San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-10-18

lcrmitv Of fa,tt, IA, deed that, If it did not
merit heaven hereafter, !" ieaSe ,haue a sem
blance of heaven here. IT, INK snouid hke
to get back to the days wh>> ran aovu'
bare footed and bare legged, ana, ereiy o1her
boy did just the same can rcN iinasine
any one in those days who did not .>aoS ioueh.
nuts, and there was not one boy who On. nos
drive cows to pasture ADD 20 for them ~
night. l cannot think of single startling
event for whole years at times 1t was d
sunny land Of common folks, and average
good things. No one was very poor aid no
one was very rich. Our homes were always
open to the poor, and to the stranger; AID
our lots averaged up as far as possible.
What fellowship was that compared with
our nowadays greatness and lowliness.
We did not know how to waste. Every
thing had its value. Perhaps we had no
great notions; our small ones were useful.
Speculation had only been heard of at a
great distance. We all believed in work.
Not to work seemed impossible. 1t Is very
restful for me to look backward into those
days l am less anxious to anticipate rest
ahead. There was this comfort in those
days We were near enough together to all
know each other. Nowadays there are folk
who can neither give nor get sympathy. No
one was out of speaking range, and we nod
ded our heads neighborly to all the world.
have been looking backward; but it will
not do to look too far backward, or we shall
come upon the high mightiness Of old royal
ties The declaration that "All men are
born equal" is only a century old. There is
no doubt but the day of equality is rather
ahead than behind BY and by everybody
will have his own private balloon, which
never yet came true of horses and carriages,
and we will all be averaged up to the tele-
phone, and telegraph and heaven knows
what else, as we have all got averaged up to
the postofice and railroad.
do not wish to advocate averaging people
downward on any occasion, but averaging
them upward. A person who may be set
down as thoroughly commonplace now, 100
years ago would have passed for scholar,
if not genius. If this world goes on, and
what reason have we for supposing it will
not? the genius of today will be but an or
binary person in another fifty years. When
George William Curtis tells us that immigra-
ton is watering the life blood of the ma
tion," it sets me thinking very soberly, for it
seems to be true.
Hans has been over here three years. He
has learned to write and to speak English
with twang and twist, but he has learned
something else, and he did not learn it all
over here. He has learned to abhor being
lost in the crowd He must be individuated
lie wants to be marked man. Hans does
not have much moral force, but good
deal Of physical grit he certainly does
possess He naturally turns to physical
force as his lever. When be looks around,
with his passion to be free, he kicks
and storms Hans has been under good
deal Of repression abroad, but here he enjoys
what he calls being free-that is free to be
himself, ell over and over, and everywhere.
He does not see that he cannot be quite him
self without preventing others from being
quite themselves, and if they are quite unre-
strained it will e2-roach on him. The PAS
sion of individuality is abroad 1t is the
spirit of the air we breathe Hans revels in it.
said we SHALL by and by, average up, and
up to level vastly higher than that Of to-
day, where our present genius will be very
commonplace, and where our present mira
cles will be every day affairs, and our present
luxuries will be common comforts This
will surely come about, for we shall be wise
enough to let it come about, and, if
need be, to make it to come about.
We are too far gone to go back
and give up our love for being dis
tinguished We must all do something;
all be marked by achievement This will
work right if we can keep the average
ambition for what is intelligent and moral
and not let it point for brute force distinc-
tion.-"E P. P" in Globe Democrat