The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-01-26

ton which comes upon either the ma
ton or the individual II 1t or he be-
comes absorbed only In the desire to
get wealth"
This public commendation from the
president of the United States, who
was tho author Of book that seemed
the very antithesls of "The Simple
Life" aroused public curiosity, and in
very short time there was large
demand for the volume.
Charles Wagner is popular evan
gelical in Paris, and 1t seems the height
of incongruity that such work should
come from such source. AS Grace
King says in her biographical sketch
from the great metropolis and SOW
ereign see OF modern civilization, from
the worlds heart OF sophishcaton
from Paris, the complex city, comes
this volume Of little essays upon the
simple life. A llmpid, bubbllng spring,
fresh and cool from Its forest source,
running down one Of the boulevards
would hardly appear more miraculous
to the eye or more refreshing to the
Sense"
Wagner is noted man In Paris, the
kind Of man whom people stare after
In the streets, Among the dapper and
undergrown Parlsians he bulks large,
with his great height and massive
chest and shoulders. There are vari-
GUS legends, constituting sort of 1T
tie mythology, about his enormous
physical strength and the feats sup
posed to have been achieved by him In
his peasant days. For the rest he Ia
described as a man Of singular sweet
ness and straightforwariness Of char
acter, with strong personal charm.
He has n wide following, personal as
well as ethical.
The early career Of this noteworthy
man is interesting. He Is the son Of
Lutheran minister OF Alsace, born at
Wibesyille, in the Vosges, on Sunday
morning, Jan. 8, 1859, while his father
was preaching In the village church
He was only seven years old when his
father died, and yet he was the eldest
of five children. The family moved to
Phalsbourg, and there Charles labored
in the fields and studied for the min
istry. He was sent to Paris at four
teen and took degree at the Sorhonne |
In 1860. lie was a student of theology |
at the University of Suassburg during |
the Eranco-P Prussian war, and there he !
underwent n sort Of spiritual revolu !
tion. losing his religious faith He read
spinoza and found in that philosopher
something to compensate for what he
had lost but two simple incidents led
to the restoration Of his religious life,
One was the first sight Of the Alps !
The mountains seemed to him Gods
witnesses. The other event wns some.
thing that has happened 10 nearly ev.
the sight Of his moth |
er on returning home after long ab. |
sence She was there, loyal to her du- |
ty, doing her daily work with tranquil |
never wearied and never dis
couraged and the very thought Of her
brought quietude, content, faith
He went from strassburg to Got.
tingen In 1875, and from there he re-
turned to Alsace and became assistant
pastor at the foot of Ste. Odilie noun
tain. His native place had been taken
ltO the Prussian territory, his pastor
te was within the new German from
Ter, and for the first time the political
hange began to weigh on him. There
vas no sense Of political oppression.
ut a consciousness that intellectual
dependence was not possible for him
the conquered provinces. He set to
FORK, therefore, to master the French
lnguage, accepted a position at Re
liremont in the French Vusges, and
1852 went to Paris, where he en-.
cred upon a successful career as a
linister and a literary man. "ThS
imnle Life" is the best kpQwp Of ser =