The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-02-18
DESIRE OF DISTINCTION.
Quaint Illustration Of PeouIi.

Quaint Illustration of Peculiar
Phase of Human Nature.
In doc Gordon" by Mary E. VII
kins- Freeman, is quaint Illustration
of a peculiar phase of human nature.
1t develops with the visits of the two
doctors to their poorer patients;
James drove all the morning with
DR.. Gordon about the New Jersey
country. The country people were
either saturnine with an odd shyness.
which had something almost hostile in
1t. or they were effusively hospitable,
forcing apple jack upon the two doc
tors. James was much struck by the
curious unconcern shown by the rela-
tives of the patients and even by the
patients themselves. In only one case,
that of a child suffering from a bad
case of measles, was much interest
eyinced. The majority of the patients
were the very old and middle aged,
and they discussed and heard discussed
their symptoms with much the same
attitude as they might have discussed
the Vi WOO0CA 0OAA- -
any emotion was shown, it was that
of a singular inverted pride. II had q
terrible night, DOCTOR said one old
woman. and a smirk of self conceit
was over her ancient face. Eyes, moth
er did have an awful night" said her
married daughter, with a triumphant
expression. Even the children cluster
ing about the doctor looked uncon
sciously proud because their old grand
mother had had an awful night. The
call of the two doctors at the house
| was positively hilarious. Quantities OF
old apple jack were forced upon them
| The old woman in the adjoining bed
room, although she was evidently suf
| fering, kept calling out feeble joke II
her cackling old voice.
'Those people seem positively elatec
because that old soul is SICK" said
James when he and the doctor were
again in the buggy.
sHThey are" said DR.. Gordon; "evel
the old woman herself, who knows wei
enough that she has not long to live
Did you ever think that the desire Of
distinction was one of the most, per
haps the most, intense purely spiritua
emotion of the human soul? Look a
the way these people live here, grub
bling away at the soil like ants. Tit
most of them have in their lives JUS
three ways of attracting notice, thu
momentary consideration of their kim
birth, marriage, sickness and death
With the first they are hardly activel!
concerned: even with the second man.
have nothing to do. There are more
women than men, as usual, and, al
though the women want to marry, al
the men do not. There remains onl,
sickness and death for standby, so t
sneak. If one Of them is really sicl
and dies, the people are aroused t
take notice The sick person and tn
corpse have a certain state and dignit.
which they have never attained before
Why, bless you, man, l have one pa
tent, middle aged woman, who ha
been laid up for years with rheuma
tism, and she is fairly vainglorious, an
SO is her mother She brags Of her in
| Vduu uduSulel' Il SAS Aou occn hiSAS
~ an old maid on her hands, she woul'
have been ashamed of her, and the VIC
man herself would have been sour ant
discontented. But she has fairly maj
ried rheumatism. 1t has been to her a
husband and children. | tell you
young man, one has to have his littl
footstool of elevation among his fel
lows, even if it is mighty queer on
or he loses his self respect, and sci
respect is the best jewel we have"