New Britain herald., 1915-04-03
Vail. Columbia!
(New York Sun.)

The Columbia state is in Il most unphilosophical frame of mind, albeit we should have supposed that any body compelled to observe and endure for some years the proceedings of the Hon. Cole Blease would have tried to become Stoic. This Palmetto muse less philosophobist gropes and stum- bles in the outer darkness:
 ITO be q philosopher one must study philosophy #.....
 He need not; he must not That is, unless he is resolved to be book philosopher, the lover of the wisdom of other men We saw and Cnvied an Epicurean in Park row this morn ing, smoking his bottomsde up T. D. in the sun. Small have continual plodders ever won, save base author ity from others books" You haven't got to burn your eyes out and break your head over the concepts and terminology of some old gastropod of d Herr Professor. Ben Franklin made his own philosophy, an admir- able moral or immoral pagan sage. Thoreau read the Greeks and Latins and the Oricntals in translation; but he was dedicated to philosophy the day when. having succeeded in mak ing lead pencil so good that it needn't be improved, he refused to make any more, no caring to spend his life in doing the same old thing. It is true that Henry's philosophical aversion to paying taxes was received unsympathetically by the authorities, but he had convenient friends wheth- CT he wanted to build a shanty. bor- l<cpn Inf iui1 ITc calculated his pursuit of wisdom for the latitude and longitude of Concord and the personal use of Henry David Thoreau. Indeed, he was fully en- titled to rank among philosophers from the moment when he scorncd to pay $5 for his college sheepslin of A. R.
 Which reminds Us that on the now browsing the pastures of Ennul is called Doctors of Philosophy"
 old Daniel Pratt with his word laboratories" was an unconscious and delightful parody of the jargon pf the schools and systems. A philos- opher has found or tried to find the wisdom that he needs, whether he be that halting slave Epictetus or inn perial Marcus Aurclius or a ditcher. Are there any such nomcly, hearty, observant, humorous storcrs and too rare utterers of philosophc wisdom as that old stock of Broadway stage drivers and the car drivers of carly morning on Eighth avenue in the golden prime of Geofge Law? They never read or wrote books. Box of fee keepers barkcepers. policemen ticket choppers are often deep re- Nolving philosophers, if too often Of the cynical school.
 The trouble with our Columbian statesman is that he cant bring him. self to believe that d man can retire from business and enjoy philosophic leisure. Hear him blasphcmc:
 "Eosh. 4 man's business is his business. When he gets out of har- ness he is like dray horses resting over Sunday. They kick up their heels. They are glad to get back in harness on Monday morning. What sort of business is it for a business man to go out and look at green things growing all around and philos- ophize over them? That sort of man who tries such d game will find the tug and the pull back Co the work to which circumstance or adapta bility called him."
 The business, the pleasure, the daily happiness of the Columbian statesman is to hymn the Hon. Woodrow Wilson. Possibly after March 4, 1917, the dithyramb depart ment will be closed. In time. then we look to see the dithyrumbist com mence philosopher. At least he may be so far illumined by divine philoso- phy as to see that some of the drav horses are harness gallcd.