The Washington bee., 1895-10-19
ENVIRONMENT,

AS ne turned a sudden gleam of recog.
milton flashed into his eyes; flush over
spread the face Of the woman, her eye
lids dropped, then both looked away to
the speaker
The speaker was talking Of Lincoln,
his early life, it's narrow limits of work
and poverty, out of which this man had
been called into the nations life with its
larger environment
They had listened attentively, but in
that moments interlude for these two,
the great auditorium by the sea, with its
ten thousand people, the summer school
Of philosophy and its study of men and
things, suddenly vanished; the present
Tor them had no existence-the past alone
was before them. So vividly came back
the memory of that summer night when
they had parted, they felt the breath of
the flowers that hung over the low porch
where they had stood together in the
long ago.
No need to tell what he had been say
ing, but she replied with cruel frankness:
Il am tired Of being poor; long for
fuller life than you can give me, larger
environment"
This word has outgrown the diction-
aYy, and is as large as the earth and the
air, the sea and the sky"
Thus the preacher went on, but they
heard him not; for them, the word was
as large as the universe which lay be-
tween their two hearts.
The great organ played the last chord,
and in the throng emerging from the
temple these two stood together for
moment side by side, then were lost in
the crowd
when they came again to hear what an
eloquent man should say of Dante, each
gazed longingly across that vast sea OF
faces, seeking, but finding not, the other.
The majority Of that great audience
were people whose chief concern was
with bread and butter, crops and COM
merce. Yet they came for little hour to
be uplifted into larger atmosphere, and
could sympathize with the poet Dante,
who, exiled from the land he loved. found
no rest in the worlds environment.
This word was in the air. 1t was illus
trated by the world around them, it's
work, its pleasure. its literature All the
voices Of summer were breathing it. If
they looked up. they saw men and maid
ems walking or sitting bare-heaued on
the beach, the sunlit air browning their
skin and blowing the hair about their
brows-society's latest sunshine fad, in
deed, but an environment they cannot
enjoy in the narrow limits of city life
If they took up a magazine they read
how the death-breeding tenement houses
in the great metropolis had been torn
down, how good men had persisted in
face of opposition, capital and custom,
persisted against the resistance of the
N-far- T1ca 10 4Iarr
as is usually the case-until finally, down
came the old sky-blotting tenements, in
Sreamed air and sunshine, with patches
OF green grass under foot, making a new
environment of light and health and
consequent morality for the poor, Chame-
leon like, we take the COR of our sur
roundings.
Taking up a newspaper they find that
a woman in Chicago is making purer
environment for the people there. The
city fathers had wisely put broom in
the hands where it naturally belongs,
making her inspector of garbage-horri-
BILE word to put into story But like the
Theban general, her illustrious predeces-
sor, Epaminondas, who was appointed
inspector Of sewers, she dignifies the Of
fice and does the work we'll
And altogether there seems to be a dis
position to clean out the worldly rub
bish, to surround it with a cleaner,
healthier atmosphere, from the stables
Of politics to the cutters of intemperance.
and obliging woman stands ready with
her broom to lend hand. The dust may
get into her eyes, but when it settles who
shall say that she will not look upon a
cleaner environment?
The man and woman Of our sketch. in
their separate wanderings, came upon a
multitude of people encamped by the
sea. 1t is quaint old custom of the far
mers to come from miles away back in
the country, for big sea day. an annual
dip in old ocean. Here one saw nature,
Narsissus like, reflected in humanity.
There was cordial greeting of old friends
and neighbors. The hearty hand-shake
and Jolly laugh, and old fashioned feast
ing it was like many Thanksgiving din
1ers rolled into one. The harvest had
been gathered; the sea had called them
They loY it and feared it, frolicked and
f1irted With it, caresSed and buffeted it,
played with it and plunged into it. II
was TO them bath in lethe; for the time
they forgot their dull, show lives, washed
from souls and bodies the dust of toll, in
that pure environment of the white arm
ed sea.
mot by appointment do we meet with
happiness, but round some corner in the
streets Of life, she on a sudden meets US
unawares."
Thus the poet voices our experiences.
and thus the two people of our sketch
came and sat down together in the twi-
light hour on seat overlooking the sea,
passively obeying an appointment Of
fate.
1T is little world, afte- all," he said,
casually. I'VE cannot help elbowing each
other in its narrow environment"
1T is wide and empty world
The next moment she would have given
much to recall the words; they were a
confession Of disappointed ambition.
Why do you come with that word up
on your lips?" she added. 'It haunts
me-"
Because it haunts me also," he said
quietly Have you ever noticed that
when you are thinking about Il ing and
questioning it, the world is full Of an
swers?"
"Yes. I have noticed it in life, and
also in literature" The last with slight
touch OF humor.
"Ah. now I remember, you used to say
az INV remarks, that they were full OF