Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1895-04-11

ure DV now nappy OF now wise OF HOW
virtuous or how honorable a man is.
Therefore the vulgar count the dollars,
and as the vulgar majority rules in
these days of democracy-rabbleocracy,
the Greeks would have lied it-why,
there you are. Besides, remember,
even if you do sell yourself into slavery,
the chances of buying back your free
dom, and retiring and enjoying your
self, and of being somebody in your
old age are less than problematical
The sensible man doesn't enslave him
self in order to be ultimately free. He
just stays free"
But how about living comforta-
bly?"
That's fair question. 1t certainly
does cost considerable to live as we've
been brought up to call comfortable;
but then if we're wrong on other fun
damental points. why mayn't we be in
this? To cut it short, I've found out
that we are. Stop and think, Half
the money we spend is for things we
only enjoy indirectly-through the i'm
preston they make on other people;
in fact, because they're fashionable
and two-thirds of the other half go for
'necessaries' which our ancestors were
just about as happy without. Don't
understand me as despising Injuries. !
enjoy them. much more than do those
who have them all the time; but l OBJ
ject to the price. It's too big; so I've
tried to find the equation. look re-
specta bic, don't I? l feel respectable,
anyhow, and assure you I'm perfectly
comfortable. Well, on my honor, av-
erage a little over three honrs of work
a day, and any man of ordinary intel
ligence can do as well on as little"
What do you do?"
81? Oh, write What a man does
doesn't make so much difference,
though ! admit my work is more agree
able than most. Sometimes I'm not
quite sure it should be called work.
And the rest of the time?"
u enjoy my leisure. enjoy life. I
read; converse with congenial people
on congenial topics; 1 walk; take
lots of out-of-door exercise, and steer
clear of nervous prostration; I play
tennis and chess; go wherever there
are beautiful things to see-you have
no idea how many are available. both
in nature and art-and let them soak
in and become assimilated with my be-
ing. I live"
2 Don't you ever expect to marry?"
IF do, the woman will be either a
leisurist like myself, or one who has
brains enough to appreciate leisurist,
and money enough to indulge her
taste"
But, seriously, old man, how many
people to-day could enjoy the things
you enjoy? Your reasoning and phil
osophy are worthless when applied to
the mass of humanity"
"They aren't intended to be applied
to the mass, Of huma nifty any more than
any other system Of living-at least not
until the mass of humanity is educated
up to where it once. was. Til. cult
may be small one now, but its infiu-
ence may be wide for ultimate goods
bound to be, by so much as it removes
any man, if only a hairs breadth,
from the crazy Philistinism that dom
mates him."
''Pray what is the name of the new
school?'
''Oh - 'Leisurists,' 'Neo-Epicureans
Either answers, and we answer to
either. I'm not sure but that Thoreau
ought to be OF: eponymous hero. He
was certainly the leader of Neo-Epi-
curean thought, and, like most leaders,
he took rather too advanced position.
He proved his case all the same,
though"
q presume, of course, you're pre-
pared to welcome with open arms the
Weary Willies' and Dusty Rhodeses'
of the humorists? l congratulate you.
You've lots of ready-made disciples"
''Not exactly. You see, the real
tramp is either laborer out of work
and trying to find it, or else a loafer
pure and simple. You must not neg
lect to note the distinction between
leisure and loafng. rarely loaf"
Joking aside, Ralph, 1 realize, of
course, that you've been just talking;
but what supremely selfish existence
your Leisurists would lead!''
Wrong on both points. I was never
more in earnest in my life, and my
philosophy is anything but selfish-not
the faintest approa CHI to the rabid sell
fishness of your so-called useful pro-
fessional or business man, who jostles
and elbows his way to the foot of the
ladder and tries to scramble up it,
needless of how many aching ribs and
crushed fingers he leaves behind, and
all the time fattering himself that he's
doing his duty as citizen of civil
lied community-pah! Every man who
90, b.. l,:a crcral from roll1 SalfiSh conn