Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-23
STRANGE!
BY DIR. FRANK CRANE.
Copyright. 1913. by Frank Crane,

What fools these mortals be- said
Puck
And we are inclined to agree with him
when we observe:
That men toll their life long to lay up
money for their children, when the worst
calamity that can befall a youth Is to be
relieved from the need to work for q
living;
That mans pride and aim seems to
be to keep his wife in idleness and lux
ury, and he considers himself disgraced
if she engages in useful work. when the
greatest foe to female virtue is idleness:
That all our greatness comes from
struggle and danger, while we devote our
lives to avoiding these things:
That the only faith that is worth any
thing Is the product OF wrestling with
doubts, yet doubts we consider to be ir-
religious:
That all the world Is convinced Of the
waste, stupidity and madness Of war,
while each nation impoverishes itself still
in the endeavor to prepare for war;
That individually we love our children
better than anything In the world. while
collectively, as city, we leave no spaces
for their Fairgrounds. but compel them
to romp In the streets among the horses,
street cars and automobiles.
That we lock men up in prison as an
antidote to crime, and when they come
out they are more hardened criminals
than before;
That we gather in churches and wor-
ship Jesus. yet consider as perfectly alb
surd and irrational the teachings He
most insisted upon, deriding His faith In
human nature. His law of love and His
principle Of non-resstance: while the
thing against which He warned us most
strictly, the heaping up Of money, Is the
- suff ap rfnN oil
That those of US most favored by for
tune are In the heated pursuit of hap
piness, while we know very well that no.
body who pursued happiness ever
That we easily believe in self1shness
and hate, which render us unhappy, while
It is hard for US to believe in love and
goodness, which make us happy;
That men should put an enemy into
his mouth to steal away his brains'';
That politics is universally despised
among us. while the only possible way
to make a democracy successful is for
every citizen to take an active interest
In politics.;
That the accepted method of preparing
our sons and daughters for life Is to send
them to institutions sooted with medi-
evahsm, and while but one person in
hundred Is by nature fitted to become q
scholar or literary person. we continue
the useless effort to make scholars out of
those who are to become merchants hand
workers, statesmen and housewives;
That while we all believe in majority
rule our cities are still governed by a
compact minority composed OF men of
deficient character:
That we exert the greatest effort to he
pleasant to strangers and mere acuuaint-
ances, for whom we care little or moth.
ing, while we are neglectful Indifferent
and often cruel to those we love most
dearly;
That most Of our worry IL about the
v,ocf which in Rone forever op7 A.. -.
ture, which may never come. while we
omit to enjoy today, which is all that we
have to enjoy, and
That those who observe customs and
conventions are called wise and safe.
while those who believe In their reason.
listen to the dictates OF their heart and
trust their instinct are considered danger
Gus. II not Wic&ed