The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-03
The First impulse.

was Justly celebrated for his virtues. He
was charitable to the poor; subtracting
from his luxury in order TO add TO his
aims. He listened with patience TO the
plants and signs of the suffering, and
comforted where he could not help.
He bore calmly the petty trials that
make I'D most of human life. He was
tolerant even of contradiction rare viz
tue. since each man wants all other men
TO be inferior to, yet like, himself.
Married TO a shrew, he INDUCED her
in her WITNESSES; nor wished her young
er or better looking. Though he was
fond of rhyming, and Of writing fables
and dialogues for stage representation,
ne sincerely rejoiced when his rivals won
applause, and never withheld his own
generous and judicious praise.
In a word all Bagdad took him for
saint.
Notwithstanding, his was not the
peacefu, aspect that should go with
sainthood. His features were deeply
marked as if by stormy passions or con-
Stunning griefs. At times just before
kindly word or noble deed. he would
lower his eyelids either to think or to
conceal his thoughts. But nobody noticed
that.
Not far from Bagdad dwelt an ascetic,
Maitreya by name, miracie-Worker, 10
whom the pious went on pilgrimage.
Emancipated from the ordinary condl-
lions of life. he sat so still and motion
less that the swallows would build their
nests upon his shoulders. His beard de-
seconded to his waist. His skin was rough
and wrinked like the bark OF an ancient
oak. He had lived thus for ninety years
to the glory of the district and to the
complete satisfaction of the public.
Ai1or inn VI
Surely, Touriri must be an incarnation
of Ornuzd. All! if a man like that could
do what he would, this earth would be-
come another Paradise?
Maitreya's immobility became more I'M
mobile still He was communing with
Ormuzd. Presently he addressed the Pill
grim thus:
..Ormuzd, blessed be he! will not grant
Touriri power to do whatsoever ne
would. for then be would be even as
Ormuzd But. beginning from tomorrow,
he grauteth that righteous man power to
crafty mis- hearts first impulse in every
circumstance of life.
The pilgrim laughed and said;
Thou fillest my two ears with glad
ness. 0 star of abnegationi Touriris t1rst
wish viii be, as ever, the good OF MS
neighbor. Blessed be thou of Ormuzd, o
be songs of joy in the dwellings of Bag
dad"
If the beard of Maitreya had been less
like Jungle the pilgrim might have sur
prised the shadow of fleeing smile up
on his stony lips.
When he awoke next morning. Touriri
turned to look upon his wife, still sleep
ing at his side. Moved by some mys-
FERROUS force, she arose, leaped out of bed
and flung herself headlong through the
open window.
AS the saddened widower left his desc
late home a multitude of beggars crowd
ed around him, clamorous. He uttered no
hard word Nay, his right hand was al
ready in his girdle when, ere he could
Withdraw it to shower aims, they all fell
dead.
Fastening to the Cadi to confer with
him. he was stopped by a tangle Of We
hicles He had Just succeeded in mas
tering his impatience when, suddenly, the
drivers fell from their seats dead, with
their legs cut off as by an invisible
scythe.
Touriri bit the fore-fnger of amaze
ment as he went his way. At the en-
trance of the theatre he paused courte-
ously to listen to Professor Carvilaka
| who. for the fifteenth time undertook
to convince him that a certain verse OF
Saadis was really the work of Nisami
| Touriri's disgust was turned to pity as
he saw the voluble pedant stagger and
fall to the ground vomiting blood.
The play that afternoon had an enor-
NOUS success. Touriri had hardly made
I'D his mind to join in the applause when,
| to the CONSERVATION of the audience. 1t
| was announced that the gifted author had
inst been stricken with death.
Touriri returned to his widowed home
beating his breast and crying: Woe is
met
Had the Angel Of Death taken posses
sion of him? Only Ormuzd could answer.
| Therefore he stabbed himself to the heart,
| and went to Ormuzd.
| Maitreya the ascetic died that same
night.
The two appeared together before Or
mud
The ascetic said within himself:
at will do me good now to see treated,
as he deserveth, this fellow who hath
| been hepraised by the Persians as If he
were a saint, like unto me. At last he
| showed himself in his true colors, glory
| ber'
But ormuzd smiled upon Touriri and
| said:
righteous man. faithful servant. en-
| ter into my rest!'
This is sarcasm, I presume. Most
| High Ormuzdr' exclaimed the asceic.
| = was never more serious" replied Or
| muzd. 'TOuriri. thou didst desire the
j death of thy wife because she was no
! longer either loving or lovely; that OF
! the beggars because they were noisy and
/ pestiferous; that of the drivers and their
! horses because they hindered thee: that
of the playwright because he was more
popular than thou.
IAN these desires were perfectly natu-
! raj These deaths for which Maitreya
| IN his heart blames thee were in every
! case the consequence Of a first impulse.
/ And of the first impulse no man gets
! the mastery in moment If mortals
( could crafty each first Impulse, the IN
habitants Of earth would vanish Ike pa
Der in the blaze OF a torch. That is what
! l meant TO teach by thy example, .
/ Touriri.
But 1t is by their second. their delib-
! crate wish that I judge men. For that
and only that are they justly responsible.
! Without the supernatural gift which
made thy last day a massacre, thou
| vouidst still have led a life Of unselhsh
| weIl-dolng.
1T is not. then. by the first natural
Impulse that I shah judge thee. but BY
the second Impulse. deliberately prefer
red. And that. on the whole. was good.
Therefore, o beloved, enter thou into
| Paradise
! What shall 7 have. them asked Mai
| treya with conpiacency.
! The same. answered O-muzd-
/ though thou hast indinerentiy deserved
| it.
Thou wart Z sain;-not a man. except
/ in pride. The first impulses th9u didst
/ repress. but Il all men lived Ike thee the
| race would die out even more swiftly
than by the power granted 70 Touriri