Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-10-28
WHOLE NUMBER 2,316.

thinker-to make haste to laugh, lest
| weep. You see, the fools, speaking
generally, are SO much more numerous,
and infinitely more interesting, than
wise folk, like the Solon whose grave
rcmonstrancc has set me on this train
of thought. "Twenty-nine millions,
mostly FOOLS" said Carlyle. in his
sententious fashion. That was quite
a long time ago, of course, and there
are more than tweDty-nine millions
of us now. But the proportion of
tools remain about the same, l think,
and really my grave and glum friend
who, too, lest / forget, did not sign
his name to his letter-ought to CON-
slider that fact when next he seeks to
criticise an amiable looker-on at life,
like myself. We who write and read
Driftwood" do not belong to the
mostly" of course-indeed the very
fact that you peruse and appreciate
this weekly column of gossip, my dear
reader, is sufficient proof that you be-
long to the wise minority. Or so, at
least, it seems to ME. But perhaps
l am prejudiced-one never knows.
As to the fools, however. The fool,
as l have said, is more interesting
than the wise man. Take, for in
stance, a case which has recently been
occupying the attention of the Paris
police. 1t seems that a certain per-
son was attending large number of
patients in populous district of the
gay city without, apparently. having
taken the precaution to provide him
self with the necessary medical di-
plomas. Acting-as the police gen.
orally do acton information re-
ceived," the authorities hunted this
vile imposter to his lair. 1t turned
out that he was duly qualified medi-
cal man, who had passed all his ex-
aminations with distinction. He had
at the outset settled down as a regular
doctor, but no patients came to him,
and he was on the point of starving
when it occurred to him to remove to
another quarter of Paris, and under an
assumed name to practice as a quack
medicine man. And he had amassed
so large a practice that he was in a
fair way TO become a millionaire!
Fancy that! And yet this curmudgeon
would have me neglect the fools.
Though 1 am nor always, when 1
come to think of it, quite certain that
the cantraps OF the wise are not even
more interesting to the student OF
mankind than the folly of the fool. 1
happened across popular magazine,
the other day. for example, and there
in 1 encountered this paragraph:
" Mr.. Hoyle tells us that Professor
Dean once 'playiully' suggested to
him the disquieting idea that, could a
proper detonator be discovered. an ex-
plosive wave of atomic disintegration
might be started, through all matter
which would transmute the whole
mass OF the globe, and leave but a
wrack of helium behind" Pleasant
prospect, don't you think so? And,
mark you. it is towards this "wrack
Of helium"-whatever that may be-
that the wisdom of the wise men of
science is steadily tending at the pres.
cut WOmeQt OF time.
So that the gap between the fool
and the wise man 10 not really "as
deep as q well, nor as wide as church
door," as Shakespeare put it. Indeed,
the border-line is so faint, that /, per.
sonally, have never been able to de.
eide to my own satisfaction where
folly ended and wisdom began. And
for the purpose of this article, cite
the case of a man who lives, and
thrives, ON q diet of grass and water.
He is q Spaniard, and he answers to
the liquid name OF Lusebio Santos.
He went to New York-so l learn
from an associated press Dispatch
from a town in Georgia, a physical
wreck, with his nerves and digestion
ruined. And again Il quote the press
dispatch)" As an experiment, ne com.
menced living on nothing but grass
and water. He is now apparently in
perfect health. Doctors are examin.
ing his case." Santos says that he
soon began to like grass, which he
gathers free in the public parks. Now
that winter is almost here, he will,
most likely, proceed to Florida. for
fresh grazing country.
Now Santos is either fool or a wise
man. II he is wise, then he is very
wise, for he has succeeded in solving
that problem which dogs the waking
moments and disturbs the sleep OF
ninety-five per cent. of the inhabitants
OF the United States-the great bread
and butter problem, towit: If it is
possible for man TO become herbivar-
ious, and to live and wax fat on grass
and water, then life becomes merely
picnic. leave you to consider the
economic possibilities of the thing at
your weekend leisure, and invite my
anti-fool correspondent, whoever he is.
to favor me with his convictions on
the subject. But perhaps Santos is
only fool, after all.
California Trees.