The Washington herald., 1909-05-02

uOl should be addressed 10 The Ar
bitter, care The Washington Herald
The letter from the diplomat resident in
Paris to a young benedict has awakened
SO much favorable comment that have
concluded 10 grant the request made by a
number OF my correspondents 10 publish
another from the same person. and 10
that end asked the young benedict. VINO
has been in correspondence with this dis
unguiShed old gentleman since he was a
child TO send me an epistIe that would be
o. general interest He writes transmit
ting the following letter, written 70 him
when he reached his majority:
Dear Arbiter: II is q great privilege
to grant the request you ask. and I feel
that am doing something for my kind
wren I allow them 10 read the words OF
wisdom Of my sage cid friend. II we, all
OF us, we men. could be Ike him the
world would be better and happier
place TO ike in. In case this pleases as
DrelI ss the previous one may be tempt
ed to give you another Here is the letter:
Dear jack And so you are twenty-one
tomorrow and Yet il seems only yestsr-
day that you were a red little thing IN
your cradle on whom yoUr father looked
With jubisnt. your mother with tender
ewes when wss Ushered In for the first
view of my godchild. I think you VIII
admit that I have taken the duties OF
godfather rather seriously. and that
though fate has separated Us for long
periods. have. since you lost your dear
father. eudesvo-ed 10 stand in his stead
Il one Of your letters you recently be-
moaned the fact that you had been de-
MED man s counsel ana companiOlship
and you mJil.ated that 2 boy who had
gown Up in the society OF women might
be less manly in his ideas than one who
had been brought up more or less with
men. IN this. my Gear fellow, you are
entirely wrong
II you viii search the pages Of history
you VIII in6 that all the big men n the
WcTId have had glorious mothers. By
this. I don't mean suffrageLtes or club
women or AEaz0ns, but mean women
OF force. determination. and purpose Who
Go the work Al hand with ali the strength
and wisdom there .s IN her and Do nos
seek for other fields while there is any
thing 10 be conquered in the one where
they are placed. This reaching out Of
women for new lives is all very well
bur those who 90 Il constantly reminds
ne Of the ordinary workman as opposed
20 the skilled artisan. 3D..
The suffTagette y0u know I love voul-
en. so they VIII not take this aniss-Tnay
do her work. but she does j. roughly.
finishes IL. puts il away and. then her
CeaSeless energy demands something new
on winch 10 eXpend her talent. wl'le the
devoted wife and hCme-Uaker Is like the
skilled workman VINO fashions his clay
or wood or tortoise-sheu whatever his
medium and then refnes II and lab0rates
Il. puts MS soul into its ornamenJation.
polishing. working Our every little detail
10 perfection, with the result that future
generations read his name lovingly as
one Who gave al there was IN him This
is q digression and now back 70 our NUT
ton
a father gives much 70 boy
mother gives more and develops more
She develops the same mauliness which
you fear you may have lost through be
ing constantly In the shadow of her pet
ticoats fOr boy that is worth while
not only looks Up 20 and reverences his
mother. but ne feels II his highest duty
10 protect and care for her and so, be-
cause Of this responsibility lad upon him.
q fatherless lad Is apt 10 attain maturity
before those Of his companions who are
more happily placed Needless tO tell
vou. for your life az college and your few
excursions into the world have shown YOU /.
how much the eternal feminine has 10 DO 4
in a mans life. ] shall, therefore. only 4
touch upon that topic, for your Inter 4
course with your mother has already .
taught YOU what your attitude should be 1
toward them. what your point Of view 4
good mother ever fails in his treatment I
of women
-Eipplinz has written a story called 4
IN the Pride OF His Youth if Temena- /
be- rightly. and il you have not read (
this story. pray do Il begins by saying h
that every. puppy must eat his own soap \
The application is obvious You remem-
Der when YOU went 10 college that I told I
you what thing you would want to do and /
just what would happen If you did them, 4
and you viii remember the COntrite let
ter received from YOU In your junior /
var deploTing the fact that young. people /
could not benefit by the experience Of old \
people. which is altogether ridiculous. be-
cause If young people could benefit by
Ire experience Of old people and conduct /
themselves after the fashion Of old age
there would be no need for US sncients
Dr. OsIer facetousIy remarked al the din
ner given him before his departure for
oxford. Poor Osler. ne knocked down a
hornets nest with that remark. and the
insects il contained have been buzzing
ana stinging him ever since
fS0w let me digress here long enough
70 advise you never 20 make a faCetiOus
remark, except IN the society Of your
peers. your intellectual peers. Of course.
and people whom YOU are quite sure viii
not take you seriously, lest you meet with
OsleT's unhappy fate Not one Of US who
heard that JOcOSe remark thought il
would ever be repeated: bus 10, it has
been worked up into an 'Osler theory.
This letter, my dear Jack, is very
much Ike a schoolgirls essay. jumping
from point TO point, but now 1 an going
70 begin seriously 70 lay down for you a
few rules. which. II they do not bring
success, wiz at least, bring happiness,
and that IS really more important than
success. dislike TO be trite. but a fall
Ure Is sometimes better and greater than
a success. ] am going to ask you first
to endea~or 10 avoid the faults OF your
nation.
a great philosopher has said that
water shares the good OF bad qualities
o. the strata through which its flows, and
man those OF the climate in which he is
bora Believe ne. there is no nation,
uven the most civilized. that has not some
fault peculiar 10 itself. and Il Is a triumph
Of cleverness 10 correct in ones self such
nadonai fsilings, OF even 10 hide them
have 10 wish 10 criticise my country,
but I should say that the tendency TO
boast was the greatest fault OF its peo-
1ie-tO boast Of its greatness which Il !
il is real is evident TO all. and needs no
exploiting so cut out OF your vocabulary
that america is the greatest country in
The world II L is The greatest country, /
lie fact viii not long remain a secTek4 4