The Washington times., 1906-12-05
HOWE ITS PROBLEMS IND INTERESTS
Limp People

l. everyone in this world had a back
bone there would not be so much misery
and guilt as there Is.
Yet, unfortunately. limp people
a bound 10 the detriment. Ol society aud
70 their. own certain sorrows; mOllusks,
predestiEed 10 be the food Of the
stronger, with no power OF self-defense
nor OF self-supporL
They must be continually protected
against outside dangers If they are to
be preserved at all-theu, perhaps. when
all has been done for them that can be
done they are not safe even then, and
most likely are not worth the trouble
taken.
Open the gates bat for u moment ana
they are swept up the first passerby.
Let them loose from sustaining hand
and they fall abroad in "a mass Of flabby
hclpIessness. unable To resist; mere
heaps Of moral protOplasm. pitiable as
well as contemplate.
A molluskcus man is a Wretched liv-
ing picture of helplessness and shift
lcssnes.
In vain his 81 I.ends sugges; this or
that independent endeavor He shakes
his head and says he can't; IL won I 10.
What he wants is a place where he Is
not Obliged to depend upon himself;
where he mas 10 do = fixed amount of
work for q fixed amount OF salary, snd
where his Elasticity may find a mold,
ready formed, into which Il may run
without the necessity OF forging shapes
fcr Itself
Many q man of respectable intellectual
powers has gone down into ruin and
died miserably because of this limp
ness. which made II impossible
for him to break new ground or to
work at anything whatsoever with the
stimulus of hope only.
Ia no manner are limp people 30 be
depended upon, their very central quail
ity being fuidity, which is bad thing
10 res; on. The only safe way With
limp people is never TO believe what
they say, OF. II You are forced TO be
lieye. never 10 translate your faith into
deeds or even words.
They DO not intend H. in all .proha-
biliJy, but by very force Of their weak
nesses they are incapable OF anything
like true friendship. and, in fact, male
the most dangerous friends 10 ne found.
They are 50 plastic that they take the
shape of every hand which holds them.
II YOU 10 not know them well, YOU
may be deceived by the Softncss OF The
touch. and think them sympathetic be-
cause they are fluid
They leave you tuIl Of promises IN
hold all YOU have told them sacred. and
before an hour is over they have To-
pelted 10 your greatest enemy every
word YOU nave said.
They perhaps had not the slightest
iuteution of doing 30 when they lef.
you. hut the poor backbOueleSS Great
uIes cannot develop strength enough 40
respect any confidence.
ILe traitors of lie are the limp peo-
plo-much more SO than the wicked peo-
ple. who let things bc woTmed out of
them rather than Intentionally betray
them.
Another characteristic OF limp people
is tleir curious ingTatitude. Give them
uine-tenths OF your substance and they
viii turn against YOU II yOr refuse
tAem the remaining tenth
Lend them all The money You can
spare and lend in utter hopelessness Of
any future date Of payment. but re-
needs and they will leave your house
open -Uortl1cd st your stinglness.
To be grateful requires some kind o.
reteat!ve faculty, and this is Just what
the limp nave not.
another characteristic OF a different
lli1u is the rashuess with which they
which they afterward md they cannot
bear.
They rover know how 20 calculate
their forces and spend the latter part
OF their life a. regrettipE what they
have spent the former half in cndesvOT-
Ing 20 attain.
They know nothing OF he clear. in
clsiVe action which sets men and
women al ease with themselves. ana
enables them 10 bear consequences. be
they good or evil. with dignity or resis-
nation.
\ limp. bdckboneless creature always
falls foul Of conditions whatever they
may be- thinking the right side better
than the left. and the left 30 much
nicer than the right according 10 its
own place OF standing.
The limp-like fret}uI babies DO not
know what they want. being uncoH-
sciOus that the whole mischief lies in
their having q VeTtelval column Of
gristlc instead Of bOne
Not difficult 70 Hress into the service
of any cause whatever they are the
very. curse OF all causes which they as
sumo 10 serve. They collapse at the
very first touch Of persecution. of mis-
understau ding OF hard Judgment af,-i
fail abroad IN hopeless panic at the
mere tread OF the coming foe.
All things have their uses and good
issues, but what portion of the general
good the limp ere designed TO promote
IS one Of the mysteries not To- be re-
veaied in time or space.