Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-26
dSIk aE7Eaatx7
EunerSon-

emerson
Alcott and others Of the sages OF Concord
caught the idea OF the simple life more than
half century ago, and sought to start an
exodus out of the artificial Egypt with a
Palestine of natural simplicity. natural diet.
natural dress, and a plain ordering Of the
life.
Count Tolstoi for many years has bent
the whole force of his great abilities to the
task of holding before his fellows the beau
fy of simplicity and naturalness, and has
set example OF consistency in living up
to the precepts which he advocates.
Although possessed of wealth sufficient to
enable him to lead a life of ease and luxury,
TO live in splendor, he chooses to live In the
simplest manner possible. wearing shoes OF
his own making. clad In the piatnest OF
garments, eating the simplest of food. avoid
ing every artificial need and leading life
of the most abstemious sobriety and tenn
perance. Recognizing the unnaturalness OF
slaughter and the taking of animal flesh. he
uses no butchered animai foods OF any sort.
and confines his dietary almost exclusively
to fruits and nuts. with a moderate allow
ance of milk and eggs.
The rejuvenating power OF the natural life
Is recognized by all the world. else why the
summer exodus from town and city to hl1
and seaside, and also why the bloom and
beauty Of the Drowned summer girl who
comes back even after but q few weeks
outing quite revitalfzed.
1t was St. Augustine who said that with
the necessity We always have enough. but
that II - look for the luxuries we VIII
FER be satisfied. Plain living and high
thinking is the rule Of the worlds grenA
Discretion
Or a sense of propriety: by either term Is
the virtue known. is like perfume 1t can
not be touched. seen. weighed or described,
but 1t exists and makes its presence and its
absence known and is as essential to every
womanly woman. no matter what her age.
intellectual accomplishments. beauty or So
cial position. as its perfume to the rose.
The woman who has this precious gift is
by it alone protected from harm as by an
invisible armor of proof. She may not be
safe from Islander. but she is safe from any
real injury. The finest armor may be
splashed with mud, but mud can be washed
away-only wounds leave scars.
The youngest or most friendless girl who
uses her wits and heeds the warnings which
she will receive from her inward sense Of
propriety whenever she Is tempted to vio-
late It's laws never can go far wrong.
There are cases when q noble and unset
fish aim will atone for breaking the laws Of
propriety, but they seldom occur, and even
the few that do bring many evils upon the
law breakers. In good cause one must be
viking to suffer. But let no one imagine
not follow every breach of the laws Of a
genuine or even an artificial code of pro-
priety.
The Society
OF men and women who look at all things
in the pleasantest light, who never take I'M
meant affronts. whose presence always is
oil upon the troubled waters. OF necessity
must be agreeable. The French always
have appreciated this. and have cultivated
good humor as polite accomplishment
BY other nations this has been deemed
a token of insincerity. Not so. To be good
humored always simply Is to Ignore offenses
whenever this Is possible; to bear no
grudge; to utter no harsh criticisms; to re-
spect the pet foibles of ones associates; to
tolerate all amiable expressions: to not see.
or, seeing. to ignore, all the attempts Of the
rudely nurtured to slight or to snub those
whom they care not to favor. and even to
submit to any endurable amount Of IMPOSE
ton rather than to disturb the general
peace; in short, to think more of the COM
mon good will and happiness than ones
own individual tastes, prejudices, desires.
or even rights, that are not essential to
ones own mental and physical wea-being
or that of other persons.
The brightest sallies Of wit. the keenest
flashes of wisdom. are said to be those
which are uttered In strictly family circle
where all the members are bright and culti-
waited, and though often widely differing.
yet are united by an electric touch OF SYM
pathy.
This sympathetic freedom was the ozone
of the old French salons where there was
assured position. sociai equality and thor
ough acquaintance. each with the other
and with the others family and family his
tory No slightest allusion or turn OF a
phrase Is lost. And the particular sunshine