The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-01-11
The SIZE OF A MAN

proud city of Athens a gentleman in
plain attire hurrying along with a
lighted lantern in his hand. Down
the avenue he went, leaning forward,
holding his lantern up, and peering
inquisitively into the astonished
faces of those he met on the way
Some turned and looked in wonder
after him; the wise ones gave a
knowing wink at their neighbors and
tapping significantly on their fore
heads forgot him as soon as he was
around the corner. But on he went
through throngs of loafers on the
corners, in at one door and out at
another Of business places, through
the city building, the police station,
the courthouse and back up the next
street. Finally reporter for the
Athenian Daily, with visions of
clean scoop, interrupted the strange
wanderer and inquired his business.
With look that almost completely
wilted the reporter and words that
cut like sickle teeth the worlds
greatest cynic philosopher replied:
Hunting for a man." How could
than that he was crazy. Men were
the most plentiful things on the
streets of Athens. But he continued
the bombardment: why do you
grieve over the suffering of Oiysseus
and never think of your own miser-
les? Why do savants gaze upon hea-
venly bodies and forget that they
have bodies upon the earth? Why
do orators study to know how to en-
force the truth when they do not
practice it, and why do musicians
waste SO much time tuning their
harps and neglect their discordant
lives?" The conduct of these two
men has, and forever will brand them
as pessimists of the most cynical
type. But were we to admit that
they were largely correct the ques-
ton now is has times changed much
since Jeremiah called up the want
ad editor and Diogenes went on his
| famous man-hunt? Or is it true that
| what was scarce in Jerusalem in 612
B. c., and in Athens in 323 B. c., is
| not plentiful in America in 1909?
Why should one be contemptuously
| styled "muck-raker" simply because
he tries to rake out and clear up the
muck that others have created? Why
must man be branded a pessimist
because, while recognizing the dough-
nut he does not close his eyes to the
fact that it has a hole in it?
But admitting that men were as
scarce then as these men seeemd to
think they were, l do not believe they
are such today. We ought to find
more men now for We have more to
pick from AMI they have had TWEEN
ty-five hundred years to improve in,
and I believe every succeeding decade
has been an improvement over the
previous one. 1t hasn't been many
hundred centuries since present day
Igirrote head-hunter was a type of
our most civilized citizen.
What, then, is the size of man?
To be a man in all that the word
means one must have depth, breadth
and height. Depth in honesty,
breadth in sympathy and height is
that something in man that makes
him rise at the spur of the moment
ana do and die for others. If a man
is honest he will adhere strictly to
the doctrine of reciprocity in the
practice of the golden rule. If a
man is honest his word is as good
as his bond and he will not misrepre-
sent his wears in order to make a
SALE If he is honest he will jealous
/ ly guard his lips from speaking evil
of his neighbor but will gently spread
| the mantle of charity over his faults
| just as he would want others to do
him were he to commit an error.
4 But man NAV be honest to a
farthing and yet be so cold and un-
| sympathetic and hard-heartei that
/ he could turn a widow and children
out of tenement shack into a snow
storm and still feel that he was an
ideal man-because he was honest
If he lacks sympathy he has not that
fiEess and sensitiveness of soul which