Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-05
VARIETIES OF FRIENDSHIP
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
FRIENDS, ACTIVE AND PASSIVE.
Men and Women Who Sacrifice
Themselves for Causes, But
Not for Persons.

From the London Spectator.
He was an active friend" These hon.
critic words are to be found on monu-
ment of the year 1910 erected to a Somer-
setshire worthy. Among list OF faded
conventional batteries the little phrase
stands out with all the distinction OF
truth A man whose friends were sure of
his service! The careless passer-by still
spares him a kind thought. and is set re-
fecting upon the difference between ac-
tive and passive friendship. The words
active and passive in this connection
are not necessarily synonymous with
selfish and ''unselfish," though at first
sight they might appear to be so. There
are a few actively unsel:ish men and
women who are not capable of any
friendship which could be described as
other than passive. They sacrifice them
selves willingly for causes, and are often
people Of the highest principle. Duty and
religious devotion awake their enthu-
siasm Reform and charity, patriotism
and humanitarianism, stir them to action.
But for individuals they have little feel
ing. The world for them consists not of
men and women. but Of groups and
classes. Ages ago the more spiritually
minded among them went into monas-
teries and converts. unconsciously EN-
abled to do SO by the fact that they did
not care enough for any one in particular
to keep them outside. So they Joined
themselves to a society in which all indi-
viduality was discouraged. and prayed
for the world at large. But not all cause
lovers are Of a theological turn Of mind.
Suffer for an idea.
Today an enormous choice Of affairs is
presented before those who desire to sac
rifce themselves for an abstract idea !:
and putting aside cynicism. they attract
some of the best people in the world.
some of those without whom the world
could not get on at all. Many of those
for whom individuals hardly exist, hardly
exist themselves as individuals. They are
entirely unselflsh; they are willing TO give
away everything they have, everything
the world holds dear. Perhaps the ala
baster box OF New Testament fame is the
only thing they never give. Individual
ties and claims leave them cold. They
conceive Of the poor as a colossal
dirty and suffering abstraction-if such a
contradiction in terms may be permitted
us-for whose good they are prepared to
live or die. Or some great wrong calls
out all their energies. and not all the
rights in the world will enable them to
see II in proportion Or they serve art as
a mistress or science as a god. and their
or illustrations Of a theory. and they are
able to accept their misfortunes or re-
moval with something which simple peo-
pie who tremble at the contemplation of
such blows describe very often as ''cour-
age" They are detached" in the sense
in which IgnatiuS Loyola used the word.
They are few, but. as he said. their power
cannot be computed. They do move the
world. and form an eternal modification
to the beautiful generalization which de-
clares that it is love only which keeps
1t in notion
Selfish "Frierdship."
This Is the noblest stuff out Of which
"passive friends are made. There are,
Of course, plenty of an inferior descrip-
ton; for instance, those who cultivate
friendship for what they can get and look
to make no return. We do not mean
mere cupboard lovers in the material sense
they must be considered incapable of
friendship. however wide their acquaint-
ance or numerous their intimates-but
such men and women as desire sympathy
and value new ideas but having no fer
vor in their natures, remain passive
when they might bestow help on others.
There isSometimes remarkable geniality
about these passive friends They are
we'll disposed toward the whole world. and