Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1913-06-12
The humanity OF MuItitudes.


When Henry W. Grady was hesita-
ting whether to remain on a New York
paper or to return to Georgia, be de-
cided to go home because nobody in the
apartment in which he lived could tell
him about the baby whose little white
coffin was carried side by side with
him down the steps of the adjoining
apartment. 1.-THE humanity of cities
overwhelmed him. How many of us
have had similar experience?
In one of thelarge apartment houses
in which haye lived on the West Side,
my front door, when it swung open,
touched the front door of my next
door neighbor, divided from me only
by thin wall of less than half foot
One morning, ON going out, met a
pleasant-faced man emerging from
this door. We exchanged the casual
sslutation of housemates. This we
repeated on several occasions, in a
casual way. | never knew his name.
One morning, about six weeks later,
I asked the elevator boy what had be-
come of the man.
..He died two weeks ago, was the
response, land his body was taken out
after nightfall and carried to the ceme-
terry"
Here was this man, who by every
law of life and every creed of Christi
anity, was my neighbor-my nearest
neighbor l could almost hear him
breathe at night through the interven-
ing wall.
And yet, he had sickened, he had
suffered, he had gone through the ag-
ony or travail of death. He had been
carried out in his midnight casket tc
the grave and his family had come
back to the anguish and desolation Of
an unspeakable bereavement; and
who was this mans neigbbor" hae
neither ministered to his suffering il
life, stood by him in the hour and ar
ticle of death, nor comforted the
browning sorrow of those who came
back to his broken and desolate home
Just within a foot of the life ant
love and laughter of my own becaus,
in the rush of our big world / did no
know.
/ have never gotten oyer that Incl
dent. IL never will. Something ough
to be done about it. If something
could be done.
We pay fierce price for the JOY O
cities. Too many people make an.
one person unimportant- Great crowd
dwarf and minify individuals. In tn
multitudes We forget each other to-
often in life and in death.
| When man dies among two or tire
in little community, it is tragedy
1t darkens the sky, it shadows tn
spirit it bows the head in reverenc
and humility ard sympathy.
But when one dies among FIVE million
the little gap made by the passing 0
the atom closes up SO quickly from tn
mighty mass that it is difficult to re
member that the atom ever lived o
even died
From which Icame to say that tn
cities are not much of place for Oh
people or people who die. They shout
| find softer and simpler life and
quieter place in which to enact tn
last great tragedy of life, which
death.
4 would like to live in a great cit
all my vigorous life
But would like to grow old and di
in the little country town where tn
neighbors would come to ask after m
in the last days, follow me kindly
the church yard, when was gone, an
come back for little tender touch c
comfort to those who were left behin(
Is it not well now and then to ha
this mad rush of living, and give spac
to little breathing time of CHART
and tenderness for4those= who die?
John Temple Graves, in the New Yor
American.
l