The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-04-13
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN, Director,
Washington, d. c.
BURRoUGHs.

! est and fullest lives an American ever
/ lived. He scarcely had peed to read
| American history for he had lived
thru most of it," He was born in 1887.
In his early twenties he was writing
essays and poems, initiating the great
Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was
| then the dominating literary genius
of America. Think of man who be-
gan his writing career as a contem-
porary of Emerson and who published
| his last book this year! For no less
than 60 years-almost two generations
he was an author in active practice.
His life was his real masterpiece.
Not that his works are not valuable.
He was an essayist of real distinction,
I and a sound philosopher. He taught
a great many how to find beauty and
interest in the out-of-doors, and per-
haps he taught a few how to accept
the universe as he did, seeing life
clearly, with all its hazards and hard
ships, its soon and certain end, lean
ing on no supernatural faith or hope
of future existence, and yet achieving
serenity.
That was what he preached, and
whether he preached it convincingly
or not, he certainly practiced it with
dignity and success. He began life
as a poet. Later he became an es-
sayist, and finally his whole thought
his later writings were designed to
win men over to the scientific view
of life.
Burroughs, like most scientists, re-
jected religion. He could not believe
in a future life or in a Creator of the
Universe. He began his intellectual
development at a time when Darwin's
theory of evolution was still sensa-
ton, when religious men were still
declaiming against it, and scientific
I 1frFfrN
and some benighted Missionaries were
trying to reconcile the two. Bur-
roughs of course took the scientific
side, and Darwin became his idol
Many of his later essays reflect
this intellectual conflict of his youth.
He wrote somewhat as tho the great
war of the last century between re-
lgion- and science were still going
holly forward, as tho he did not
realize that a truce had long since
been called, the scientists and the
partisans of revealed religion going
of Burroughs writings seems irrele-
want or out of date. Nor he was
always trying to persuade his readers
to love nature, to understand nature,
to see that their real salvation lay in
a life of intelligent adjustment to
natures laws.
Not Sentimentalist.
Burroughs created thru his writ
ings whole army of sentimental
nature 1overs-of ladies who rave
over sunsets and birdsongs, and tell
you how sweet and lovely nature is.
He must have viewed these disciples
of his with horror. For he saw ma
tture as a mighty relentless force, of
which man is an accidental product
He saw that the life of man is a brief
| and hazardous thing, subject to a
thousand chances of injury and de-
struction. He saw how man, longing
| to dignity himself and his life, had
come to believe in future states and
in personal creators. He understood
this longing, he shared it; but to him
all religions were merely sentimental
myths, which, in the long run, I'M
fitted man for survival. He believed
that man must summon the courage
to accept the conditions of life as
they are, that he must admit he has
no proof or even indication of any
life beyond the present one-nothing
but a longing for such a life. He
must realize further, Burroughs said,
that this life is thing of hazard,
guarded by no special providence, sub
Ject to the same chances as any other
form of life on this globe. This is
perhaps a terrible philosophy, and
one which calls for courage, but Bur-
roughs believed that high serenity
may be gained from it. that the man
| who seeks to live by the laws of ma
ture will in the long run be the hap
piest. His own life was certainly
the most convincing demonstration
of that philosophy. Serene, sane, in
dependent in thought and act, SUI
premely reflective. he stood aside
rent of American life. Life rushed
by him as a mob dashes by some
quiet, astonished bystander. Here were
men hot after money, men worn and
| torn by ambitions, men following all
sorts of religious and superstitions
in anguish. Here was almost every
thing save a man at peace with him
| self and with his fellows.
His Creed.
Burroughs, out Of his vast serenity,
spoke to the mob gently. He babe
these excited ones to be calm, if only
because their futile little lives were
| not worth getting excited about. He
babe them stop and notice how beau
| tiful was sunlight on water and the
song of q mockingbird and the first
green of spring. He Suggested that
since they were here for such little
while it might be well to pause for a
moment and to enjoy the beauty and
| wonder of the spectacle of life. All
/ away from the reality of life, that is,
from nature. because they had not the
courage to face it.
And he tried to tell them that al
tho nature is indeed terrible, she is
also beautiful, and not always cruel to
those who understand her. And why
run away from her, anyway? There
| is really no escape.
! Most of them paid no attention to
him. A few of them stopped and lis
tened for a moment and then ran on.
1Only very few could share and I'M
derstand the philosophy which gave
| this old man much rare peace and
strength of spirit. He was not calcu-
lated to influence many, not only be-
cause his philosophy was too austere
for them and demanded more courage
/ than the many have, but alse because
| he knew nothing about them. He was
no social observer; he was a recluse.
He did not try to fit his philosophy to
other mems lives.
| This philosophy was woven thru and