The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-13
A Great Day.
BY JOHN ID. BARRY.

at Charcot's, a dream of dinner and then we
had box at the theater. Now; l suppose some
of you fellows would call that a misspent day"
Murphy commented. Under Socialism l couldn't
have day like that" he added with air of
amused defiance.
He closed his eyes and sighed dreamily. 81
couldn't have had all those people to wait on me
and relieve of all kinds of little annoyances
and minister to my comfort and make per-
fectly contented with the world No, thank you, v
he concluded, cheerfuy, mo Socialism for me-"
"It's something that you the other side
of the picture" Emerson remarked with his keen
scent for everything in the world that is good.
"What other side?" Murphy asked with his
characteristic habit of challenge. He had expect
ed to be censured for selhshness. He was dsap-
pointed. He felt cheated out of his defense.
"All those hands,; taking of you, doing
thu work for you," Emerson went on. Most of
us don't even think of those hands. Sometimes, I"
he continued. relishing his play of thought, "the
world seems to ME. the real world, vast collec-
ton of hands. l see those hands working at
multitude OF tasks working. working. l wonder
that the muscles don't give out And then l see
the results of the work going to comparatively
few people. While those hands are working these
few people playing, dancing in one way or
another, to the tune made by the activity of the
hands,
so for you the world consists chiefly OF hands
and feet" said Murphy, selling the chance to
make Emerson's idea ridiculous.
well, something like that" Emerson replied
1T is hands that keep us, to speak,
feet, and that enable to about in comfort
and luxury. We are among the comparatively
few who don't hands. l sometimes Won
der if aren't going to evolve special class,
a class without hands. That would be an ex-
quiste revenge on the part of nature, wouldn't
it,"
Murphy smiled, but suspiciousy, as if he
thought Emerson might be leading up to some
thing.
Then we'd become charge on the commun-
ity, wouldn't WEI" Murphy said, anticipating the
point.
Isn't that just what are already?" Emerson
asked. During that fine day of yours, weren't
you, in a sense, charge on the community, d
pet, like baby in the lap of luxury? You had
small army Of nurses"
We all smiled at the idea of big shouldered
energetic Murphy rolling in the lap OF luxury
attended by nurses. 1t was grotesque.
Murphy seemed little annoyed. He laughed
partly because he could not at the moment think
OF anything to say.
"We're awfully far from manual work, aren't
we. the few OF u.s.: Emerson resumed looking
over as if we were specimens in glass case
1--WE much farther than women
are" he continued. Most women even OF Muir
phys class living in the lap of luxury at different
times come nearer to actual work. The servants
for example leave in anger. Or for one reason or
= l..
servant to do it. You seldom find a woman who
doesn't know something about houscwork. who
hasn't had some actual contact with it. Women
know the hateful drudgcry OF most of it, the
deadly monotony, the unplcasantness. Now most
of us men think nothing about all that. 1t is
unreal for us. 1t actually doesn't exist
Servants don't mind" said Murphy irritably
Don't they" said Emerson slightly raising
his eyebrows. Then he resumed his discussion
Its pity that convention gives us men such
immunity from manual labor A little of it might
do us good. AT any rate he added. with his
whimsical smile, at might give even greater
enjoyment OF immunity
ado you mean to say" cried Murphy, falling
into the expression that so prone to use
when VIC violently disagree with anything we have
just heard, do YOU say that it would be
a good thing for the world if such as you,
men who do important intellectual work, were
forced TO give up any of your time to drudgery,
and household drudgcry, too. of the most de-
testabe OF all kinds OF drudgery:'
"Wcll, | hadn't meant to be quite so personal
as that" Emerson replied, "but | suspect | had
some such notion in my mind.'
Then believe it would result in waste. pure
waste" Murphy changed his position to show
how injured he felt such a lapse from
reason.
Waste of what" Emerson asked in his gen.
tic way.
For moment Murphy was embarrassed. 1t
always upset him TO be pinned down. He took
a few moments to prepare his reply "Wcll," he
said. at would be like Harvesting race horse to
d furniture wagon
Emerson sat up straight. Nov | am glad that
you have said that, Murphy, because it's such a
good example of a theory OF mine. the theory
that we are woefully misled by analogles: / some
times think that good deal OF false reason
ing is due to fondness for comparison. It's
very kind OF you to compare me with race
horse but. as matter of fact, that comparison
is misleading. The horse would be damaged
bv working with furniture wagon But work
ing with my head should not make any less
efficient as a worker with my hands, and working
with nv hands should not in any way impair my
work with my head. On the contrary, one kind
of work should be cooperative with the other
kind of work. The trouble with us is that we are
specializing too much; actually suffering
from specialization. II worked with my hands
,s veil as with NV head I should be a better head