The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-09-28
(By Stoughton Cooley

crouch who complains of everything
meets pretty grouchy world; while
the laughing philosopher finds it
immensely amusing. The selfish
person sees nothing but other peo-
pie looking out for themselves;
while the generous one meets big
hearts everywhere.
This is not to say it is an ideal
world, or that everyone get his due;
by no means; but it is to say that it
is plastic world, world in flux,
that may be moulded and shaped to
human will; that it is, in fact, a
world so moulded and shaped. Beau
Brummel remarked how much bet
ter Heaven had treated man than
beasts. For, whereas the animals
had been given fur and the birds
feathers which they could not change
man had been sent into the world
naked, in order that he might clothe
his body to suit his fancy. That
is the charm, the never ending
charm, of the world. 1t can be
shaped to suit our fancy.
Granted that the world can be
changed, that indeed it is changed
by man, it is highly important how
one exercises his powers. Each of
course must choose for himself how
he shall treat the world, but it is
interesting to note how some have
chosen.
On Murray Hill in the heart of
New York City, just block west
of the bronze tablet that marks
the site of the old Murray home
stead where Mary Lindley Murray
entertained the British officers while
General Putnam made good his es-
cape, is a brown stone house in
which lives a man who is quite
widely known to the world. The
son of rich and we'll known father,
he has during the present war fl
nanced deals for the Entente Allies
that made him financier of the
world
Just what he has done aside from
conducting large financial deals the
general public does not know. 1t
thinks he has done nothing for
anybody but himself. This may
or may not be true; it is the cur
rent thought. The world thinks
him hard man; and it is reason
able to infer that he thinks it a
hard world. That at least is his
outward attitude. For, like the des-
perado who finds it necessary to
go armed this man who lives in the
center of one of the largest cities
of the world feels himself unsafe
in the presence of his fellows un-
less protected by arms.
And so it happens that an armed
man may be seen on the sidewalk at
any hour of the day or night, as
though some prisoner in the house
might escape The man within is
prisoner in a sense; he is afraid
some one will attack him He was
wounded, not very long ago, and
some one may repeat the attempt
on his life He is very rich, and
has great power; yet he sees in
every stranger a possible emmy who
would do him bodily harm Con-
sidering his wealth and power he
seems to be getting very little out
of life
Contrasted with the life of this
man may be placed that of a wo-
man who lives on the same street
about the same distance east of the
bronze tablet to the memory of Mary
Lindley Murray. She also is reck-
oned as among the rich. She may not
be as rich as the man, but she
probably spends a much larger pro-
portion of her income. But there
are no armed guards on the side
walk before her house. Indeed, if
you approach the door you will find
a tiny brass plate on the inside of
the door between the lace curtain
and the glass bearing the words
walk in."
Why should this rich man have
armed men about his house to pre-
vent any one from entering, and the
rich woman have the invitation to
walk in? Why should the man be
so timid, and the woman be so fear
less? Why should he repel the
public, while she invites it?
The whole philosophy of life lies
hidden in the answer to those ques-
tions. The man has given little to
the world. He has scowled at his
fellow men. He never goes out of
his way to aid the people. He has