The Washington times., 1907-08-04

- HE man was leaning I'D against
an electric light pole He was
the picture Of shiftlessness-
dirty, ragged. degenerate look
ing. HIS face wore an expression OF
listless Indifference. The only sign II
activity about him was the manner in
which he rolled the tobacco in his
mouth.
Any one passing this man quickly
would have seen in him only a low
down loafer- But. standing near him
Tor fen minutes while waiting for
a car. l furuvely studied his face and
saw in IL unmistakable evidence Of a
mind tha; must once have been keen.
a nature with traces Of refnemen.
Something had pulled him down and
down, until he had apparently reached
almost the lowest depths OF degrada-
ton.
He stood there almost motionlsss
while hur ireds OF people passed him
He glanced al some OF them Hstless-
generally wrecked appearance. 4 man
got out OF the wagon and, adjusting
even more securely The climbers boots
he had On, started up the pole.
Immediately the attention OF the
paSsers-by was attracted. Many stop
ped TO watch him. Having reached
the top Of the pole he went 20 work 20
repair the damage done the light with
skill and sWiitneEs He seemed 10
know exactly what TO do. Gradually
the battered light began 20 assume
normal appearance Ere long TIE
workman descended TO tie wagon. got
a globe, went up again, adjusted II IN
its placc then down ne climbed gain
10 the wagon. the driver whipped up
his horses aud away they went leay-
ing behind them a hight so thoroughly
repaired that II would give good ser
vice for many night 10 come
All this time the derelict had stood
leaning against the pole. too Indifferent
TO manifest anything but passing IN
tsrcSt in the work that mad beeh So-
ing on above his head. And there cams
over me With rush the -SIliL9l ZION
ttaf while the shattered light above
him had been repaired so that II could
40 as GOOD se rvfce as il had ever done.
because some one UNDERSTOOD eNaclty
what urss the matter with II. there
vas no one in AL that passing throng
who understood his shattered nature
well enough 10 repair IL and bring II
hack to usefulness. Something had
sFaftered that mans soul so that IL
". while they did not appear 10 see
him. Then, al OF a SUDDEN repair
WAGON from the electric light works
drove I'D 70 the curb and stopped be-
side the man and the pole.
zlanced uI and saw that the globe OF
the light was shattered. and some
thing else seemed to be the matter.
for the entire top OF the pole had
no longer served as light even unto
himself. and why WAS il that IN all
this great city there seemed no one
wise enough in soul knowledge 10 re-
pair IT.
FFad there been hundreds in tnat pass
ing throng who wanted TO help that
man thew would not have known how
to go about il. Had they stopped to
speak 10 bin they would not have
known what 10 say. and even knowing.
would not have understood how 20 say
il The very fact that so many people
passed him without a word was an
acknowledged or their part that
they knew not how to approach him.
Why IS IL that man Is so little IN
touch with man that 4 soul whose
light is shattered cannot be helped7
l. IL because We give SO little thought.
So little interest to the conditions Of
lie outside our own narrow circle3