The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-08-14
cIarkson aud Others.

Council Bluffs NonpareH: Inc
case Of Joseph r. Clarkson OF ne.
nosha Wis. practicing attorney ana
former Judge who was found WORKING
in pearl button factory at Sapuia,
Iowa, week ago after several weeks
Of wandering on his part and OF mys-
terry on the part of his friends as 70
his whereabouts, takes on new interest
with the information now coming
from Kenosha.
This was the second time that Clark
son had disappeared under almost
exactly similar circumstances The
| former occasion was eighteen years
| ago Clarkson at that time was resi-
dent OF Omaha. A strange feature is
/ that in his alteration the man gravi-
tated to the same locality both times,
and both times when recovered by
| friends he was found at manual labor
| and possessed with desire to be SO
occupied. The latter circumstance, OF
course. affords opportunity for faceti-
ious remark, but the case may be
worthy of more serious treatment.
When redeemed from his former di-
1emma. Clarkson returned to the
practice of the law and for eighteen
years pursued his profession and at
fairs in a manner nowise different
from that of any rational man. This
time, according to newspaper &C
counts while restored to normal
mental state when reclaimed from his
vagary, he persists in the desire fol-
manual labor, and announcement Is
/ made that he has quit his law Of
: flee and will go to work In factory
at Kenosha. Give me a place where
| I can do manual labor" he is quoted
; as saying. Il want to work with my
: hands and enjoy the pleasure OF the
: man who is actually engaged in the
j production Of something of tangible
nature
Il would be easy to dismiss the cas-
? bv simply saying that the man Il
. c.azy, and the fact that he did not q
:. about 1t in an orderly way to chang
II
y pothesis. But If we may for. a momen
= forget the circumstance of his wander
6 ing secretly from his home, Clarkson'
q case Is not we venture to say, at al
i different from many others, up to tn
,r point where action follows desire. w
IS have no doubt that this country is fu
q. OF lawyers and editors and preacher
and the others who might be groupe
st along with these classes as brain worl
s. ers who know something Of whs
lg Clarkson feels; who, at one time or al
lg ether, have had the sense borne |
re upon them that they are non-producer
In parasites, missing the real satisfa
81 lions of life, out of the current of gel
n uine usefulness. With this feelin
or comes the desire to work with til
IT. hands, most frequently perhaps to ii
M the soil, that naturally being the sur
Ds mum bonum to such minds at sue
~ moments In an agricultural countr
he Often the individual can tell you II
% hour and the spot when and whel
this thing came most forcibly to hir
- C,arkson's Is an exaggerated case.
q kind 1t is normal enough; in degr,
~ only is it abnormal
nv Follow the idea along another cha
1T. mel. A Burlington lawyer reconstruc
ce the entire interior of his house durii
yo spare hours; an Omaha lawyer worI
it'll two months a year on farm; the G
,or itor and the preacher have their litt
to vegetable gardens, their flowers, tree
he perhaps chickens anything. Here
les is that they recruit their brains ce
he and avoid becoming narrow, biase
ed cracked, useless. Mending the tear
ng is better than nothing. The han
were made to work with. The 81
lit occupation, the building Of boat, I