The Washington herald., 1912-09-29

n CHAIN is no stronger than its weak
~ est link. and mans life is his own
~ experiment.
AS In business, 50 In life, there are
large number Of costs which II is
impossible to check up. You can measure
what you have, but II Is not so easy to meas
ure rightly what you have not and ought to
have. You can see what you have made
with your hands. but you cannot see the
structure you might have created.
A mistake in judgment may cost a man. or
the man he works for, a great deal OF infiu-
ence, or money; but neither he nor any one
else may know It, at least not for a long
time
More subtle than the losses that come from
lack Of Judgment-and We may add also, i'm
petuous action and even objectionable pro-
crastination-are those of another sort In
detail We may not discuss these. for they be-
long to the most private part of mans life,
but the essence Of them we may consider.
The cosmopolitan world has agreed to
group large number Of the proclivities Of
men under the subject of taste. 1t is because
mans taste is bad that he prefers low COM
pany to good. 1t is because his tastes are
not what they should be that he has no sense
OF what is causing his deterioration.
The man with good taste may do the same
ugly things that man with bad taste does.
but there is something in him that rebels
there Is something in hiu-we may call II
taste as well as conscience-that is trying to
bring him back Fortunate influences may
help TO do so, the sight Of the degeneration or
failure Of another may also help. but the
final effort must be his own.
Life Mans Own Experiment.
a mans life is indeed his own experiment,
and for the most part he is very willful about
the road he takes. and very vain about his
choice which he is more inclined to think is
admirable than not. On the whole, this latter
Is one of the admirable human traits, for It
keeps man happy when he might otherwise
be miserable. There is hardly any misery
SO trying as that OF being Disguised with
yourself. especially when you are not able
soon TO turn that disgust into energy directed
toward Improvement.
Not long ago l was discussing that always
current topic. the differences between men
anG. women, with one of the leading profess
sors of education and philosophy In New
York City. He maintained that men like to
be admired for one particular trait, while
woman always wishes to be admired because
she is picture Inc ldtter statement Is GER
tainly generalization that covers too much
ground. One man, said he. likes TO be ad-
mired because he is dashing: another because
he is bad. Even the misanthrope. who will
not mingle with his fellows. wishes for their
silent homage. He might have added that
all humanity. and some animals hunger and
thirst after this admiration.
AS for this professor. was sure that he
liked TO be admired for just such clever and
concretely expressed generalizations
these He has chosen the intellectual road
ir life, than which no way can yield more
satisfaction. The exercise OF even an IN
tutored intelligence gives worlds Of salts
faction. and often keeps men from those
vapid. nearly always soul discomtiting d.
versions which bring them both physical and
mental loss. One OF the unhappiest results
OF physical deterioration is the almost in
-vitable loss Of intellectuafpowert that goes
with II.
Suppose man starts out in the world with
brilliant intellectual ability but rather de-
PRAYED and low tastes In the long run when
his experiment with life is complete, he will
not be able to understand why these powers
have not brought him what they have
brought other men. And We must look to his
tastes to discover.
U,.sad H.. n..oSx.,;s;.~