Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-10-15
LEDOUx
BY Frederic ]. rInskin

Washington, oct, lille is the man
who walks the streets with white
az. brclla decorated with red hearts
and the legend ''iift up your heart"
who puts the unemployed on the
auction block, stripped 10 the waist,
aid sells them TO the highest bidder
who gets himself onto the first pages
Of newspapers everywhere he goes---
picturesque sentimentalist and yis-
ionary with O gift for self-adyertising.
you would say.
But when you learn that the same
man buried himself In obscurlty on
the East Side for five years in order
10 study the poor, you are inclined to
admit that he must be sincere. And
when you learn that he lived there on
five dollars week, and yet kept
himself In such good health that he
could beat young athlete in a two
mile foot race, although he is AZ. you
have to admit that he In man Of
sc. practical ability. When you find
in addition that he has as the State
Department an enyiable record as a
consul at Prague, Austria, that he has
boon a successful efficiency engineer
tllat he did highly commended work
durff.g the war for the War Camp
& immunity Service and the Labor
/ Bureau Of the War Department, and
that he has been successfully employ
e. as a professional organizer in sev.
eral other enterprises, you realizs
that ne cannot be a visionary in ths
u al sense OF the term.
The mystery of his personality Il
Increased when you learn that he no
only has great influence over the un
employed workers whoeare his specia
interest, but that he also has the sup
port and friendship Of such men a.
Arthur Woods OF New York, Mayo
Peters OF Boston, Claude Bragdon, tn
architect, and many others prominen
IN official and professional life. To b
able to reach and impress such |
variety OF persons certainly shows al
unusual individuality. President Hard
ing. after an interview with him, toll
Iedoux that ne considered his worl
"the greatest in the world" Man.
lc n at this man who merely hea
OF his exploits in getting publicity
but all seem to feel his force an
earnestness when they meet him.
A Mystical Philosopher.
To this account Of his qualities an
achievements, it mu@t be added tha
Urban Ledoux is protesting mystic
Indeed. without that knowledge yof
cannot hope TO understand thi
strange man, angel Of the unem
ployed," who has filled so much spae
in the newspapers recently, and hs
yet remained personally almost un
known. Ledoux believes in a thin
which he calls cosmic consciousness
and that is all that he believes In. II
kind. He has no recognized creed
religious, political, or economic--t
, offer. That is one reason, OF cours'
why he is acceptable to all classes {
: men. and is commended by radical an
conservative, capitalist and worke
at the same time. Ledoux does M
believe that institutions and politiC
are worth worrying about. He b,
! lieves that man is capable OF highs
grade of consciousness than MOI
men have yet attained, and that h
Z only progress will come from educs
ton in the broadest sense, which WI
4 help him to come into that conscious
1 ness.
Il "I recognize no sin except the was
of energy he explained, when he WI
| interviewed in his little hall bedroo
II at a local hotel.
Ii yar-strife and violence of
| kids, personal and national-he r
II CARDS as waste of energy. All go
/ comes from acting upon the mott
| of love-from friendly cooperate
! This friendly cooperation will cor
| pletely replace strife of all kinds WIN