The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1895-08-03
A NEW CULT.
The Way a 'Leisurist" Would
Have Us Live.


a practice, and it is only fair to myself
to add that my disapproval is not based
upon the selfish ground cited in the
proverb- Still, there are times.
For instance, you are in the most
comfortable chair by the best window
at the Monogram club. Two men. come
and plant themselves on sofa within
six feet of your back. Is it your duty
TO leave your favorite chair and win
dow just to avoid overhearing an inn
personal conversation which happens
to interest you? l didn't.
$50 you have given up the law,
Ralph? Why, the last l heard you
were doing so we'll Fine growing
clientele, and all that"
The voice belonged to one of my fell
low members, whom knew slightly.
Yes, " replied the other, evidently a
visitor, that was just the trouble
was too successful My work had be-
come almost combining. It's nearly a
year since cut it. Let me see; you've
been in Chicago for over two"
'Great Scott, manl'' cried the first
speaker. "Too successful! What do
you want?"
Leisure, principally" said the
stranger. And / heard him strike
match.
"But how do you ever expect to
amount to anythingP"
Don't, from your point of view; and,
what's better, don't want to-"
"W-ell!"
R'You see, Ned, I'm not bit in sym
pathy with the progressive spirit of
the age. l think lot of it has been
progress backward, and when it comes
right down to the real philosophy of
living, we're not in it with our old
friends the Athenians. Our only idea
of amounting to anything is to scratch
gravel every day from morning till
night as long as we can drag ourselves
to our workshops; and our idea of sue
cess is mainly to make heap of
money. Nobody but the slaves in old
times worked as we do, and they Just
did it because they had to- No ration
al free Greek or Roman would have
dreamed of leading such life for any
motive-let alone such an elusive one
as ours"
Pray what do you calculate to sub
stitute for work?"
Leisure"
. 'And starvation?"
''Not at all Now here's my logic in a |
few words, you old Philistine. The
great desideratum is to do as you
please nearly IS possible-and for
this leisure is an absolutely necessary
prerequisite. Therefore leisure must |
be the first aim. On the other hand, |
il is evident that if you do as everyone
else does, you won't have any true
leisure at all, in fact, unless you
steal it from the hours you ought to
give to rest in order to brace You up
for anothcr day of toll But why do
YOU work so hard? To make money?
Why do you want money? All, yes; to
live comfortably, to amass a fortune,
10 retire finally and enjoy yourself, to
be somebody. If your being some
body depends on the verdict of other
people, or if even your own verdict is
BASED upon how much money you have,
DON think such somebody is much
If anybody. The real somebody is the
nan who MARKS his life out on true
lines, and lives successful
V the life he has marked out. The
eason money has been taken as
ouchstone is because it's the easiest
hing for the vulgar to estimate. Any
dot can measure mans success by
he number of dollars he is said to
ave, or by the swell he cuts on them,
nut it takes more intelligence to meas
re by how happy or how wise or how
irtuous or how honorable man is.
therefore the vulgar count the dollars,
nd as the vulgar majority rules in
hese days of democracy-rabb
he Greeks would have called it-why,
here you are. Besides, remember,
ven if you do sell yourself into slavery,
ne chances of buying back your free
ON, and retiring and enjoying your
If, and of being somebody in your
Id age are less than problematical.
he sensible man doesn't enslave him
IF in order to be ultimately free. He
list stays free"
"But how about living comforta-
W"
1ndG > d IdlL NluCobACtA-
les cost considerable to live as we've {
zen brought up to call comfortable;
ut then if we're wrong on other fun
,mental points, why mayn't we be IN
lis? To cut it short, I've found out l
,at we are. Stop and think. Half l
,e money we spend is for things we Il
,lv eniov through the i'm
,oee;oT fbav make on other people; a
fact. because they're fashionable t
nd two-thirds of the other half go for
which our ancestors were
Ist about as happy without. Don't
me as despising luxuries. :
,iov them much more than do those
10 have them all the time but OBJ ! !
ct to the price. It's too big; SO I've :
led to find the equation. I look re-
,ectable, don't I? l feel respectable,
I yn-,,,..o ,ro71 ~, T,arfapflU | .