The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-09
/. What We See From Our windows

What we see from our window Is largely the
measure of ourselves.
We not what is not there, and often
we do not what is obviously there.
And we generally fail to see what should be
there.
That is the essential thing-to see not what is
merely and cheaply there, but to see what should
be there. for we make our windows what they
An ancient poet wrote that his window was
open to Jerusalem, and It has seemed to the three
thousand years since that it was an admirable
thing to have thought and to have said
A German singer wrote that from her win
dow height she gazed out on the night, her lone
watch keeping, she still was weeping. while
men were gay and in<onstant.
We see different things from windows.
What did the poet see who gazed over the arid
hills OF Palestine toward Jerusalem? The city
lay In its nest In the hills the cynosure Oh all
eyes, the desired of heather peoples. the envy
of the lower tribes. Yet at no time In it's his
larry great or. exalted. 1t was sordid and little
and mean. The truly great things came from
without-from the despised Nazareth or Sharon
The great city of the hills stood as the tower OF
the Jebusites and the refuge of the Hebrews
But what else? Now mere h-city OF the
Trbes-EI Kuds!
But the poet saw far more than this. He saw.
as see. all the things that Jerusalem stood
for-the glory of the past and of the future-a
significance far beyond the power OF words TO ex-
press
Three kinds Of eyes look from windows. One
sees only what il to be by the eyes OF the
fesh--the sordid things that are there outspread
by a sordid generation He that reads may run.
Is this vision OF the eye. Inere tneS ART
all the things that have sprouted and grown ana
bourgeoned-opulent and rich and luxurious But
they the things Of everyday Life All Oh U.s.
the duilest clods among u.s. may see them
Another eye will only the effects or Things
That is the scientific eye. 1t sees what may De
made Of the things It sees. Objects are to 1t the
possibilities of science. ,.
The third observer looks over the scene with
the eye of the soul He sees. but he Goes not
record. the objects by the eye OF the BODY.
He sees, but he does not note the things seen
by the eye of the mind. The obvious things
seem unworthy to him. They the things seen
by all the world In circle. The soul sees other
things.
What do we see from windows2 Over there,
beyond the mist and the cleaning OF the sunset
hour we see from window-which looks out
or gives" as the English say, upon an asphaiteo
street and with the dust of generation over
strewn and beyond this the maze of river-mlsts
and dust the streets of a little town 1he etreets
Chamber up the hills. and disappear in the goaH-
ing They NAV lead-to what goals we know
not But they begin their march toward ana
beyond the horizon
II we will. see. them as they lead 10 the
mountains or to the ~reat centers of the world
They lead us to the Eeights--or to the depths
The vision we see is of own creation we
nee what we wish to see--from our window.
We look out upon the world; and the world IL
as we would see it. So great Is the power ana
magic OF our window. 1t Is not the world or
everyday not the world OF sordid strife, put the
world our fancy would have II. We see 1t rom
our window and know that II is there. II IL
the world or our making. the world we wish TO
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