The Washington herald., 1912-11-03


u morously, ~ " an incurable disease OF
the Ia" Like other incurabls dtseases
Ut must be cured before you get II This
IN no paradox. Preventive medicine
is taking q larger end larger place IN the
science Of maintaining health. 1t has enor-
nous prejudices to overcome. for men will
walk deliberately into disease and discom-
fort or they will swear that where ignorance
of the laws of health II bnss-for the time be-
ing-'tis folly to be wise.
The disease Of self ID another definition OF
egotism. Egotism grows on Q n,an Ike that
horrible disease which enlarges his limbs and
his very bones until he IL . living monstrostty.
It Is wholly reasonable that the medical pro-
fession should go to the elephant to get
term for describing this disease.
Man IL almost as early subject to tbs dis
ease Of egotism a. he II to colo He shows
SYMPTOMS Of il At the time Of his nrst bath.
Beginning then and for many yeAFS there
after iRporant parents make no attempt to
lessen fts 1avagesL Nay. rather they do
everything to fasten 1t upon their offspring.
This disease may easily grow In . child until
its manifestations are ~ feroctous and mer-
ciless as those Of . wild beast Like the
wild beast, eeoetsm will turn and rend the
very hand that has caressed IT.
Effective egotism Is more or less convincing
and tolersbIe Ineffective egotism l. one Of
the most jealous and suspicious Of human
frsilties. In tts manifestations It 10 often
fairly nauseating 1t repels. 1t isolates. II
loses out Its successes are half failures,
and its failures are Of the most hopeless Of
all failures, however disguised
X y
Can FORGIVE the Great Man.
We forgive the great man who has accom-
plished much for being proud and perhaps q
little vain Of his accomplishment. We despise
the little man who has done nothing to de-
serve either his own approval or another's
praise, yet nevertheless believes that his
wink his nod, his smile is the motor which
sets up all the activity in the world around
him. Do We not. indeed. despise him?
When did your trumpeter die?" recently
asked a rather vivaciously nippant young
woman Of a man Of colossal egotism. She
knew this mans weakness SO well that she
alternately played upon it, now fiattering
and now taking liberties. But for all his
egotism. this man happened to be no fool
and so he answered promptly. but without
humor: He isn't dead" So alive u this
quality in the man. and so inveterate a hold
has Ego on this victim, that quite uncon-
sciously he was inviting a small company
assembled as his visitors to remember that
=. / did it," did the best one. or " You have
not seen mine." or something similar. These
we're his constant refrains when any one
praised anything belonging to any one else or
anything worthy that any one else had done.
His perpetual Dragging might have had bit
of grace IL q good fairy had endowed him
with the gift Of humor at his birth. but she
unfortunately withheld this divine endow-
ment.
No humor had this man, but rather q more
asinine complaeence than any man can af-
ford to possess. and this though the armor
Of self which he wears needs mend1ng at
every joint for it is sadly impervious and
disgracefully slip.hod. 1t hardly protects
him in any sense from the sharp Arrows
Of the world, as good armor Of whatever sort
should. 1t rather hampers him. besides
clanking so nofsily.