The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-08-10
BLINDNESS OF ARTHUR ToLLER

Listen TO what Shakespeare RAID beauty
doth ysrpish age, "a " newborn, aad gives
the crutch the rad les infancy. .! ills the
sun that msketh all things shine. Aud
sgsin he said; Beauty is but 3 vain and
doubtful good. There Is much truth In
b 9TH these sayings, aud both of them have
to do with this tale; for 1t Is the tale OF
man and a woman, for men and women, ana
II has to do with love.
Those who remombor tho name nj Arthur
Toller will shake their heads when you
mention II TO them-grsy-heads they VIII
be, for this 10 tale Of yesterday and sigh
and say Alb, yes handsome Arthur Toller'
who lost his sight and married bis nurse a
hideous woman, and had none OF the lucR.
All. yes, what's become Of Arthur Tollei
And then II you remain sympstbetca'iy
silent, In all probability they will light =
mid cigar, undo button or 70 OF their
wsistcoatp, fish about for iootstool, un-
lock some dusty drawer in corner OF their
memories, the lock OF which will creak,
with rustiness, and tells you things about
Arthur Toller.
They will tell you, with. many wsgRinga
OF head, OF man, handsome, gay and roys'
terlng, alive to-day and -hang the moro"
man, who had all the world at bis feet
that he was soldier, and great grandson
OF soldier, the Fighting Tollers Of So-and
| -so-shIre how be Inherited from them thu
ambition to be smoDg the coming men whit
arriysd-the desire 70 work for himself, Al
his fathers hSd done, a niche In mose
grown. permsncnt wall Of history how n
was impatient, easer. careless, too light
hearted to be tfoubled with the songs tina
are set 10 the mlnor, too .ull OF each day y
look beyond its suoset; how he hurried
with averted bead from the MANNED, tn
common place, the pitched. the starving
and thought II 10 worth bis while only =
daily with the beautiful, the pleasing, ID
delicAtely nurtured.
Then they will pause and slightly ain
their voices, showing more OF the whites Q
their eyes, and tell you, tapping you on To
knee TO control your whole attention, how
that brave day on which Arthur Tolle
stepped over the heads OF many better me
than himself into one Of those coveted post
which are saiaed only by bsck-stsirs info
ence, he went hunting, was thrown fror
his horse. lay for weeks on the verge Q
deslh, aud recovered his health an
strength only TO wish that he has died
He was blind
Ard they Will make another pause, an
will say, with an appropriate gesiure--bot
hands upl sised, palms toward you, bot
slightly wsggipg, and you will know what
comlrg-' Such Is life my dea- friend, sue
10 iife,"a saying you may have heard b
fore, and are pretty certain TO hear sgair
And then, warming to their work, tht
~ill 90 on telling you things about A'thu
Toller. They wi | tell you, Of course, thi
, be was oblids d 10 give up al hope OF II
uiche 10 the n o.s-guo~n wall, aud that !
lett the army of his country TO 10 the VI
numtered rsiks Of the other vast army
the army Of coming msn Who never com
Good CAD, my dear boy hey will say
Can YOU besr the more han slightly broi
chl.l vcic.s Can you lce the siiiili WAKE
mu.tsehe the bsgsy, blinking, watery eve
the lice di,se,es ssin, the Httenuated necl
Can fcel the twisted nnger npoir
J ,remsinxly on your kneef-- Coed ss
a ,bing OH. The-the Irony, the--tl
blamed sacAsm Of the thing Arth'
A ToIhr, he man with the ksetest eye &
v b,.u !, Sind and mar led 70 his nurse,
Isocus woman, woman from Nowhere,
70 % r, q woman without an siteh 10 b
s.., . woman good perhaps. Al least
sood A tha, kind " ~omab generally 10
10, only without the sss, preiepsion
prsttiness, the pret'iDess Of that kind
!. woman, don't /, kro~, but ugly, positive
ugly and repalsIve
i never saw the woman myself, you q