The Washington herald., 1914-05-21
Hs Cri;tie.s

4 u
A man surveyed the world with .sterp syea He
saw mnch . disspprove and dislike So he criticised
his fellcw-m.n.
/ To those near him he became known as re-
marEabiy able critic Presently the world heard Of
| the criticisms II applauded the man.
Every one thought that the rest Of the world wis
being criticised In the criticism no one included him
lseif
/ The time came when the man was recognized %
great figure, the most powerful of living critics
He giored in his success. He went on esitieisns.
fearessy brilliantly And the more he criticised the
more he found to criticise.
Suddenly sickness fell upon the man. He ionged
to die to escape into another world, where condi
lions would be different where would be stripped
Of their folly and would know the truth.
But he could not die. 1t would be cowardiy for
him to take his own life. Men would pity him and
say that he weak.
He could not endure the thought of being con-
sidered weak and of being pitied, he who was the
strongest of living men, as well as the ciearest-
sighted and the most fearless.
He must live in order to teach men to be like
himself
Gradually the man became figure of gloom. with
STOPPING shoulders and expression in his eyes
and in his mouth of bitterness and hate.
Those that saw him in his daily passing and re-
passing noticed that he showing his age. And
yet he was not old in years. The follies of the
world, it began to be said, weighing him down.
Vague reports were circulated that he not
happy at home that he was disappointed in his chill
dren. He had expected them to follow in his path,
to accept his ideas, to take up the noble work OF
criticism that he had steadfasty maintained.
But they all entered into the very folles that he
had warned the world against. Eagerly they joined
a. L. Al. Al
When old age came the man was left alone. His
wife was dead. His children had deserted him.
The world alone remained faithful, still delighting
in his criticisms, still giving him honor.
He lived in fine big house, stored with the
things hs had tried to teach people to prize books
and treasures of art It used to be said that this
house was monument of good taste.
And yet in all his rewards he had no comfort
From room to room he wandered like ghost.
Reading his books would often give him the sense
of dust and ashes in his mouth.
Looking at his pictures and his other treasures
was like looking at the embems of death
Even the applause of the world ceased to be
music in his ears.
Did he not know that it the shrieking of fools
As death approached the man had a moment of
exultation- At last he should escape
Then a strange question entered his mind: What
should he escape from?
He should escape from life with all its folly and
misery.
And where should he go, To better worlde
But now that he was really going, he did not feel
so much confidence in that other world.
What reason did he have to think that condi-
tions there would be better?
Of one thing he was convinced: He should be the
same.
Then other men would be the same And toward
other men he should feel the same hate. He should
feel even more strongly than he had felt it through
life For all his life he had spent in practicng hate
Then he realized that he had become hate.
He had made the world reflect himself
And in this moment of perfect vision he saw him
self as he was.
He shivered and covered his face with his hands l
-Oh, there is no other world for me-" he said T
must come back and learn humility"
They found him with his eyes wide open staring
if in terror, at the world he had long despsed
They could not know that in the moment of death ,
he had for the first time seen himself. Ii