The Washington herald., 1916-03-04

IN. Y While he was there he would be very pro-
lductve. In the autumn, on his return to Hartford
he would find himself apparently unable to write
So he would spend the whole winter in idleness
At last, the time came when he got over that no.
ton and he discovered that he could write any
where. Then and there he ceased to be victim
of this kind Of deusion by refusing to let himself
he victimized by himself
Something of the inhibition, so plainly absurd
in the of Mark Twain, operates in nearly all
of u.s. 1t is merely notion We can get over it
by looking it square in the face and seeing it for
what it really is, an absurdity an unrealty, Gre
ated by the imagination, one OF the many bonds
that forge for ourselves and that we assume to
have an existence apart from ourselves.
A friend who used to be somewhat overload
OF his comfort recently said to me: Il found that
| was making comfort discomfort by thinking
about it much. For example, as soon as | got
home at night, Id be uncomfortable till got into
my feet would actually ache because I had to
keep my shoes on. They were like pampered chill
dren: One day said to myself: Why should I
be the slave of my feet? | won't pamper them
any more by putting them into slippers at certain
hour OF the day. By cutting out the slippers, l
gained little more freedom. The experience made
me consider If there weren't other forms of slavery
that had made for myself and / was astonished
to ind how many kinds of slave | was"
We talk lot about freedom and indepen-
dence and their accompanying benefits and we are
solcitouS to protect ourselves from interference
from outside. But this kind OF interference is not
nearly so great as the interference that comes
from within. We think cannot possibly be hap
Ply unless life grants this favor that favor,
often unrelated to real happiness. When we can't
we nd M Ike
ourselves disconnected, perhaps wretched. Mean
while, we see others getting along serenely with
out such favor. Unconsciously they are giving US
a lesson But, in the blindness that goes with our
slavery, we refuse to and to profit. Every day Of
our lives reject the intimations Of wisdom,
worth more than the practical advantages that we
lie about US, offering themselves, even while we
are lamentlng over poverty and keeping ourselves
poor.
IF l couldn't have an income of at least ten
thousand dollars" | once heard man say, 81
shouldn't care to live" In the statement he took
evident pride. He seemed to think it marked him
as in some way superior 1t merely showed OF
course, how limited he was and how unconscious
OF his limitations. He was enslaved to the things
in life that could be bought with money SO en-
shaved that he was indifferent to those deeper and
surer enjoyments of nature and OF all the simpler
and more wholesome everyday pleasures.
So widespread are the misconceptions on this
SUBJECT lHdl IL IS nara every one OF us to keep
dsentangled. Everywhere it is assumed that cir
make lives. The truth is, of
course, that we make circumstances What hap
pens to Inc is important only through what hap
pens in my consciousness. The incident that
makes you stronger and richer makes me poorer
and weaker. Everything depends on what we per-
NIT to happen. The big trial may be the big fail
lre the big success. 1t is for each of us to de-
eide Shall we be the victor or the victim. the
slave, or the master?
G.
circumstances that react on ourselves. For exam
pie, have in mind a man who is always putting
exact1onS on others, wholly gratlitous exactions
aturally those others refuse to comply. As re-
suit, the man is disappointed and resentful 1t is
amusing at times to hear him complain OF the dis
agreeable situations he finds himself in He never
seems to realize that they of his own making
On the other hand know man Of exactly the
opposite type. He never exactS from others. All
Of his exactions he lays on himself. He is con-
tinually putting himself out to do services He
acts as If he enjoyed living if the world were an
ne appears people brighten up and show them
selves at their best. They help him to make the
circumstances of his day harmonious.
Often, by our attitude, we help to ens1ave one
mother. A misfortune happens to a neighbor. If
we are lacking in real understanding and SYM
oathy we will impress on him its magnitude. We
VIII make 1t seem like calamity. To its weight
We will add the weight of our own folly. By this
sind Of friendness many weak nature is
rushed. Better far would be silence or indiffer-
nee. AT such time the best we can do is to con-
,ey the sense of confidence, perhaps by treating
he person exactly as we treated him before.
There are altogether too many people in the ,
world who love the lamentng attitude. They will
ament not only over their trials, but also over
he trials of others and with eagerness that they
plainly regard as merit. Victims of circumstance
themselves they cooperate to make more victims
hey take morbid qualification in looking out of
lin windows and fancying that what they see is
eality.
Money Rusting Away.
Germanys new iron money was introduced, no
loubt mainly to save more valuable metal. But
German sentiment may possibly have found in it
lso something of the moral meaning of the
ncient Spartan iron currency This consisted OF
leavy pieces, so clumsy that it impossible to
AIRY more than few of them, and therefore to
pend much at time. The later degeneracy of
sparta was attributed by ancient authors to the
omission Of gold and silver money brought home
rom Asia by Lysander, which became very popu-
ar although it is said to have been legally CAPT.