The Washington herald., 1916-10-23
DYING AND LIVING.
BY JOHN ID. BARRY.

Twice since the beginning OF the wal
I have thought that death was coming
The first time was when I went up in
an aeroplane. Suddenly, when we were
in the clouds. We dropped. At once felt
that was going to die. The sensation
was delicious. IAfe was over. I was al
rest Then the aeroplane curved up and
I knew we were safe. Afterward, the
aviator told me he had been playing a
little joke"
"The second time was when stood on
the deck Of a ship in the Dardanelles and
saw a submarine coming. 1t looked as II
we might go down. But there was a
chance of living and I found myself
thinking Of it with some excitement. ]
didn't like the idea of being wounded or
crippled or of being thrown into the wa
ter. 1 wanted TO fight. I thought Of a
dozen suggestions I might have given to
the captain II he had been at hand. Pres
emily the submarine disappeared, Why
never knew
Those two experiences interested me
through showing how different circum-
stances, associated with possible death
could effect the same person. In the first
instance there was a sense Of the In
evitable, accepeed with resignation and
even with JOY, the feeling that the bur
dens of life were TO be dropped and there
was to be rest. like the feeling one has
at the end of hard day when II is good
to go to bed. In the second instance the
chance Of life fairly clamored to be made
into a reality: the life instinct worked
like a dynamo.
The friend that some time ago emerged
from a serious attack OF pneumonia told
me the doctors had given him up and
had advised him to make his will. He
accepted what he believed to be the In
evitable Then followed a period Of I'M
consciousness. 1t ended with his reaIza-
ton that he was going to live. How did
II feel?'' asked. There was a sense OF
responsibility, he replied. 7 felt that
I was taking up duties and cares again" "
Life is sweet" So il IL. But the most
successful life has its trials and its IA
tiRues
There are moments when I feel that
I'd like to lie down and die" This kind
Of expression often comes from the tired
people The trouble with them is. not
that they want to give up life, but that
they want to give up the fatigue that
goes with their particular way OF living.
Sometimes the trouble is due TO their lack
Of management Sometimes II results
from overstrain imposed from without
For many people modern life is 81
complex that, as a some one has said,
cit tears them TO pieces" What they
need most Of all is to simplify, to give
up. Unfortunately, many Of them can
not. They are caught in a web OF cir
cumstances that demand activities and
responses beyond their strength. To
them there is likely to come the fatigue
which makes it difficult II not impossible
for them to enjoy life. They are below
par" 1t is not their living that is wrong;
II is the organism that has to respond.
There are those who meet the strain OF
living by withdrawing into themselves al
certain intervals OF the day, letting the
mind lie fallow, opening It out to the
sources of refreshment in silence. There
are even cults that encourage what they
call going into silence" at certain times
Of the day. One very hard-worked man
that I know makes a point Of starting
his day very carefully. He takes plenty
Of time with his bathing and shaving and
dressing. He eats his breakfast slowly,
glancing meanwhile over the newspap per
After breakfast he sits in front Of his
open crate FIRE. He is trying to get him
self in tune for the disturbances Of the
day He says that If he did not take these
preca autions. which, by the way, he en-
Joys very much. ne would probably find
the irritations Of business too much for
his self-control. He goes downtown with
a quiet. perhaps almost unconscious de-
sire to keep himself in harmony, and he
usually succeeds.
Another man Of my acquaintance who
is very fond Of books and music and
whose life is far removed from artistic
interests, has turned what might seem tc
be a great disadvantage into an advant'
age. He says frankly that he does not
= he 10 thin
that occupy the people whose lives are
called artistic Nevertheless by devotins
himself to artistic things in his leisure
he establishes a contrast that gives him
continual refreshment. Before he goes tC
work he has an hour or so reading and
half hour that he devotes to playing
the piano During his business activities
he looks forward to the end Of the day
when he shall return to what he really
enjoys. He says that as the years pass
his business day. though It keeps the
same number Of hours, grows shorter ano
shorter. The truth is suspect, that he
has learned to adapt himself to it and &c
express in II those qualities that make
him an artist. After all, there is art II
every kind Of human activity, the artistic
way being the right way.
The war is bringing us D~ny stories
confirming what we already knew before
that, in most instances, when death come:
It is easy Corsforting as It is to realize
the fact, It is far more important for ut
to realize that. as life comes, It can bt
easy, too. We speak Of dying as II It had
great significance; far greater signih
cance, perhaps the only significance, lie'
| In living. There are religious people who
pray for a happy death. They probably
get It and, II they are truly religious
they will not begrudge 1t to those whc
are less devoted or less worthy thar
| themselves. But the great thing to pray
for and. at the same time to work for, is
happy lie. 1t, however, usually come:
indirectly Those who emphasize happi
ness and continually look for it, find al
a rule that it hides from their sight i
| is those who dln't look for It and whc
forget all about 1t in devoting themselves
| to worthwhile things that find il dogginl
their footsteps. II don't believe I have
ever stopped to think whether I wa,
happy or not" once heard a man say
He had so many healthy interests anc