Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-01-13
CHAPTER 1.
OLE COMPLEX LIFE,

"a everything Is tOpSy turvy, and
with reason. Think of IT.!
q - Mile. Yvonne Is to be married
Tuesday. and today is Friday!
Callers loaded with gifts and trades
men bending under packages come and
20 in endless procession. The servants
are at the end Of their endurance. As
for the family and the betrothed, they
no longer have life or q fixed abode.
Their mornings are spent with dress
makers. milliners. upholsterers, jewel
ers. decorators and caterers. After
that comes a rush through Offices
where one waits in line, gazing vague
y ut busy clerks engulfed in papers.
A fortunate thing If there be time
when this Is over to run home and
dress for the series Of ceremonial din
ners - betrothal dinners, dinners Of
presenta ton, the settlement dinner-re-
ceptions. balls: About midnight, home
again. harassed and weary, to find the
latest accumulation Of parcels and
deluge OF letters - congratulations, fe-
licitations. acceptances and regrets
from bridesmaids and ushers, excuses
Of tardy tradesmen. And the contre-
temps Of the last minute-a sudden
death that Usarranges the bridal par
ty. wretched cold that prevents a
favorite cantatrice from singing, and
80 forth, and 80 forth. Those poor
Blanchards! They will never be ready
and they thought they had foreseen
everything!.
Such has been their existence for a
month. No longer possible to breathe,
to rest half hour, to tranquilize ones
thoughts. No, this Is not living!
Merdfulfy, there Is grandmothers
room. Grandmother Is verging on
eighty. Through many tolls and much
suffering she has come to meet things
with the calm assurance which life
brings to men and women Of high
thinking and large hearts. She sits
there I'm her armchair. enjoying the
silence Of long meditative hours. So
the food Of affairs surging through the
house Gibbs at her. door. At the thresh-
old Of THIS retreat voices are hushed
and footballs softened. and when the
young fianees want to hide away for
. moment they fee to grandmother.
Poor childrenr' is her greeting.
"You are worn out! Rest little and
belong to each other. All these things
count for nothing. Don't let than alb
sorb you; It isn't worth while"
Thay Know It well, these two young
people How many times in the last
weeks has their love had to make way
Tor Ill soets Of conventions and fulfill
tdeai yate ut this dscisi@e moment Of
THAR lives seems bent upon drawing
their minds away from the one thing
essential. to harry them with host
Of trivialities, and heartily do they ap-
prove The opinion Of grandmamma
When she Gays, between . smile and q
caress. Decidedly, my dear, the world
= growing too complex, and It does not
make people happier quite the con-
haryr
also am Of grandmamna's opinion.
From the cradle to the grave, In his
needs - In his pleasures, In his con-
eeption Of the world and Of himself.
The man of modern times struggles
through q maie az endless complica- !.
bon. Nothing = simple any longer
neither thought nor action; not pleas
ure; not even dying. With our own
hands We have added TO existence
642n OF har6shipo and Topped Oh many
Z Qualification. I befisve that thou
eAnds Of our fellow msn, suffering the
consequences Of > too ARTIFICIAL life,
WIN BE- grateful e We txy to give ex-
PRESTON to their diecoueent and to jus
q3y the regrst tor naturalneeg which
Se!ueay ogptssses them. = z
Aee - mt speak ct . eeEie9 cR fAclp
snat put ineo rallied the truth ~ wish
e enow. So, ) :.
The complexity Of our HE oppenzS n
NJ number O our material AeoA Il 1
= face universally coucedod taaeoW
0eeog 1ave grown with our roDouEce9
xnlS = NOT an eFn In itself. Tor the
oR0 of cercalm needs y often the marx
ok pioerees. TO feea the necessity Of
oene. OF wearing nesh linen. inhab-
lune wholesome houses eating health
kW 1ooo end cuiuveung our minds -
- g eupe1aoV. But II certain