himself has not only lost his identity.
but he 10 ono Uf your brothers after the mind, II not Of.
Ger the flesh. And behold the browning calamity of
she ColonoIs oppressioni He rUhs his ~nrighbors OF
choir identity, which is the only thing one unight re-
gal d as certain In this world or tho next; and b. ruins
the costlirst gem which man has ever boosted. He
d0es It with une strukr. He does 1t with perfect un.
concern aud he gazes on you In your wretch-dness
with q face as stolId and m eye as cold as though be
really meant to do NO more than finish out the eve.
ming.
But only think Of 1t, re solemn, viosged sonll Ye
who were made To have the sunlight OF the skies for
ever dwelling on and radiartng from you, but defy the
purpose Of your being and carry midnight on your
brows; ye who have made your dignity tho ovrr. mas
tering object Of your lives. until 1t clouds the land
scape oil around and makes you very Princes Of the
Awefull Think how We chill and blight and blast your
fellowmen. until they stand before the social world as
.stunted, dan, misshapen %creaturea, ashamed that they
arc what they are, but l~pwerless u change.