The Washington herald., 1910-09-19
sIMPIiCITY.
Human Mind BTOOds over Complex
ities of Nature.

human Mind BrOOds Over Complex
ities of Nature.
Editor The Washington Herald:
The human mind in its weakness broods
over the complexities OF nature But in
The last analysis what is great? How
ever great and complicated an inven.
tion' the principle 10 which il owes is
existence is very simple. CThis statement
is made with all due reverence 10 The
mestermind OF the inventor and the nrod.
uct thereof. to which we owe our civil
lLation) No thought ever originates
freely In the mind OF man.
The inventor owes his success no, so
ihuch 10 superior mentality, but the abil-
ity to perceive, accept, and apply the
suggestions OF nature. however simple.
Herein he surpasses his neighbor TIE
simple things ere more apt 10 be over
looked. for the average man is ike a
enid trying 10 solve a simple problem
IN difficult manner.
Nature has been liberal with her sug-
gestions, yet time has recored but few
immortal names on its scroll. The rest
less tides still ebb and flow. yet no one
avails himself OF their enormous power
The sea still holds in soluble form the
bulk OF earth's salt and possibly many
minerals OF value, but man has devised
no means Of extracting them.
Inc solution Of these problems depends
upon some simple law. Benjamin Frank
lin only harnessed electricity after il had
been worshiped for ages. one. Calico
saw an apple fall from a tree, but at
fected differently from others who had
witnessed the scene before. The impulse
OF some was probably 10 raise and eat
but the first impulse OF Calico was 10
apply that common occurrence 10 the
planetary system, thus discovering the
law OF planetary movement Watt saw
the lid OF a kettle raised by steam. from
which he discovered the great principle
Of the steam engine. VoItaire, seeing a
frogs leg twitch from an electrical
shock, discovered voltaic electricity. A
score or more years ago II was noticed
spark would jump from one dynamo
TO another. yet the wireless telegraph,
constructed upon the same principle, is
OF recent invention.
The greatest product OF the mind is
but an imperfect representation of what
nature has already produced. The spider
constructed the first effective snare; the
beaver built the first dam: the monkey
fashioned the nrst swinging bridge, and
the playful child talked over the hemp
cord before the invention OF the tele-
phone.
Man is likely 10 place fictitious worth
upon the novel, but the little sparrow
that fits from tree to tree is just as
much in the great cosmos as the eagle
in it's sublime flight God is not more
remote from the farmer in the valley
than the mountain climber. To nature
the daisy is as dear as the dandelion; the
unfortunate. clothed in rags, as the &c
centric, adorned with the purple Of au-
thority
The little ant, trodden down In the
mold, causes no less concern than the
fallen monarch. The giant oak is not
mighty stream than the little fountains
The man is not the superior OF the boy.
The world Is not more to the atom than
the atom 10 the earth At last, all are OF
a size: simplicity, the ultjmatum.
Faithful service with the pillow nets the
same reward as sitting in judgment of
men. The scales Of justice bow but 10
merit Truth is but truth. whether blunt
In cost or adorned with smiles. and meta
phors and facts remain unchanged,
whether in the language Of the layman