The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-20

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Rb88Es 81 ST z 81 81 s.
who have Indispensable social relations
With us, never enters thedr minds. Others
20 still farther. For some wofnen their
husbands are unknown, md this Is re-.
ciprocai, There are parents who do not
know their own children. Their devels
opment, their thoughts. the dan gers they
may ruin, the hopes they may ,,ourish are
Tor them closed book. Many children
do not know their parents and have
never suspected their pains, their struEA
giles, mar penetrated their tnten TONS.
And, l do not speak Of the 0lsunited
families, those sad homes where all sre-
lations nre fnlsned, but OF honest far1i-
lies composed Of good people. Those PER
sons only nre greatly absorbed. Each one
has his interest elsewhere which takes
MI Ills timo. The distant duty strongly
attractive, do not deny. claims them
entirely and they are ,lnconscious OF tho
nearer duty. fenr that tney lose their
pains. ,rhc base OF operation Of each Is
tho field of his Immediate duty. Neglect
TINT base and all tho distant things you
undertake Will be jcopardlzed. Belong,
therefore, first to your own country, your
own city, your own house,, your church,
your workshop, and II 1t can be. leave
there to go elsewhere. Tint is The SIM
plo and natural step to take. A man
must furnish himself at great cost with
very bud reasons to have como to follow
the inverse walk. In any case the re-
suit of SO strange a confusion Of duties
is that many arc mingled with q quantity
of things save those that one has the
right to expect Of them. Each occupies
himself with other things than those
which belong to him, and, absent from
his post, !, he does not know, his trade.
every one attended to his own business
only. 55 "a
Another form Of Simple duty. When
an Injury has been caused who should
repair At? The one who caused It,. That
is Just, but 1t IL only a theory. And
the consequence OF that theory would
BIO that we must allow the evil to exist
until tho indicators have been found
and made to repair the injury. But II
we do not find them? Or, IL they cannot
/ or will not repair the injury?
It rains on your head through a broken
4 tile, or the wind penetratcs your dwelling
through n broken pane Will you wait to
sock the 10 otcr and the glazicr until YOU
4 have had the breaker Of the tile or win
dow arrested !? You would find that
absurd, would you not? ills. however, n
very ordinary practice. Children indg-
nantly cry, II did not throw that object
down, and I shall not pick it up And
the greater part OF men reason In the
same way. That Is logical. But that Is
not the sort Of logic that turns the
world. e
That which We should know. to the
contrary, and which Ito repeats daily,
Is that the damage caused by some Is
i,oH Aoth 4nc$H ,fS ,Arc
build; some soil, others clean !; some stir
up strife. others appease it-so some
ca use tears to flow and others console;
some Nvc In lniquity, while others die
FOR justice. And 1t is IN the accom-
plishment Of this dolorous law that safe.
ty Hes. 1t Is logic also, but Of that
logic of fact which causes that OF theories
doubtful one. A man OF simple heart
draws his conclusion thus: Given the
evil. tho great thing is to repair It and
to begin ut once SO much the better II
the ma lefactors will contribute to this
repara ton. but experience counsels us
not to count too much upon their CO.;
operation. 81
But. however simple duty Is, one must
still have the strength to accomplish It.
This strength, in what does It, consist
never weary OF talking about 1t. Duty for
"a man is an enemy and an dmportunatc
one so long as 1t appears only as an out
ward solicitation. When 1t enters tho
door man files out the window, and when
1t closes the windows man will escape
by the roof. The better It is seen COM
Ing the easier It is to avoid It. 1t Is Ike
the gendarme, who represents public
force and official justice. which an adroltj
scamp always manages to avoid. Alas!
IL tho gendarmc does seize the fugitive
all no can do is to take him to the
station and not always by the easiest
road. That "a man may accomplish his
duty he must fall into the hands of an
other force than the ono which says:
g"Do this, do that: avoid this, avoid that;
otherwise look out for yourself u
Ee This Interior force Is love. When a. man
hates his trade or occupation. or does 1t
calelcssly, all the powers OF earth are
unable to make him work with good will
But he who loves his business goes right
on alone. Not only Is 1t Impossible to
restrain him, but 1t would be impossible
to turn him from It,. It Is that way
with all. The great thing is to have
felt that which is the hollest and most
Immortality beautiful in our obscure dcs-
tiny; 1t Is to have learned by a series
OF experiences 10 love this life for Its
pains and Its hope. to love mankind for
5lnclr mlserleS ana their no bllty, ana 70
belong to humanity by heart, intelli-
gence and compassion Then an unknown
force takes possession Of US. as the wind
takes possession OF the sails of a. ship,
and watts us toward pity and Justice
And, ceding to the Irresistible force OF tho
breeze, We say: II can do no differently,
It's stronger than {,
In explaining himself thus man Of all
ages and of all centers designates q 20 W
en- that is higher than man, but which
can live In tho hearts OF men. And all
that is really noble and uplfted appears
like q manifestation of this mystery
which DIS beyond our power to understand,
Great sentiments, like great thoughts,
like great acts. are things OF Inspiration
When the treo Grows green and gives Its
fruit It, Is because 1t draws from the
soil It's vital forces and receives from
tho sun light and warmth II man, IN
his humble sphere, amid inevitable faults
and Ignorance, consecrates himself sin
cerely to Ills task, 1t Is that he Is In
II