Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-07-27

AQQ We no 0OQDL L6dB 10 the aver
age citizen, leading small, quiet life
and dealing with affairs in corner
grocery retail, the stupendous facts
Of accumulations of wealth and whole
sale, far-and-wide purchases of the
politicians, the vast system Of
bribery, with brides adapted to every
taste and conscience, seem impossi-
bilities, romancings OF partizanship
and envy and sensationalism. Nor
can he understand the way superior
men play the great games, the heart
lessness of ambition, the cynicism Of
political and commercial prostitution.
and the sense of superiority to the
legal and moral codes which comes to
men with success.
Your average citizen Is a hero-wor-
shipper, too. He knows his own and his
neighbours weaknesses, but he gapes
up at the great with glamoured eyes.
and listens to their smooth plausible
tiles as to the reading of the Gospel
from the pulpit. He belongs to the
large mass OF those who believe, not
to the small class of those who ques-
ton. But for the rivalries and
jealousies of superior men which have
kept them always divided into two
parties, the ms and the outs, I mag
inc the masses would have remained
forever sunk in the most helpless, il
the most delightful, slavery-that in
which the slave accepts his lowliness
as a divine ordinance and looks I'D to
his oppressors and pIunderers as hero.
leaders. And no doubt, so long as
the exuberant riches Of our country
enable the triumphant class to take
care of all the hungry who have in
telligence enough to make themselves
dangerous, we shall have no change
except occasional spasms whenever a
large number OF unplaced intelligent
hungry are forcing the full and fat to
make room for them. How long will
this be?
II our education did not merely
feed prejudices instead of removing
them. should say not long. AS 1t is,
| expect to leave the world as wick
ed and as foolish as I found it," At
any rate, until the millennium, shall
continue to play the game under the
rules of human nature-instead of I'M
der the rules of human ideals as does
my esteemed friend Scarborough.
And l claim that we practical men
are as true and useful servants of our
country and of our fellow men as he.
IL men like him are the light, men
like rs are the lantern that shields
it from the alternating winds of ra-
pacity and resentment.
But, in running on about myself, I
have got away from my point, which
was how slight and even fiimsy a
pretense of fairness will shelter a
man in high place-and therefore a
Burbank. He will fool the people as
easily as he fools himself" said 1.
And more than ever it seemed to me
that I must keep out of the game
of his administration. My necessity
of party regularity made 1t impos-
sible for me to oppose him; my
equal necessity of not outraging my
sense of the WISE not to speak Of
the decent, made 1t impossible for
me to abet him.
At last Woodruff came In person.
When his name was brought to me
l regretted that | could not follow my
strong impulse to refuse to see him.
But at sight of his big strong body
and big strong face, with it's typi-
cally American careless good humor
the cool head. the warm heart. the
amused eyes and lips that could also
harden into sternness of resolution
at sight of this old friend and COM
panion-in-arms, my mind began to
lift and / felt him stirring in it like
what you've come to say" I began,
but cont say it, l shall keep to
my tent for the present"
Then you won't have a tent to
keep to-" retorted he.
Very WELL" said I. my private
affairs will give me all the occupa-
ton need"
He laughed THE general resigns
from the command of the army to
play with box of lead soldiers"
THAT sounds WELL" said l. but the
better the analogy, the worse the
logic. l am going out of the business
OF making and working of gold
bricks and green goods-and that's no
analogy"
Then you must be going to kill
yourself" he replied. 'for that is
life"
Public life-active life," said I.
Here there are other things" and
l looked toward my two daughters.
whose laughter reached us from their
pony-cart just rounding distant
curve in the drive.
His gaze followed mine, and he
watched the two children until they
were out of sight, watched them with
the saddest, hungriest look in his
eyes. Guess you're right" he said
gruffly.
ciIanna oslxoH. tsyU1,oksss