Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-02-22
The Simple Life
By CHARLES WAGNER
Translated From the French by Mary Louise Eendes
Copyright. 1901 by Mcclure, Phillips Z, Co.

opulence one has nothing to do but to
take life easy. That Is why so few
men know how to be rich. In the hands
Of too many wealth. according to tho
genial and redoubtablc comparison of
Luther. Is like harp In the hoofs OF
an ass. They have no Idea Of the man.
ner of Its use
| So When we encounter man at once
rich and simpie-that Is to say, who
! considers bis wealth as means of full
filling his mission In the world-we
should offer him our homage. for he Is
surely mark worthy. He has sur
mounted obstacles, borne trials and tri-
umphed in temptations. both gross and
subtle. He does not fail to discrni-
nate between the contents OF his pock-
etbook and the contents of his head or
heart, and he does not estimate his
/ fellow men In figures. His exceptional
position. instead of cxalting him,
| makes him humble, for be Is very SEN
sible of how far he falls short of reach
ing the level Of his duty. He has re-
manned q man. That says 1t oil. He
Is accessible. helpful and far from
making Of his wealth a barrier to sep
arate him from other men: he makes it
means for coming nearer and nearer
to them. Although the profession Of
riches has been SO dishonored by the
selfish and the proud, such man MS
this always makes his worth felt by
every one not devoid of a sense Of JUS
tiee. Each of us who comes In contact
with him and sees him live Is forced to
look within and ask himself the ques-
ton, What would become Of me In
such a situation-should keep this
modesty, this naturalness, this upright
ness which uses Its own as though 1t
belonged to others" So long as there
Is human society In the world. so long
rs there are bitterly conflicting inter-
ests. so long as envy and egoism exist
on the earth. nothing will be worthier
OF honor than wealth permeated by the
spirit Of simplicity. And it will do
more than make itself forgiven; 1t will
make itself beloved.
More dangerous than pride inspired
by wealth is that inspired by power,
and mean by the word every preroga-
tive that one man has over another, be
1t unlimited or restricted. see no
means of preventing the existence in
the world of men Of unequal authority.
Every organism supposes hierarchy
of powers; we shall never escape from
that law. But fear that If the love
of power is so widespread the spirit Of
power is almost impossible to find
From wrong understanding and mis-
use of it those who keep even frac-
ton Of authority almost everywhere
succeed in compromising 1t.
Power exercises great influence
over him who holds 1t. A head must
be very well balanced not to be dis
turbed by it. The sort of dementia
which took possession of the Roman
emperors in the time Of their world
wide rule is a universal malady whose
symptoms belong to all times. In ev-
cry man there sleeps a tyrant, await
ing only a favorable occasion for wax
ing. Now. the tyrant Is the worst en-
envy of authority. because he furnishes
us Its intolerable caricature. whence
tons, collisions and hatreds. Every
man who says to those dependent on
him, "Do this because 1t is my will and
pleasure" does Ill. There is within
each one of US something that invites
US to resist personal power, and this
something is very respectable, for ut
bottom we are equal. and there Is no
one who has the right to exact obedi-
ence from me because he is he and I
am /. II he does SO his command de-
grades me, and have no right to suf-
fer myself to be degraded.
One must have lived in schools. In
workshops, In the army. in government
offices, he must have closely followed
the relations between masters and
servants, have observed little every
where where the supremacy Of man
exercises itself over man, to form any
idea of the injury done by those who
use power arrogantly. or every free
soul they make a slave soul. which Is
to say the soul of rebel. And 1t ap-
pears that this result, with Its social
disaster. is most certain when he who
commands Is least removed from the
station of him who obeys. The most
implacable tyrant is the tyrant himself
under authority. Foremen and over
seers put more violence into their deal
ings than superintendent and employ
ers. The corporal Is generally harsher
than the colonel. In certain families
where madam has not much more ed
ucation than her maid the relations be-
tween them are those Of the convict
and his warder. And woe everywhere
to him who falls into the hands of a
subaltern drunk with his authority!
We forget that the first duty of him
who exercises power is humility.
Haughtiness is not authority. 1t is not
we who are the law: the law Is over
our heads. We only interpret it, but to
make it valid In the eyes of others we
! must first be subject to 1t ourselves.
| To command and to obey in the society
- man ORC after all but two forms OF