The Washington herald., 1912-05-24
THE. THINGS THAT
INTEREST Us MOST
Are Those Which Touch the Sim
pie Things of Life.
By FRANCES sHAFFER.


she was a music teacher. and the little
group OF friends sitting in the lingering
twilight asked her to play something .
The air was soft and dreamy and she
drifted into some tender melodies that
sang their sweet way into the hearts
OF al but one AS one selection. grace
ful ami shimmering. followed smother.
all were charmed. all but the one.
And she-"Yes. they are pretty. simple
little things but I Ike music to speak
OF grandeur something majestic and
meaningful.
flights were wanted. she could sosr-and
she did. From the soft. soothing meIo-
dies she wandered far away into the
dramatic. the intense. It was perfect,
IN its way, but she had gone to a
strange port, where her little audience
would gladly have followed II they had
known how to embark but they did not
understand. and so the music failed TO
sink into their hearts, for they could
not interpret it.
And when the tones at last died away
and the players fingers once more
trailed back 10 the beautifully simple,
even the one dlssenter was ready to say
that they We're the sweetest OF all be
cause they seemed best to 1T in with
the simple tale OF lie
same with Our Thoughts.
And so with our talks and our
thoughts We wish we might soar, but
the clouds are unfamiliar and our lives
run along on the level and so we talk
about the things we meet in our work
and our pleasures, and think OF the
events that touch our lives.
And right here the modern editor
would say:
And yet you modern women complain
because of the special page and the
particular magazine we prepare for your
reading! We give yeu the Kaiser's three
Ks-Kirche, Kuche and KInder-what
more do you want? We instruct you
abundantly in cooking, the upbringing
Of children, clothing, love, ethics and the
wonderful art OF being beautiful-surelyl |
all the heart interests are there, and yet
you complaint
You see, they don't understand!
The majority of us have not yet
achieved the occult sciences and have
not earned a single degree. We are
stin interested in the three ks TO
which the great Kaiser would limit us
and We never viii outgrow that in
terest; but there are other activities
which men and women share togethef,
other pursuits they follow, full Of heart
throbs and human interest, and we
want a working part or a reading part
in all.
of Deep Human Interest.
Only few can actively follow where
the surgeon goes or deal with the
mighty problems of life and death that
face the. physician, but these are things
that never fail 10 thrill and inspire deep
human interest.
And it is just such things that men /
and women are accomplishing in all
the fields Of life dealing with humanity
that appeal to us most II a lecturer or
a writer drifts away to technicalities
and dwells upon researches that we
cannot comprehend, then the depths are
beyond most of us; but when he gets
down to the human end OF it and tells
us what science has done and is doing
for life. then we wake up, because we
and are interested in things
that are vital to men and women
everywhere.
But we often forget that in history
there are human interests, heart in
terests a-plenty, and as we reach closer
TO our own times there is still the same
human end to the game of politics or
government It is only a matter of
knowing a little about our world to
realize that there is a tag of human
interest to everything that is worth
while
The main point is to understand.
A little story tells of an artist who
painted a great picture. One praised
the perfect drawing. another the bal
ance Of lights and shadows; one COM
mented upon the masterfuI compost
ton, another saw the strength and col
oring. And all tried TO classify it in
its proper school
But the artist
Il painted a vision, a message; and
they praise-my techniquei'