Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1912-02-29

ats man and dwarfs his petty SELF
He knew of the great common"
people of the land, whose lives are be
ing worn out in the effort to produce
| far more than they consume. at the
end having nothing but the necessity
for increased, harder effort, looking
about them In dazed wonder and
! plaintively demanding: why is It that
we cannot rest? Why have we moth
ing? Whittier has it gone-that which
we have created?r
Whittier had it gone? He knew the
answer. 1t gloomed solemnly down at
him from million dollar palaces, honk-
ed hoarsely through the streets from
costly imported automobiles, flashed
brilliantly from bejeweled fingers, kept
cleaning necks and shoulders warm
in the face of shivering poverty, CUR
gled in goblets of precious vintages,
raced painting under the wire. Above
all. he read the answer in the terrific
power of the modern feudal system,
concentrated wealth. whose machinery
was slowly crunching, crunching.
crunching. his people into helpless
subsection.
How had such things come to pass
All, that question he could answer,
since he himself had once been a part
of the system. He knew far better
| than did his patient, blinded people
the enormous sums of money needed
to fire the engines that run the ma
TONS political machinery and whence
that corruption fund came.
A nation. a great people. was being
bought. was being sold into slavery.
And all this was wrong. in denial of
the ideals of the commonwealth, in
disobedience of the natural law which
says, Let a mans reward be meas
ured by his value to humanity" He
would do nothing to disturb the just
balance of the state. To his executive
brain organization and equilibrium
were prime essentials. But there was
there must be-some means by
which the injustice could be corrected,
the worlds happiness and the reward
of effort more equitably distributed.
He could not then PROFOUND the rem
edy. But one thing he knew-the rem
edy when found could never be ap-
piled so long as the machinery of gov
eminent remained in the power OF
those against whom the remedy was
to apply.
What was to be his part? That ques-
ton had been answered when Haggin
told him of his city's sorrowing in his
suffering, These people-his people!
He was humbled to the dust. And
then. even in his humility, he was
raised again by the inspiration that
was never to forsake him.
81 have been a failure" thought this
man whose brilliant success a nation
was considering wonderingly. "since |
have missed the real meaning of life.
These are my people: they need me.
Let me server
sLet me server Kathleen repeated
slowly.
1t was easy to lay ones heart bare
to Kathleen.
kathleen - and his voice was
husky. as it had been when he had
spoken the same words of woman
whom he had hurt-'sK athleen. I've
many things to make up to many peo-
pie. And want to do it. | have mis-
used myself. | see it all now-what
! I've refused to see all my life Kath-
leen. something has gone out of me-
s'You mean" she said gently. "that
something has come into your heart
the greatest Of ali things"
He smiled at her. 1t seemed to Kath-
Ieen that his thin. ugly face, alight
with his new inspiration, was the most
beautiful in the world.
"And you viii be happy. Bob, as you
have never been" There was a catch
In her voice.
Kathleen" he answered grayeIy. at
was once my boast that l thought
nothing of happiness. Pm not thinking
of happiness now"
He lost himself once more in his
vision, forgetting her.
She left him and went to her room
to stifle. if she could. the vain hunger
that had never died out of her heart.