Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1912-11-07
By THOMAS DIXON

Stuart broodcd Does God, the au.
gust. mysterious, awful creator Of the
universe, work like this? Did not the
God of heaven and earth give this wo-
man to him beneath the sunny skies
of the south while their souls sang for
joy?"
They We're moving again down the
aisle, the organ throhbing the recess
sional from Mendelssohn. A wave of
emotion swept the crowd inside. and
they became mob OF vulgar. chatter
ing, gossiping fools. swarming over
the church as If 1t were the grand
stand OF racecourse. without hesita-
ton tearing down and stealing it's dec
orations for souvenirs.
BY a curious law of reaction ali re-
sentiment and anger We're gone, and
only great pity for Nan began to fill
Stuart's heart.
That night Stuart entered one of the
more dignitied and serious theaters just
off Broadway. The play was serious
effort by a brilliant young dramatist
Of the modern school of realism. In
two minutes from the rising of the cur
tain the play had gripped him with re-
lentless power. Slowly, remorseless as
fate. he saw the purpose of the author
unfold itself in a series of tense and
terrible scenes. The comedy over which
the crowd laughed with such conta-
gious merriment was even more SIMS
ter than the serious parts. No matter
what the situation-whether set to
laughter, to terror or to tears-beneath
1t all throbbed one insistent question:
Has the woman who sells herself
for money a soul?'
With breathless interest he watched
the cruel carving of her body into tiny
pieces Without smiling, whining or
apology, with arms barred and gleam-
ing scalpel firmly gripped in a hand
that never quivered once the author
dissected her Always he could hear
this white invisible figure bending over
each scene talking to the audience in
his quiet, terrible way:
"Well, if be she has a soul we shah
find it. Perhaps it's here"
With firm. strong hand the last
secret of muscle and nerve and bone
was laid bare. and the white face look
ed into the eyes Of the audience through
a mist Of tears.
I'm sorry, my friends. But we must
face the truth. It's better to know the
truth. however bitter. than to believe
lie
With a soft rush the big curtain came
down in a silence that could be felt.
The dazed crowd walked from the spell
and poured into the aiSles. while Stu
art still sat gripping the arms of his
seat with strangling emotion.
At last he said to himself with chok-
ing emphasis:
"He was cruel. inhuman, unjust.
refuse to believe it! She has a soul,
She has a soul!'
Next day Stuart went TO his office
with his mind keyed 10 a higher pitch
Of power He felt that he WAS on his
mettle. The fight was not vet won,
but this morning he was winnin". lie
plunged into his work with tireless
zeal Everything he touched seemel
llumined with a new light.
At the close of the days work he was
still conscious Of an exhaustless pity
which had found no adequate expires
sion In his labor on his clients cases.
His mind wandered to the dark silent
millions into whose world the doctor
had led him that night-miliions who
have no voice in courts because they
have no money to sustain fight for
the enforcement OF justice. He had
never thought about these people he
fore, They We're calling now for his
help. Why? Recause he had been en-
dowed with powers II head and heart
which they did not possess The pos
session Of these gifts carried a reSpoa-
sibility.
on reaching his club In Gramercy
park he saw that the Primrose house
was closed Mans mother hid gone
with the bridal party on Rivens' BIZ
yacht for cruise which would last
through the summer Somehow. for
ali his brave talk he didn't feel equal