The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-07-29
As IT SEEMS
TO ME
DANA sLEETH


My1r rs interesting to watch
the workings Of . simon
pure urban IN In q
brought IN contact with
nature for tho first time.
! have = small boy OF 4. who this
summer In away from the city for
The ftrst time. and his various rc-
actions are interesting. because
they arc about the same reactions
that our forcfathcrS In the stons
o8e went thru. when they tried to
explain tho world they found them
oelvcs In.
Tho first night out he was intro
Guced to hts first oil lamp. when
began 20 make a camp fire. he
wanted TO know why made an
other. fire. when already had one
N the bottle. The lamp was firc
IN = bottle: an electric light globe
wAs the only thing he recognized
- an illuminant
Then he looked the brook over
and wanted TO know where tho
man was who turned IL on. All
the water that ever ran before in
his experience came from a faucet.
and by analogy somebody was
twisting a faucet and making the
stream run.
He got his first good glimpse at
the stars. which seem to hover so
close over our tent. and. watching
the sparks fly up from the camp
dre. he surrnised that the stars
came from the sparks. and he won
0ered where the fires were burn
ing that kept the stars agiow..be-
tore our camp fire was started
The few horses he had seen IN
town had always been hisched to .
wagon when I led the bay marc
mp to camp for him to get ac-
Quainted with her. he would have
nothing 20 do with her. because
ohe wasn't all there. and was max
-. too" A horse without harness
vas not seemiy TO him
Sister. hidden In the bushes.
threw some cIods NJ the tent. and
The young man went forth and
scoldcd the cows severely for
throwing at him. n a man could
throw a rock. why. a cow or .
hOrse. being 80 much bigger.
should be able to heave bouidcrs
IKE pebbles
- "a UGH OF our ancient
vM science and theology
como from minds AZ
naive as this.
With only a tiny bit OF
experience. with TIE outer world a
dark mystery, with no understand
ing Of natural forces or universal
laws. our forefathcrs reasoned by
analogy. and p~opled the forests
With demons, their rivers with
rods, the heavens with more gods.
and the sky was an inverted blue
bowl over a fiat stone. on which
men dwelt.
Then. with our reverence for our
ancestors. we perpetuased their
crudities. termed old mistakes
sacred and old failacies revelations.
and wandered In darkness for thou
sands of years. when all we had to
do was to watch a falling apple.
look over the arched bosom Of tho
swcIling sea. study the political
economy Of the bee swarm. or at
tend to the military science Of tho
warrior ants to conquer our fears
and become as gods. walking un-
afraid In a world that was utterly
bencficent
Another relic Of antiquity that
remains with us TO this day to
curse us is the self-ccntered. bigot-
ed selfishness that marks man cy-
erywherc.
MY family. MY God. MY king.
MY welfare. MY money. MY rep
utation - how each self.vauntng
bug Of a human does delight to get
up on his particular bit OF muck
ana king IT.
Dimly. thru a glass darkly." we
have from time TO time glimpsed
the possibilities OF true co-opera-
tion. OF mutual broad mindedness.
Of regal charity that IL true love.
fmpersonaI and unselfish; but no
where have we been able to prac-
tice these same precepts, despite
the pIeadings Of the crucifed Christ.
and despite the sound. logical state
rnents Of every great philosopher
OF every time and cline.
Do unto others what they are
likely 70 do unto you--and do II
first; that has been the brass rule
by which humanity measured it's
divine opportunity thru the ages.
and tho every straight thinker
from the dawn OF history has
cried. 1T Is more blessed 10 give
nan TO receive" and tho the moth
- of the world have proven this
0Very time they stepped down into
the great blackness and came back
bringing newborn soul. seized
from the abyss--still we can't
adapt this truth TO ourselves. and
IN our essential daily conduct we
are no more Christian today than
we were on the shuddering night
when the temple rocked In black
ness and the Jagged fingers, of the
lightning skctehed the grim lines
OF the tense white figure fixed
there on the great rough cross. a
crown Of thorns for His diadcm and
: huddled crew Of blood-sprinkled
soidiery. gambling for Ills gar
ments, His sole audience, save for
the other taut figures on two less
er crosses. one who died with a
snar1 and the other who in death