The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-06-07

was so utterly hopeless, and his
faith in men and women was so lit
tie. Young Radford was naturally
T influenced by his fathers views,
and his fathers character. ana thus
by the time he was cid enough to
go to a public school, he was, like
Shelley, an atheist
Presently his father who was am
bilious for his sons future, sent
him TO oxford. He became stu
dent at Magdalen College, whore
he obtained, not only reputation
as scholar and debater but he
became notorious. He became more
and more imbued with the material
istic philosophy which was accept
ed by a certain section of the men
there; indeed. he became their lead
er ann spokesman. He protested an
utter contempt for life. lie regarded
men and women as so many worth
less things spawned upon the shores
of time, to be presently swept away
into rnthingncss. He had little or no
faith in the nobility of human ma
ture. Men were mostly sordid. self
ish and base. Trace mems motives
to their source, and they were in
the main selfish. Women were, if
possible worse than men. When he
was about twenty four he altered
his opinion for a time. He fell in
love with girl who fascinated him
by her wit. her beauty, and what
he believed to be her goodness. For
time his love made him cast
on his fathers hopeless philosophy.
He formed plans for the future
Through his mother he possessed
an income, which while not large,
placed him in a position of affu-
euce. 1t was large enough to enable
him 10 enter parliament. where he
believed he could make himself n
brilliant future.
He proposed to the girl with
whom he had become enamoured
and was accepted He had barely
become an accepted lover, however,
when a young barrister who had
won a great deal of praise at the
bar, and had also entered parlia
ment, where he was spoken of as
a man with a great future before
him, also proposed to her. Without
hesitation this girl, Blanche Bridge
town by name, cast Leicester aside
and accepted the man who had
made Il reputation, rather than keep
her faith with one whose future
was uncertain. In this decision
Blanche Bridgetown was largely in
fluencel by her mother.
Radford Leicester soon recovered
from the wound he had received
in his heart, but he did not re
cover from the blow which was
struck at his faith. All his old cynic-
ism and hopelessness reasserted
themselves Whenever he spoke of
women he spoke bitterly. his out
lok on life became less cheerful
than ever.
Then another element entered his
life. Up to this time he had not been
a hard drinker; but now the taste
which he had inherited grew strong
err Drink made him forget his
wounded pride; and confident in his
boast that no distilled spirits could
ever affect him outwardly, he in
dulged in this evil habit more and
more freely
Still, pride was not dead. Profess
ing, as he did, that life was a mis-
erabe sort of affair at the best.
he still had ambition. He wanted
to carve out fer himself a place
of position and power. His party
had found a constituency for him,
and he contested it. At the time Of
the contest, however, the political
opinions which RadfOrd Leicester
had adopted were not popular. His
opponent won the seat
Again he was embittered, again
his pride was wounded, and the
habit which had been gaining in
strength now seemed to have OBJ
tanned complete mastery over him.
Thus Radford Leicester who had
never been known to be drunk,
was ad runkard. He had no faith in
man; he had no faith in God
There was one power in his life.
however-ambiti0n. He wanted to
be renowned He knew that he pos
sessed unusual abilities; his career
in oxford had proved it, in a hun
dred ways Moreover. the vice which