The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-01-12
Accept the Help Of Philosophy
to Make the Most Of Yourself.
Rx s MADDOCKS
By G.. S. MADDOCKS.

BuOSOPHY has ever had its begin
1 ming and rs cod with common every,
day people. But between these two
extremities have lowered the most
mountainous minds OF all ages. The
proyerb. the ancient saying. bits Of witty
wisdom wrapped up in fable. the common
wisdom of fishermen and other watchers OF
wood and wind and sky-these are the early
forms of philosophy, and they never quite
lose their currency.
Rut IN time there came the wise man. who
delighted above all else in mental gymnastics.
The combined accumulated VISIONS and
made something wonderful and great out
Of them. putting them together with the ce-
ruent of his own thought, just as Homer.
i is now believed, put together many stories
in his great epic He observed more closets
than others what was happening around
him not only in the natural world, but in
the world of mind. and he reasoned upon
all these things. These reasonlnaE of him
self and his disciples, for he always had such,
constituted the first accumulation OF foTmu-
lated thought.
e Men Of latter days studied this body OF
thought as the primer OF wisdom. They went
beyond it. leaving much of it as the sim
pier history of the mind of the ages.
although part OF it was imperish-
able as the hills-it was eternal wisdom
serviceable in every age OF the world.
Other men yet became the Interpreters
Of accumulated wisdom. They simplified It
for the benefit of those who could not spend
heir lives learning tine technique of phi
losophy. yet could make great use of its
truths. These men Were not necessarily lee,
original than the others. The great TRUTH
Of the ages came TO them in simpler forms
%,ea ~ha,o -
4 81
Christ the Greatest Teacher.
The Christ was the greatest OF these teach
ers- He put into his para bles eternal wisdom
in reference TO the conduct OF life. He has
not. like some lesser Observation-Disclosures OF
his gospel through hundreds Of years-em
broidered his thought with theology. These
parallels of his have no concern with creed
or dogma 1t makes no difference what
man believes, he can accept the whole of the
teaching in the parable Of the boolsh virgins
The simple lesson of being prepared when
opportunity comes was never more effectively
pictured. And the story OF the men to whom
were given the different amounts OF money
Ttalentsl represents the most fundamental
of rea sons why slrne Den succeed and others
fail in the business OF life.
The professional philosopher does not
usually concern himself greatly with hu-
mainly. He lives in transcendental world.
a world little understood by common people
and gften despised by them. He in turn
Gespses worldly success and cares nothing
about the ordinary rewards Of labor. Yet he
is the man who moves The world forward.
often many PAGES. and moves II as no other
man ever does or can.
There is nothing 50 mighty or moving as
world that ranks with great thinking. Not
all the great thoughts Of the world are
worked out in the study OF the great
philosopher. but while other men think in
mor-e or less personal terms. he thinks in
great !mpersonal ones. He does not direct
his thought towards the advancement Of
some single business or the advance OF a
principle: his work means an advance in
great world conceptions.