The Washington herald., 1915-08-31
Spite Fences.
BY JOHN ID. BARRY.

Spite Fences.
BY JOHN d. BARRY.
Yesterday went into very attractive apart
ment on the top floor of high house, with a
fine view of the sea. There were windows on
three sides. But the windows on one side were
dark. A high fence rose past them a few feet
away.
l asked how that fence happened to be there.
Laconically the answer came: "Spitew
How did it happen" said.
The man that lives on the other side of the
fence lived there for twentyfv years before this
building went up. He used to enjoy looking out
and watching the ships. Most of those ships he
knew by name. When the present owner bought
this proeprty and decided to build he objected.
You see, he had enjoyed the view so long he
thought he owned it."
l couldn't help smiling. Though sympathized
with the people occupying the apartment, was
relishing this little expression of human nature
II suppose he couldn't afford to buy this prop
erty." I said.
"Oh yes he could afford it all right. In fact,
after the property was sold he offered to buy it
for the amount it had ben sold for and he Of
fered to pay for the architects fees and the other
fees that had been paid in the drawing of the
plans for this house."
"But he Offered no bonus"
"None. When this building was finished he
put up the fence. Later he said he had put it up
in self-defense to hide the sight of the house-it
was ugly"
There was another delightful illustration of
human nature. In doing this mean act the man
made an excuse to himself, most of US do
under similar circumstances.
He couldn't accept his meanness as part of
himself So he called it by, another
Since that conversation have been thinking
about the monuments of spite that We see about
us. Nearly every community has at least one
spite house. And spite fences are common.
Often the grievances that lead to the feeling
of spite just unreal the grievance of that
property owner who thought he owned his view.
If we could examine them should find that in
most instances they could be traced to egotsm.
And egotism is always due to defective magina-
ton. If we could realize others as intensely as
we realize ourselves should be far less egotis-
tical far less clamorous for what call our
rights, and far less eager to inflict torment on
ourselves by striving to torment Others
For all monuments of spite are expressions of
sef-torment
These monuments, it is true, give to some ma
lures delirious JOY. But the greater the JOY,
the greater the pain that has gone before and that
still lies behind and is sure to reassert itself.
For spite is only transient relief for pain 1t
may be the means of causing more pain to the
spiteful.
The more revenge secure for wrongs
real or fancied, the more those wrongs are likely
to pursue us.
A philosopher of my acquaintance. on return
ing here from Europe found himself involved with
the customs authorities. They made him pay
several hundred dollars which he had good reason
to believe he should not have paid But the tech
nicalitics of the law were against him. He was
broad d-minded enough to see that the customs au-
thorities, from their point of view, doing
their duty. 1t seemed that there only
thing to do, to take the matter into court But
the case was likely be irritating and tedious 1t
would cncroach on his time, which was valuable,
and it would him great deal of incon-
venience. After thinking the matter over, he de-
cided that it would not pay him to go to law So
he dismissed the matter from his mind.
How many of us would have had the self
control and the simple common to take this
course? Most of would have allowed the in
justice to rankle. Some of would have tried
to get even with the authorities. Under certain
conditions some of might have resorted to
crime to what would be regarded as crime
And all such resistance would have brought out
frenzy of ill-feclng, very hard to bear and very
like the feeling expressed in spite fences OF
course, it would have been used to express very
noble ideas like justice and fair play; but it would
really have been the qualification of the injured
cgotism, which is merely one expression of the
spirit of revenge.
We often hear people speak of just revenge.
But there is such thing.
All revenge is unjust revenge, even revenge
taken in Just cause. And what call just re-
venge is as distressing to those that secure it as
any other kind of revenge.
For where the spirit is revengeful, where it
expresses wounded egotism, the penalties are in
evitable.
In the complications and in the confusions OF
life we can never secure exact justice. Those who
expect it and try to get it for themselves are sure
to be disappointed They would do far better to
devote the energy to doing their part in securing
Justice for others. In this way they will put the
world in an attitude toward them that will make it
easier for them to enjoy life and they will secure
something that is far better than justice.
If once we get into the habit Of treating the
rest of the world generously. we shall be surprised
to find how little we shall have to complain OF.