The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-10-18
PENALTY OF ALTRUlSM.
SUFFERINGs or THOSE VINO ARE
REGARDFUL or OTHERS.
But After All, the FIRST Law Of Nature
Must be Consldcrcd-Oniy One Attrac-
ton ut the Academy This Week,

| man selnshncss are incapable OF rcaii@ins
| that their own Is not the only side Oh lne
| question. Accustomed 90 attribute al Ills
10 the vice they deplOre, they WOuiu DC
! shocked by the suggestion mat IL i7 al
! truism, rather than its opposite TO when
"a very large proportion OIL lie 'Il'i7 anu
| harassments are III reality due. NVn' ''0
| less true is u, that the penaltlts Noi"l,-
| taIlly endured, as matter Oh Ooui e.,
| the interest OF other people a''i''7
| ar. quite as severe as amy lhdt S'iii3llii'.
| can iniiict. and moreover, are la4 nv
generally distributed. For 10 th4a '~'''.'
| we arc al altiulsts, even th' Aoo. 'e
| ism OF u.s. though tho sentiment WINCH
| make MS so may just as likely DO hiait .
! eI i,. mere moral cowardice as by natural
delicacv. or sympathetic heneNoience' oi
| any kind OF virtue whatsoever. t.
| motive what IL may, the rae iNii'.'''
| that there are few of AS VINO are no ''.i-
| tent to suffer all kinds OF ulscoInioi ~ ~
| resort To- an sorts of cVasiona ana sun,
| terfuges and in short. 10 make soc4ti
| martyrs Of ourselves, IL thelcn4 US, L'4
| ings" of our ncighDors may escape nc "a
| tiOn M our hands We shIihh lloii VI,
| inc them things that II would Iealy D'
| good for them to know, ana nave ihiu'
! tho "candid friend hy-Woid' anu d.
| term of rcproacn. We meanly assume ~
| interest in their affairs and relatives anu
| pursuits when we have IL not, fultiinb
! ourselves to be bored and victimized 10
| distraction without a murmur OF ieFoil.
| We allow the prigs and PARASITES OF our
! acquaintance TO buttonnole anc prey uppn
MS the hobby riders 10 career over VS. Nlt
| fools to make as the targets Of their iol-
| lv. TO shake them on would. indeed, pc
| easy enough. II we could but break the
| chain of our fatal altruism IN would not
| take long 10 make the most persistent
| Of them realize. without resort 20 lov
| brutal frankncss. that their society was
| unwelcOmc. their services worthless. their
| opinions obnoxious. their good intentions
| unreciprocated ana unraluod. hut the
| effort is beyond us We cannot we ,f"tt
! hurt their feelings" and 90 they arc
! moro or less stoically endured. II is we'll
| FOR the moralists 20 cry ont upon felish-
| ness. hut how. after ali DO ite evils com
! pare with the penalties or an aitrulam
ike this. which comes within almost
! every ones everyday cXpericn g.?
PATIENT HEROlSA.
| Infinite are the varieties OF patient hero
| ism, OF brave endurance, thtt nave t"l',
| and nothing but this. Tor thclr origin anu
| motive. 10 ls the character OF liberty, me
| assurance OF impuuity, 20 every sort ana
| condition of social tOrnmcntor, who, ior
| example has not been made, at some
time or other. the unwilling conhdant OF
! some grizzlug railer at fate, whose one
| solICe is TO pour long and Grcdry histories
| of wrongs and troubles into the first ear
| that can DE captured for. tine pufposef
! Though ono may know the wrongs 90 be
| Imaginary. and the troubles an OF the
| complainant own making. he ls as sure
Of an Outwardly patient hearing. and OF
| the expected condolences. as lf his woes
| were genuine. II would hurt rs feelings
! 10 express any I'm patience or 10 betTay any
| KNOWLEDGE Of the true cause Of his trOu-
bles; and that. at any cost must be
avoided. ~ Is 90 tho same way. ana for the
| same reason. that we sit meckiy and un-
| prOtestinely while duh dogs tell us. az in
| terminable length, stories which we have
| perhaps told much better ourselves years
| before or outrage us with amazing mis-
| statements upon subjects which we hap
! pen TO have made peculiarly our own a
! little knowledge may be dangerous
| thing: but little correction Of II Is apt
| TO be infinitely more so. where these ALE
| important feelings have 10 be consid-
| cred. Then again. what else could render
| possible the despOtism of the mOnomanidc
! who insists upon forcing his craze. IN
| season and out Of season. upon everyone
| he meets? one nay long ever so heartily
| 20 make oTcn confession Of ones inditef-
| Cnce to him, and 90 his hobby, and 10
| coIisign 10th. in good set terms TO the
| registered address OF tormcntins helds IN
| general. But we dare not do IL, nor
| should we dare II BE- descended upon as
with seven other devils more cNasperat-
| ing than himself We cannot bring orr
| selves. even under the most trying cir
| cumstences, 10 say. "beeone-th3u weari-
| est me-. like the exceedingly plain-spoken
| persons who fiourished-if the old drama
lists are to be believed-in less sQucam-
| ish times than these.
SELF PRESERVATION.
| And where the gr1vcr affairs OF life are
concerned. this altrustic suffering pre-
| sCnts itself i'm proportionatcly acuter
| forms. There are not many pcople. how
| ever firm their nerves who would not DO
| great deal 90 escape the duty of prctK-
! ing the news OF bereavement or other
/ dire calamity even 10 the most utter
| stranger We need. surely. lcaven or
! scliishncss 10 assure ms OF some counter
| balance to the load of Vicarous uhpleas-
| antness which fails 10 us in ihe 'ery IA
! tur. of things. a load which only me NOR
| N CcmtGpart OF the man without
| nerves OF tho fairy story. could nope go
| escape 1T H. not necessary 10 accept ideal
! soihshncss az the key 10 ideal hd3pinrss
| The most selfish persons would possibly
suffer from feelings" in their trrn. u
| they krcw that everybody else thought
| them selfish and called them so. Those
| oven wio, rightly or wrongly. hate most
| people and dcspise ihe rest must cAtf-
| else some rctiCence in the annosncemfni
| OF their sentiments. and The conduct
| which they are calculated 10 inspire. At
| the same time there is no reason wny the
! penalties OF our inevitable altruism srculd
| bC made heavier hy a too sensitive, or too
! coWardly regard for feelings which have
| no fair claim TO consideration. One rCCd
| Doe neither a. misluthroplst nor o. syce-
! plant nor j. in 40 all times requisite 10
/
| oOClng 10 thclr boredom. 5omcthins Is
| due after an. 10 the instinct Of self-re-
! spcct. something also, TO that Of self
| prestlvat lion.
ONLY ONE ATTRACTION.
There Will lo only one attraction at the
! Acacemy this week. Murray and Mack
! VIII apI ear here tomorrow. at matinee
! and evening performances, In their new
! l,icc entitled "Firnerp's COurtslip.f
Among the principal support arc Del
/ MORE and Wilson. Sisters Dcane. Oracle
! Cummings Little Wolf Clara Toward.
| Sisters. Fred DeNoc. Charley Lamb. An
| drew BCdc. Frank Neville. Hubert Diler.
and the Misses Han. Gray. and cox.
The comedy is puncturci here aud there
| with original spcciatics, and the comic
! buriesCues of the stars.
The piece IS said to- be filled with hui
! norOus situations. and is bv far the best
| play that these popular Irish Comedians
| hrvo ever presented here
| The scenery. mechanical effects. and
| costumes arc all new. and the piece and
/ the company have had a splendid ie-
| by George III. limerick. the author Of
| these two latest successes. The story is
| simple. Hogan. who is married. encoav-
| ors 10 make match between his friend
! linnigan and "a young widow who IS
| boarding at his house. His wife hears
him read a love letter which ne has ire
| pared TO be sent TO the widow DIS coming
| from tinnigan, asking for a mea ng [
| Rocl 3way Beach. OF course the wife
| follows her husband and his bachelor
| friend to tho seashOre and many ridicu-
| lOus situations follow.
At, FACTIONS NEXT WEEK.
| Next week we are TO have EliasOn, tie
| famous wizard. y Bunch Of Keys. and
| Mr.. Il. T.. Coldon's star. Emily Baucker.
| Mr.. Golden Will De in the city some limo
IL nj. NO