Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-01-18
A fictitious
Plutocr;at
(CopyriSht)
By TOM MASON

.,
II sort of twentieth century halo that
surrounds man, SO to speak, Is none
the less pronounced in the case of Ca
leb 1ellowboise because he chances
TO be n fictitious parsonage.
a fictitious person Is much more like
~ TO be true to himself and to be more
Tree In his movements than his coun-
tcrpart in real life because the neccs-
sity for his being on guard is never
paramount. 1 was saying something
IKE This the other evening to Caleb
Ycllowboisc as we sat in one of his
palaces.
And yet" he said, "you must re-
member that, while in sense your
statement is correct, mt tho same time
must in my actions and in my
thoughts live up 10 the reality which
as fictitious parsonage I represent i'm
real life. In other words. the reality
of my Righteousness depends wholly
upon my fidelity to my prototype"
MY dear Caleb" said, laying nv
hand warningly on his arm. "you NAV
not escape me with any such subtle
sophistry. You wish to conceal from
me the hidden springs of your char
acter, Your weaknesses, YOUR defects.
ny taking refuge behind the sincerity
OF your Righteousness. You feel intul-
lively that I am here to criticize Won
to pick YOU to pieces, and you shrink
from the operation. You try to hcnd
me OF, therefore, by cndcavoring to
convince me that YOU are in reality
real and must he governed by actions
identical with reality You must re-
member that If you were really rcnl I
would in all probability not he here 70
ccnsurc YOU, but to beg Is It not n
pleasure for me once in my life TO
take the owner of IL hundred millions
INTO his own private roam, sit him
down in Il chair and tell him what
think of him?"
anyone would Think" said Caleb
Ycllowboise, "that you are act,iutod by
personal luminosity against me, as if
You considered me Il rcprobate or
something equally rcprchcnslblr."
"AdmirablcW l exclaimed. "AIy dear
Caleb. your stimulation of reality is so
good that I am almost tempted 10 ask
you for Il loan if for nothing more than
to humor your whm."
"Thc fact is" said Caleb Yellow
boise, II am not rs I seem. am one
OF Tie most cnVicd and ONE of the most
miserable OF human crculurcs-Cnvlcd
because of my possessions and miscr-
iihlc because Of them"
"But, my dear fellow" I exclaimed
"why should YOU let This incubus of n.
fortune Cypress You? WHY not ignore
it, overlook it, and 30 on your way
without thinking of it?"
"Ah," said Caleb sadly, 81 might
might if It were only that. But YOU
forgot that the very habit of thought
engcndcred by lifetime OF accumula-
ton cannot be shuf1led off so easily. To
gain this end have made many sacrl-
fees, and now my nature, warped and
sullen, refuses to respond to more es-
thetic Impulses"
at isn't your conscience, is III"
suggested.
"No!" replied my friend decisvcly,
II can't say that my conscience figures
TO any extent. I realized in the begin
ming that it was no quarter, and my
conscience never came to the front to
harass me. or course there are times
when perhaps hear of some poor
devil who has gone to the wall-whcnl
happened to turn on the screws that!
feel tinge of regret, but the chanccsl
are he would be squeezed anyways.
After had made little got the tnsto'
of blood. You SEQ, my personal wants
were few. I didn't care about pictures
then or books or scenery or anything
like that. thought good deal OF my
wife, and wanted to make her happy;
but, above all, L wanted power"
"And of course you got IT," 7 said,
"That's one OF the things" he contin-
ned, "tiint bother me. I can't make M
my mind now whether have any pow
er or not. Sometimes think I have,
and sometimes think I haven't. I
haven't created anything. I've had
some fun, OF course. It's fun to play
any game and win, but begin to soc
now that The game isn't worth as big
candle as thought it WAS. Railroads
have hccn built in my name iron foun-
dries started, libraries founded ana so
forth. But If 1 wanted railroad built
got architects to plan my buildings it
Is true | furnished the capital for all
these things, but even this didn't
make. got 1t from the other fellows.
In the meantime my wife and daugh-
ters have grown up without me.
They've learned things I haven't had
time for. OF course I've had the edges
rubbed off, but man has to be caught
young TO learn proper appreciation of
some things. And as for my sons"
''StOp!" cried. "Enough!" I anticI-
pated n positive enjoyment from n
more thorough understanding OF your
character, but this-this is heartrend-
ingl"
The owner OF hundred millions
sighed deeply. "You see how it is" he
replied. 81 have never confided In any
one before. Don't you feel sorry for
me?"
"Sorry !" calculated. "hIy dear mil