Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-07-11
CHAPTER <. The Face !n the Crowd.

Except the time gwen to the CHI dren-there were presently three my life, in all it's thoughts and asso citations was now politics: at Wash jngton from December until-congress adjourned, chiefly national politics the long and elaborate arrangements preliminary to the campaign for the conquest of the national fields; at home, chiefly state politics--strength ening my hold upon the combine strengthening my hold upon the two political machines. AS the days and the weeks, the months and the years rushed by, as the interval between breakfast and bedtime, between Sun day and Sunday, between election day and election day again, grew shorter and shorter, I played the game more and more furiously. What I won, once it was mine, seemed worthless in itself, and worth while only if l could gain the next point; and, when that was gained, the same story was repeated. Whenever I paused to re- fleet, it was to- throttle reflection half born and hasten on again.
 "A silly business, this living, isn't dt?" said Woodruff to me.
 'Yes-but-" replied l. You re- member the hare and the natter in ,l'Alice in Wonderland 'Why?' said the hare. Why not? said the natter. IA sensible man does not interrogate life; he lives it."
 "H'm," retorted Woodruff
 And we went on with the game !shuf1ing, dealing, stalking. But more and more frequently there came hours, when, against my will, I could ldrop my cards, watch the others; and I would wonder at them, and at my self, the maddest of these madmen- and the saddest, because I had mo- ments in which was conscious of my own Arrangement.
 have often thought on the cause of this dissatisfaction which has never ceased to- gird me, and which I have learned girds all men of intelligence who lead an active life. I think it is that such men are like civilized man who has to live among savage tribe. To keep alive, to have influence, he must pretend to accept the savage po;lt of view. must pretend to disre- gard his own knowledge and intelli- gent methods, must play the game of life with the crude, clumsy counters of caste and custom and creed and nh u,hi hn orI fit and proper Intelligent men of ac- tion do see as clearly as the philoso- phers; but they have. to pretend to adapt their mental vision to that of the mass of their fellow men or, like the philosophers, they would lead lives of profitless inaetion, enunciat- ing truths which are of no value to mankind until it rediscovers them for itself No man of trained reasoning power could fail to see that the Gold 'en Rule is not piece of visionary al- truism. but a sound principle of prac- tical self-interest. Or, could anything be clearer, to one who takes the trou- ble really to think about 1t, than that he who advances himself at the ex- pense of his fellow men does not ad- vance but sinks down into the class of murderers for gain. thieves, and all those who seek to advance them selves by injustice? Yet, So feeble ds mans reason, so near to the brute is he. so under the rule of brute appe- tites, that he cannot think beyond the Immediate apparent good. beyond to- days meal
 I once said to Scarborough: "PoH- tics is the science and art of tooling the people"
 That is true, as far as 1t goes." he said. If that were all, justice. which is only another name for com mon sense. would soon be established. But. unfortunately. politics Is the art of playing upon cupidity. the art of fooling the people into thinking they are helping to despoil the other fel- low and will get a share of the swag"
 And he was right. It is by subtle appeals to the secret and shamefaced. but controlling. appetites of men that the clever manipulate them. To get a man to vote for the right you mus show him that he is voting for the personally profitable And very slow he is to believe that what is right can be practically profitable Have not the preachers been preaching the reverse all these years; have they not been insisting that 10 do right means treasure in heaven only?
 It was in my second term as sena- tor. toward the middle of it. I was speaking one afternoon. in defense of a measure for the big contributors. which the party was forcing through the senate in face of fire from the -hole country Personally. did not approve ;he measure. 1t was a front al attack upon public opinion. and frontal attacks are as unwise and as unnecessary in politics as in war. Rut the party leaders in the nation in sisted. and. as the move would weak en their hold upon The party and so improve my own chances. I was not deeply aggrieved that my advice had been rejected Toward the end of my speech. aroused by applause from the visitors gallery. I forgot myself and began to Lock ID there as talk ed. instead of addressing mysslf to my feiioW senator's The eyes of a speaker always wander over his au- dience in search of eyss that respond Ny glance wandered. uno0nsciously. until il found an answering glance that fixed it