The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-12-02
UNDER T HE Lash.
6Y ANoLlcus.

~ enough, memory. OalVtnlSt VI
Buddhist, Mormon or Jew, it mat
tiers not. But there are other kinds
of intolerance which prevail. One
of the most prevalent forms is that
represented by the type of man who
is interested in certain subjects
and imagines that everybody else
sees eye to eye With him. His
world is bounded by these subjects,
and all other matters appear to him
trifling or useless. In m US i c a |
magazines, to take an instance, it
is frequently, assumed that music
is the hub of life, that, exactly as
q nation appreciates music, m ay
its measure of civilization be taken.
1t is. of course, true that, with many
a musician, his art is more than
half of his life; but the same is
true of all conscientious workers.
Any work which is not pleasure
is waste. Any work which can
not compel interest leaves the mind
free to dwell upon thoughts of a
compelling nature. The weakest
man is dominated by a controlling
motive, though he may not recog-
niza it. But 1t is important to &C.
casionalIy open ones eyes. n d
look into other sections of life than
ones own, itf which other ideas
and other methods of thought OBJ
tain. That is one Of the chief val
ues of the local Chautauqua Circle.
There may be heard papers deal
ing with every phase of human &C.
tiyity. A miner writes of his mine,
an engineer of his engine, doctor
of his medical learning, even an
acrobat of his tumbling. The life of
the onenlght stands jostles the life
of the workshop; 1t is vat of ex-
perience, in which are mixed all
the elements which make up knowl-
edge. Many a priest, many an ar
tist complain of the intolerance of
those who are in love neither with
priestcraft nor with artistry-for-
getting that their intolerance is at
least equal, and in view of their
greater knowledge less exousable.
He who says, Il care for none of
these things" must not be surpris-
ed if he find himself in turn uncared
for. An absorbing interest should
not blind anybody to the fact that
there are other important matters.
THEODORE w ATTs-D NToN,
friend of Swinburne and last OF
the Elizabethans { until some other
arise on which this time-honored
nickname may be bestowed, thinks
that the times are out of joint. 1t
is rot novel point of view. 1t
has been held by most of the great
Victorian masters, from Carlyle to
Swim hurne himself. 1t was hello
by those very Elizabethans who
now seem childlike beings, with
the dew of wonder on their hearts
Pessimism and the highest genius
go frequently hand in hand; anc
this is one Of the chief reasons why
pessimism meets with such sterr
reprobation. The little dogs bari
at the eagle. By concentrating thu
attention on the increase of child
labor or death, on the misery o
great cities, on the rich growing
richer and the poor growing poor
er, it is always possible to selec
facts which harmonic with th'
pessimistic viewpoint. Similarly
those who have not found thor1
in their rosebed find it hard to con
ceive of the denial of the primar,
tenet, Goods in His heaven, all
right with the world" To be Meth
er optimist nor pessimist, is to b
comprehensive. But the gain i
breadth is compensated by the los
In energy. Theold Parsee religion
with it's principle of eternal confiic
between two equal powers OF goo
and evil, is fascinating but make
few converts. 70 believe in on
of the two is easy, but the recen
! disappearance of the orthodox de1