The Washington herald., 1912-11-03
EzzzsSN Among Who Work Brain @a&A]
Avoid Egohsm and Be Generous
to Make the Most of Yourself.
r. C. s. MADDOCKS.
Bv C. S. MADDOCKS.

ADDOCKS.
It's neld is 20 narrov-ths one Individual
best Develop . ma1s mind end hesrf Noo-
tism strivels the heart and has dwsrfed
even the most splendid minds.
Eeotist Il Self-Imprisoned.
A man Of colossal egotism II self-impris.
oned. His connections with the world can.
not be extended. for the wider social con-
nections are most likely to foster q sanitary
generosity OF spirit quite At variance with
egotistical senshness. It 10 possible to be
self-imprisoned and be happy. but the ma
5ority Of men SO imprisoned are unhappy and
embittered- The world does not appreciate
them-that Is their great sorrow-and their
sorry efforts to despIsc the world react upon
them like boomerangs.
In . certain one Of our largest colleges
much II said to the students about the spirit
Of the institution. The word institution. how
ever, is not the one used. The spirit has the
name Of the college. And II u the spirit
which its devoted founder instilied in its
earliest days. This man, . great lawyer.
knew the world. He wanted to help Young
ln0Q
men who are sslf-devsloped are likely to be.
50 he gave . large fortune and the latter
years OF his life for the sake Of saving them
from bearing some Of the bitterest crosses Of
life. He wanted to emancipats them from
the bonds which human frailties and igno-
rance impose. I imagine that he thought
the best way to do this was to cultivate'in
them spirit that was not OF self. but that
a.. tot SlRiH nh vd0xS, HaNlr
to the greatest good Of the greatest number.
This man builded better than he knew.
The hundreds and thousands Of students who
have gone out from this college are not only
inspired with NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. It was
too deeply ingrained in them in childhood
but they are Tar happier as individuals.
Having lived in an atmosphere Of co6pera-
ton. they have that often necessary power
of self-eYacement which involves no per-
sonal loss, and also the ability to live by
admiration, hope. and love-" A man who
thinks Of himself first and always has little
power Of admiration in him. Complacence
with his own image is not real admiration.
Great Egotism Often C1ownish.
When men and women are thus trained 1t Is
impossible for them to have the spirit OF '' US
four and no more" for their family or homo
spirit Egotism looks foolish to them and
humorous Great eeotism Is often clownish.
1t also looks like the worst sort of unsophis-
tication It looks like that unfortunate dem
onstration Of lack Of right culture which II 10.
Through e6otism has come some Of the most
willful and wanton wastes Of the world. par
ticuIarly In the social world. Unless q man
is Diogenes and hves in . tub he can do an
enormous amount TO harsO and impose upon
other human beinga Tho wife Of the egoist
and his children often suffer untold SUI
ferings because CT his arrogance. his tyranny
and petty depotisma Those whom he en-
ploys often have to submit TO the same ex-
treme humihations that he imposes upon his
family.
The novellsts have been rather fond OF de-
pictine the eeoist and Of showing what tras-
edies result from his mountainous selfish
ness Dickens has not few Of his kind so
well depicted that the reader feels the same
violent repulsion in reference to them that he
would to a real person. George Msredfh's
greatest novel has the title. " The Egoist.''
and its hero works that same social havoc
a. the egoist works in real life. These crea-
tions Of the novelsts are pictured a. i'm
pervious to love or feeling Of any sort. Their
cruelty forces other1 to deeds Of tragic rash
ness and despair. They are the worst auto
Gratis in the world. the most arbitrary and
unreasonable. Theyoften have skins as thick
as a hippopotamus. LOSS and even death of
others leave them as cold a. . stone.
q 4
Esoist Il Tyrant In Chief.
Egottsm increases with age. unless a man
is armed against It A man Of generous
youthful Impulses will gradually begin to
take on those hardened charscter1sics
which self-esteem foster. No one dares tell
him that age is treating him to something
besides white hair and crows feet At tust
the time when he should be most anxious to
keep his mind and heart flexible by much
and definite exercise. since q growing phys
ical rs1dity 10 upon him. egotism asserts its
skill to settle him into a hard and fast lump
Of self esteem. He becomes satisfied with
things In himself that can satisfy no one else.
The deafre for Improvement which in the few
realty ambitious men lasts q life longACano
was % ambitious that he learned Greek at
s0-desarts him utterly. He 10 indulgent In
stead Of Spartan with himself. He b most
Akeiy to become one Of the intolerable bur-
deus which one human being - sometimes
able to impose upon one or many other hu-
man beingn In the modern world the egoist
u tyTant In chief.
c.. Dbl