The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1888-09-26
COMMONPLACE PEOPLE.
A WRITER'S SIGH FOR THE DAYS
OF HIS ANCESTORS.


NeighbOrly TO Everybody-The Present
and the Future-A Foreigner In Amor
ica--Avcraging Upward.
The commonplace person is something 70
US, l think, rs commonplace landscape.
Travel is often most delightful when the
scenery Is very dull, and the land fat and
smooth. This is contrary to what the tour
lists tell us, but assure you that IL you are q
nervous person you should not go the Alps.
but to Holland. What can be less exciting
than Holland Handicapped The gardens are
all alike, and the people. and the houses con-
slider that there Is no sin SO great
as originality. You may take up one
Gretchen and change her for another
five miles away, and she will fit exactly to
the vacancy. II is difficult to understand
how these people can possibly know them
selves without label to look at There Is
not an original In ten thousand. It Is de-
liciously restful in such land; but IL you
travel in any part of our own land you are
sure to get constantly interested In some one
or some thing. There are points to every
character. They not only flash lightning,
but draw lightning, and it Is destructive to
all pleasure in travelling In the long run, but
assure you you will travel In Holland for
one month with your eyes only one-quarter
open, and there will not DO start or Jar
given you all that time. It is country of
delicious commonness
am fond Of my ancestors and of the last
century because people lived averaged lives.
/ do not remember that any one was SO un.
like his neighbor. Among 200 towns people
any one was as likely to DO selected for jus
tice OF the peace as another. can remember
when every one grew narigolds, bachelors
buttons, and saffron, and caraway; and
every one not only went to church, but to
the Same church; and there was a quiet uni
forrnity Of faith and deed that, II II did not
merit heaven hereafter, at least made a SEM
blance Of heaven here. think should like
to get back to the days when ran about
bare footed and bare legged, and every other
boy did just the same can not imagine
any one IN those days who did not eat dough-
nuts, and there was not one boy who did not
drive cows TO pasture and go for them at
night cannot think Of a single startling
event for whole years at times. Il was q
sunny land Of common folks. and average
good things. No one was very poor and no
ono was very rich. Our homes were always
open to the poor, and to the stranger; and
our lots averaged up as far as possible.
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. we're nsafel
Speculation had only been hard 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. 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 Tiers are folk
who can neither give nor get sympathy. No
ono 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
como upon the high mightiness Of old royal
ties. The declaration that "All men are
born equar Is only century old. Theirs 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 win all be averaged up to tho tele-
phone, and telegraph and heaven knows
what else, as we have all got averaged up to
the postoffice and railroad. 81
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 q scholar,
II not genius. II this world goes on, and
what reason have ne for supposing IL will
noti 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 mo thinking very soberly, for IL
seems to be true.
Hans has beon over here three years. He
has learned to write and to speak English
with twsng and a twist, but he has learned
something else, and he did not learn It all
over hero. He has learned to abhor being
lost in tho crowd. He must be individuated.
He wants 10 be q marked man Hans does
not have much moral force, but q good
deal Of physical grit he certainly does
possess He naturally turns to physical
force as his lever. When no 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 ba
himself, all over and over, and everywhere.
He does not see that be cannot be quite him
! self without preventing others from being
! quite themselves, and IL they are quito unre
strained it will encroach on him The pas
sion Of individuality Is abroad IL IL this
spirit Of the air we breathe. Hans revels In it
/ said wo shall, by and by, average up, and
up to level vastly higher than that Of to
day, where our present genius win be very
commonplace. and where our present mira
Giles viii be every day affairs, and our present
iuxuries will be common comforts. Thu
will surely come about, for we shall be wis,
enough to let it come about, and, Il
need be, to make it to come about
We are too far gone to 60 bael
and give up our love for being dis
\ tinguished We must all do something
| all be. marked by achievement This vii
| work right IL we can keep the averag'
ambition for what Is intelligent and moral
and not let 1t point for brute force distinc
tion,--siE. r. Pr In Globe Democrat.
1 -. ~. L..