The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-10-23
FOLLY AND WISDOM.

BY no means let US join in the worldly
wise condemnation Of the fools of the
earth 1t was a wise man who said that
1T takes brains 20 be a real fool" The
man without follies, so experience teaches
Us, is pretty likely 10 be something OF a
rogue. In truth, the word fool is one
OF much larger meaning than is generally
thought. The lexieographers-who were,
Of course. the wisest among men-tell US
that a fool is one who acts absurdIy,"
or, going a bit further into the fog of
definition, they declare that fool is one
who ''pursues a course contrary 10 the
dictates OF wisdom" Sometimes. you
viii see, these dictionary definitions are
a bit cloudy, Can any photographer OF
them all, or any philosopher. or any
teacher. tell US with a surety what are
the dictates of wisdom? Do we not
wish they could?
Our friend the banker will tell US that
il is wisdom to pouch our money against
a rainy dag; our honest friend. the
spendthritt declares that he is wise when
lie uses The filthy coin for his present
pleasures-which to him are sure-and
leaves the morrow TO take care OF itself.
Which is right? II is a hard question. and
is hardly 10 be answered IN a sure way,
without possibility OF mistake. until this
weary life is over; and then-it is. I'M
fortunately, too late to repair any mis-
take in judgment. As Stevenson says;
''5ICst # our pocket wisdom is conceived FOR the
us1 # mediocre pecple. TO discourage them from
ambitious attempts. and generally console them IN
THEN medi1cyity. And since L.sdiccre people cen
stituts the bulls II humanity this is doubt yery
properly So But 10 does no. follow that the one
sort Il Proposition is any less true than the other
ar that IeirIs is not more 10 be praised and per
haps more envisd Than Mr. samuel Budget the
successful merchant"
Folly and wisdom are, in one aspect
only the terms applied by the world at
large 10 the result of mans efforts.
Icarus seeking 10 fly, and being dashed
10 death on the rocks below, Is a fool
because he failed Edison making lamps
burn by an unknown force which We call
electricity IS a wise man because he sue
eeeded. Yet, let US suppose that Edison 5
lamps had not burned, and that Icarus
had successfully navigated the air-where
would our definitions be then? Sir Rich
ard Grenville assaulting a Spanish fleet of
ffty-three ships with his wonderful little
craft The Revenge should by all rights
stand 10 the world as rare example of
a fool. bat when
They sank his body with honor down into the deep:
Aud they manned the little Revenge with a
sWarthicT, alien crew;
And away She sailed with her Ioss and lonzed for
her own
We come 10 see thar il is such folly
as this that has made this brave old
world what il is
Men of a certain age, with toothless
gums and wagging jaws. are apt To-. look
upon youth as the time of folly: as #
their om-superabundant as II might
have been-had brought them anything IN
life but, at the last, distaste for food.
weak shanks. and watery eyes. Youth.
on the other hand. glorying in its strength
and devoutly hoping in the opportunities
that are coming. is more than likely 10
dub the graybeards fools. for that they
have lived long years and have attained
little but multiplicity of weaknesses and
wrinkles, and seem now to be somewhat
meticulously awaiting the final knock al
LIES door.
Nothing is achieved in this life with
out brave spirit. that is willing 10 at
tempt the impossible, storm the heights
that wisdom would shrink from and 10
adventure cOurageOusly into unknown seas
that wisdom would not sail without a
chart A common phrase in English
speech is TO play the fool" a phrase
used usually in contempt; but the man
who has never played the fool in his
life most clearly shows the absence of
wisdom. There are other phrases that
have crept into the language designed 10
show the unwisdom of being fool
Fools paradise" Is one Of them. tho
wisoacTes forgetting. IL would seem. that
from that very paradise has come much
that Is best and greatest in our ntera-
ture; What sort Of a heaven NAV we
suppose The sonnets from the Portu-
guese" came from? a FOOLS errand', Is
another phrase that we may bravely dis
like. The desire of the heart is strong.
and the true man, whether you call him
fool or not, reaches out after his hearts
desire. Because at the end of a passage
which may have been troublesome and
dangerous he finds nothing better than
Dead Sea fruit, are we 10 stamp the adj
Nenturous voyager a fool? Has he nor
made the journey while the wiseacres
stayed at home? surely. to sit by the
fireside and timorously to keep out of
DANGER is not always the part Of wisdom.
And there is that other phrase. fools
gold" that strange admixture of metals
practically worthless. which has de-
ceived so many poor fools wandering in
the wilderness. But the fools who sought