The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-08-22
Nv FRANCES SKATER.


In a little sketch of the lives Of the
Brownings, Robert and his devoted wife,
a woman reader paused at one brief !
sentence or two because-well, they just
happened to nightly impress her.
The writer had come to the point where
their ways divided for all time, because
the work of the wife was over, and she
had passed on to the Great Beyond. he
told how, in spite of the mighty love
Browning had felt for her. he looked
upon the seyering of the earthly tie as
one Of the hard blows that all must
bear. and was hardy enough to spare
himself the wearing ills Of fruitless
grieying. 1t was inevitable; it came to
all, sooner or later. and, though 1t was
hard 20 write ''finis'' over a very dear
chapter, that was the way Of life, and
H. must not rebel
That was the impression from the mind
Of the writer, and as the words were
brought home 10 the woman VINO read
them, she closed the book for a bit of
thought. There was nothing unusual
about them, but somehow they came
with great force. perhaps because the
love between those two was SO deep anG
genuine that 1t savored a bit OF coldness
and lack of feeling, when the break
came, to take 1t for granted-to pick up
the broken threads and go on alone, al
the same Nature that impelled folk to
draw close and still closer together. she
reasoned, was on hand to incite them to
grieve IN the times of sorest trial. And
il did not seem quite natural or human
to be SO calm and philosophical.
And yet
Then she went on to wonder II. after
all, it was not a case Of hard training
hard, and, perhaps. as wise as hard
%1lrr all
when they faced the drearily inevitable.
If it was, she counted it well, and more
than worth the effort, for when the in
evitable life sessions and the happen
ings that are bound to fall are met in
a questioning, rebellious spirit. they are
all the harder to bear.
TseIessncss of Resistance.
Yet the blows that fall from the hand
of death and other happenings that
come in fateful guise must be borne
somehow; they cannot be turned aside.
That is the worst pity of them. and it
is the very fnality of the thing. the
utter uselessness OF resisting, that made
her know that the folk who. like Brown
ing quietly bow their heads to the in
evitable are the strongest, the wisest Of
all.
But she wondered how it was with
from the time of babyhood. see the good
things of life dropping into their ex-
pectant laps without anything to turn
them aside. The material things they
want are easy enough to buy. and money
often has a way of making other things
quite easy as well. Long accustomed
TO the belief that they lave the where
withal for all their needs and wants, and
that the world bows pretty low to the
~ ~
take it when all the wealth in the world
stands helpless before the Reaper,
whose name is Death?"
Have they learned to submit with
grace, or does il come hard to realize
that the inevitable has meaning for them
as well as for those who meet it much
oftener on their way? For it does make
| difference whether one is accustomed
10 have folk respond to ones bidding. TO
be ready to serve and anxious to please.
or whether one has grown accustomed
TO step aside at the will and the pleasure
of others. 1t makes a difference to folk
who have not great wealth, but are de-
ferred to none the less by those with
whom they are associated and then when
the power of money is added-and 1t is a
mighty power-it makes still vaster a
difference
bitterness of Parting.
And when men and women who are
rot trained in yielding follow those whom
they love close, close to the gates OF
death, then see them pass through and
beyond forever, powerless to do one thing
to stay the dread visitor. it must pull
pretty hard.
That is one of the thoughts that come
stealing upon many of us when we read
the grim tales of tragedies at sea, OF
great fires or floods where the great and
the lowly, the richest and the poorest
are swallowed up by the same fell hand
all helpless alike.
In normal times, wealthy folk may
scatter bit Of money here and there
and, 10, the way is beautifully cleared
but when they must stand around in th'
self-same boat with those hitherto will
ing and able to serve them, taking theil
chances with the poorest of all, the ex
perience must seem very strange, to pu
it quite mildly.
Yes. it is better for all, the rich and
the poor alike, to take for granted tn
things that no human hand can turn
aside and to be bit prepared to accep
the bitter along with the sweet that hf
has to offer. For it is easy enough, onc'
folk start to drift down the surgini