The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-07-06

HYDE has brought out with dramatic
intensity in real life by the New York
tragedy that ended the career Of Stan
ford White and sent Harry Kendall
Thaw to prison on a murder charge.
Stanford White was an architect
who stood eminently at the top
Of his profession. The buildings
which he designed were masterpieces,
and his reputation for artistic taste,
keen intellect and skillful hand, made
him the envy of his craft in all Amer.
lea lie was a famous mana great
man, Judging his ife's work and his
brains achievement.
But there was a black side to the
nature of White. Although his home
was all that could have been desired,
this architect seldom was seen there.
lie preferred his apartments down
town where he could revel unmolest-
ed What he did there, it is said by
the attorney who heard Mrs. Thaw's
story, will shock the moral sensitive
ness OF Jne ClVlllLeu WOTlu.
White had two brains. With one he
thought the thoughts Of keen, won.
derfu architect - thoughts that are
created only in one brain of a million.
with the other he thought thoughts of
| the beast; shameful, depraved, degen-
crate thoughts that dsgraced him and
led his body and soul into disease and
death.
White had two sets of eyes. With
one he could detect art and beauty
and proportion in massive buildings
that stand as monuments to his engi-
neering brain. With the other he saw
nothing but millinery displays that he
met on the street, dancing chorus
girls on the stage and the winks of
their eyes.
White had two hearts. One bound
ed with ambition that led him to his
enviable prestige as the head of q
nation. The other pumped into his
system nothing but brute blood-the
blood of base passion that ran riot
through his veins.
And so it was that this dual-natured
creature-as completely a being OF
double type as was ever imaginative
Jekyll and Hyde-was murdered as a
penalty for the deeds of his blacker
self in the very building that stands
as an everlasting and splendid monu
ment to his better self.
And, though the story of Stanford
White is emphasized by his dramatic
career and his tragic end, he is but a
type of what we all are in this world
To a greater or less extent, all are
daily living the dual role of Stanford
White.
In each nature there is some of the
Jekyll and some of the Hyde. In each
there is the side that the sun shines
on, and the side that falls in the shad
ing is allowed to rule, just to that ex
tent will the vicious side in ones ma
ture cause his downfall.
This human duplicity is seen on the
streets of every hamlet every day
You will see, embodied in one being
a keen-minded, scholarly, philosophic
lover of nature and man who is in
different to the world, fears no god
and laughs at the lives that he ruins
1t is a queer battle that is going or
always within the human brain be
tween the good and the bad, tempta
ton and judgment, which produces
this double-minded, double-eyed, dou
ble-hearted creature that we call man
In some instances Judgment wins
most of the conflicts, in others judg
ment loses, and the world calls man
good or bad in accordance with the
color that most prevails in his life.
Here and there is man very white
in some spots and very black in 9th
ers; now and then there is one who
is neither very white nor very black
and again there are those who seen
to be almost all black or almost ali
white.
Stanford White was white and Stan
ford White was black. We give hin
credit for his whiteness, but his black
ness was SO very inky that the effect
of his good deeds is almost lost to the
sight of his fellow creatures.
And the striking feature of thai
mans life and death, is the fact thai
he could have been all white If he haC
allowed his architect self to beat his
other self into line.