The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-09-26

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The commonplace person is something e
Us, | .hink as a commonplace landscape.
Travel is often most delightful when the
scenery is very dull, and thu land fiat and
smooth. This is contrary 70 what the tour
lists tel. rs, but assure you that il you are
nervous person YOU should not 60 the Alps,
but to Holland What can be less exciting
than n Holland landscape' The gardens are
ali alike, and the people, and the houses con
slider that there is no sin 50 great
as originality You may take up one
Gretchen and change her for another
five miles away, and she will ilt exactly TO
the vacancy 10 Is difficult 20 understand
bow these people can possibly know them
selves without label 90 look at There Is
not an original in ten thousand IL is de.
lciously restful IN such land; but If you
travel in any part Of our own land YOU are
sure 80 get constantly interested IN some one
or some thing There are points 10 every
character They not only flash lightning,
but draw Lightning, and it is destructive TO
all pleasure in travelling in the long run, but
Iassura you You will travel in Holland for
ore month with your eyes only onc-quartcr
open, and there viii not be a start or jar
given y0u all thas time. 1t is n country OF
delicious commonncss.
am fond of my ancestors and Of the last
century because people lived averaged lives.
do not remember that any one was so I'M
like bis ncighbor Among zoo towns people
any ono was rs likely to be selected for jus
tice OK TIE peace as anothcr. lean remember
when every one grew marigolds, bachelors
buttons, and saffron, and caraway: and
every one not only went to church, but to
the same church, ans there was quiet uni
fOruity Of faith and deed that, II il did not
merit heaven hereafter, at least made SEM
blance Of heaven here think should like
10 get back 90 the days when ran about
baro 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 % pasture and 50 for them at
night. y mot think Of a single startling
event for whole years at times. 1t was
sunny land Of common folks, ard average
good things 10 one was very poor and no
one was vcry rich Our homes were always
open 70 the poor, and to the stranger; and
our lots averaged up as far as possible.
What n fellowship was that compared with
our NOWADAYS, greatness and lowliness.
We di not know hOw 20 waste. Every
thing had It's value Perhaps we had 40
great notions, our small ones were useful
Speculation had only been heard of at a
great distance. We all believed in work
Not 10 work seemed impossible It 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 there are folk
who can neither give nor get aympathy. No
one was out Of speaking range and we nod
ded our heads nechborly TO all the world
have been looking Backward but 10 will
not do 10 look too far backward, or wc shall
come upon the high mightiness Of old royal
ties The declaration that IAN men are
born equar 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 win all be averaged up TO the tee-
phone, and telegraph and heaven knows
what else as We have ail got averaged up to
the postof-ice and railroad.
do not wish 70 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 a scholar,
II not a genius II this world goes on, and
what reason have We for supposing it will
not, the GENTS Of today viii be but an Or
binary person ia another City years. When
George William Curtis tells us that immigra-
ton is watering the life blood Of the ma
ton it sets rae thinking very soberly, for 1t
seems % BE- true.
Hans has been over here three years. He
has learned TO write and TO speak English
with a twang ani a twist, but he has learned
something else, and be did not learn it all
over here He has learned 70 abhor being
lost in the crowd. lie must be individuated.
He wants 10 be marked man. Hans does
not have much moral force but a good
deal of physical grit be certainly does
possess. He naturally turns 10 physical
force as bis lever. When he looks around,
with his passion 60 be free, be kicks
and storms Hans has been under good
deal Of repression abroad, but here he enjoys
what DE calls being free-that is free 10 be-
himself, al over and over, nd everywhere.
lie does not sec that be cannot be quito him
self without preventing others from being
quite therlseiye5, and II they are quite unrc-
strained it Will encroach on him. The pas
sion Of individuality is abroad. Il IS the
spirit Ct the air we breathe Hans rovels in it,
said va shall, By and by, average up, and
up b o level vastly higher than that Of To-
day, whors our present genius viii be very
commonplace, and where our present mira
cles will be every day affairs, and our present
laxlries viii be common comforts. This
will surely come about, for we shall be wise
enough 20 let il come about, and, il
need be, % make it 10 come about.
We are too far gone 10 90 back
and give up our love for being dis
tinguished We must all do something;
all be marked by achievement This VIII
work right If we can keep the average
ambition for what is intelligent and moral.
and not let it point for brute force distinc-
ton. -"E. 2. T." in Globe-Democrat.