The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-03-13
Copyright. 1918. by Herbert o,,o,.
Extremes meet," SuieA')


Extremes meet." ~1'eA)
al 'his Old saying lies one OF the de.n.. =. -,
iHe'e Is a degree of down which oo,a. &C.,. ;.
r"''nes' east Is the same thing as nearest west
mo n ' S tue hesh like fire. Great riches devotion
Climbing ba poser.y Learning. after long. long
~, 80 =. the=highest attatnfneuts n1,d Stems
E e SAINT piain OF humility with Ignorance
hrondea 80 'ouie sses 10 the fact that for years he
loouea over the idea OF his essay on Comnensaton"
mas,a ~ 70 write IT, wish Emerson would
master 'he deeper meanings of the expression "Ey
OF it. ah treatment
am now seeking the secret-of a perfect orean,ya.
h, =, .ne relations OF the passengers on the good
Up -aI.n-ih other words. feebly questioning
tue heart or things the possibility Of a milan
mum In which the lion and the lamb shall lie down
ose.ne, save In metaphor. but merely reign of JUS
ce ana love In which there be no want and no
49, S
me miiiennial principle is found in the perfec-
uoh OF human selnshness The universal law OF hu-
man conduct Is that all human beings seek To
their desires along the lines OF least resistance In
other words. tries to get what he wants
In the easiest possible way This was true when the
wisest man was the one who knocked fruit from the
Tree with club rather than to climb for it or wait
Tor IL TO fa or speared fish with sharp stick rather
than to seize them with his hands These sought TO
satisfy their desires In the possible way II Is
equally true OF the missionary who dares disease and
death Tor the heather. the millionaire who builds
Libraries that other who his wealth to
the spread OF single tax. 1t Is equally OF the
mother who drudges that her daughter may have
lessons In piano singing 1t is true OF the friend
who takes obloquy and assumes undeserved guilt
shield his friend. 1t true Of Bishop Myriel-
Blenvenu when he gave the candlestcks to Jean Val
Jean. 1t was true of Jean Vatican when he ceased
to be a beast Of prey and, because he had been
much lower than the Bishop had to rise much
higher. Each sought to satisfy his desires In the
easiest possible way. Each man who does act Of
unseshness chooses because he could do other
wise-or so 1t seems to hm-iAnd close approach
to happiness
The whole matter OF the popularization Of justice
lies not In less avid struggle of to attain their
desires but In the changing character OF those de-
sires When Jean Vatican set foot the little boys
CON- after having been given life and freedom by the
Bishop, he wanted that money but when he felt the
torture Of the Of what had been done to him
and what he had done to others, and went running
up and down the highways seeking the little boy that
he might restore the thing stolen calling Petit Ger
vais! Petit Gervias Petit Gervias!' and finally
breaking down In the awful cry, What wretch I
thing quite necessary to human happiness any
material satisfaction In both he sought to
isfy his desires in the easiest way open to him.
Unselhshness In the ordinary sense Of the term IL
as common selhshness. Altruism In q quality OF
beasts we'll OF men. The wolf who devours even
his mounted fellow must practice wolfsh altruism
when he hunts in the pack and drags down the deer
he eat individually what he has hunted col
lectvely The cock calls his hens to the food he has
scratched out and does not eat until they The
partridge nutters pretending to be wounded dar-
to the socialzed animals he that the ruling
passion the individual Is the service Of others. II
the word happiness may be properly applied to these
little brothers and sisters Of ours, who shall say that
the highest happiness Of the ant Is not found In the
public servfce7 II 20 the ant would Do mserably un-