The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-19

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, won't, but not putting up with things
can be carried 100 far.
Over a hundred thousand dollars a
year is paid by people for storing their
furniture In warehouses. 1t is a con-
siderable sum. and the reason why
many people store their furniture Is
said to be that they cannot ind homes
to suit them. Hun reds of folk have
| stored their goods for years and years
They popped the things In while they
set about looking for a house. nc
doubt they would find one next month
or SO. And the months have stolen on
and still that house seems no nearer
Just think of that-with the thousands
of houses that are being built every
year!
/ have a friend who has. with his
better half. been looking for a resi-
dencs that will suit him, for three
years. His furniture is stored and, In
his words. eating its head off" He
pays what is almost house rent for
il. He has thought Of ceiling it several
times but he had his wife have kind
OF sentimental feeling for some Of the
articles. and they can never agree as
to what should be sold and what
shouldn't.
For three years they have lived In
devoted most of their time to "look :
ing around" Surely they must come
across house that will suit them in
time? The gentleman calculates he
has hunted two thousand five hundred
miles year In looking at houses.
I asked him one day what kind OF
house he wanted. He said he would
send me something by that nights
mail that would show me exactly
what was required. 1t came. 1t was
book describing "the ideal home.
The Ideal home Is not only earthly
perfection itself, bat II has the ideal
view. the ideal climate, the ideal
neighhors, the ideal. railway service.
the ideal landlord, and the ideal rent
which la strictly moderate, of course.
Rates and taxes ara ideal also.
/ know now why he declares there
is no such thing as decent house to
be got. He doesn't mean to put up
with any house that falls short of the
ideal house. He has the Ideal house
on the brain.
Roosevelt once said there was no
greater nuisance in the world than
| the man who is "impracticable because
OF his Ideals" He Ia decided nui-
sancs, and a woman who is tmprae-
ticabls IN the sans way To as bad, or
perhaps worse.
I read In the papers the other day
OF gentleman who was brought up
before French court for extremely
impoifte conduct towards his mother
| in-law. He had given the old lady
hints that he did not desire her to
visit his wife, and she had been per-
fectiy deaf to them. Then he renon-
strated with her as to her calling, and
the old lady again ignored him. At
| last he locked the front door against
her. ana then the trouble began As
he locked the front door II was clear
! his wife must either DO inside or out
II he locked her In he was keeping her
| prisoner. while IL he locked her out
1t was simply atrocious.
The poor man found himself In des-
perate trouble. He explained that he
and his wife had lived very happily
together until his mother in law one
day sent his wife book on the ideal
husband. Ever since that he had
seemed to fall short of her expecta-
tons. and he had consequently felt the
bitterest feelings towards the old lady
who. as he put it. '+had put such non
sense into bis wtfe's head
Ideals are all very well as things
| to be aimed at butone has, tn prac-
teal life, to make the best Of what
one can get
your ideals may be perfectly
right. and yet you may make them
a. barrier to happiness and success, I"
declared w. 7. Stead, and q good
many people are very busy construct.
Ing those barriers nowadays. People
are peculiarly touchy as to putting
up with anything that falls short of
the perfection OF goodness and wis
dom--as far as they are concerned
II one looks round for the ideal in
dividuai. one cannot find him with
the strongest telescope. And the
feeling that he or she ought to be
somewhere" and that one has a
right TO makes it hard to put up with
what appears by comparison "a
worthless substitute" 1t Ia remark
able how keen vast numb ers of peo-
pie are on studying the duties of other
folk. 1t is, of course. quite well they
should know them and should try to
get others to do what they ought to:
but. as Mark Twain remarked, don't
forget that the other fellow Is a man
or woman. and Just think how duty
Enet4mes--I only say sometimes, re-
members apt to disagree with your
SELF"
I remember hearing that there was
no one who got on worse In the navy
tnaH one or the men tnsy cali sea
lawyers" The ''sea lawyer In q gen
tieman who spends the larger part
of his time in reading up how his
officers ought to treat him. and in
studying his rights as he calls them,
and In standing up" for them. He
is determined he won't put up with
anything but the best treatment pos
sible. and is perpetuaily finding that
he isn't getting II, and that his su-
perior officers are fun Of defects His
life, SO far from being one of extra
delights. Is one continual round Of
squabbles and bitter disappointments
He finds that no one really does hts
duty by him, and the worst OF II is
they find that he does not do his duty
by them. In time he comes to the
as Ia zsass a.
perhaps ne Is. nor. The fact Is that
people who know he is watching
them to End something to complain
about ''set 1t in first" and complain
of him before he starts. They take
the wind out OF htg salts: al They
have no difficulty in finding faults in
him. II he wants ideal officers, they
want an ideal sailor. Two can play
at that game.
One has to make the best OF i'm
perfect things to achieve anything In
life. and the ideal, If ii Is going to
I'LL one with Impotence with what
does not come up to 1t and disgusted
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