Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-10-15

the human race has reached ifs real
maturity Of mind. There win be ~
~ aployinent for example. because
unemployment Is obvious and prevent
able waste Of energy. All life he secs
as one vast stream Df immortal en-
ergy in which every individual la
capable of functioning as an harmon
ions and necessary part. The prob
lem of life is the proper direction Of
that stream Of energy.
! In the philosophy which Ledoux ex-
pounds--speaking often in a sort Of
blank verse. with his eyes closed
there arc traces of primitive Chris
/ tianity, Of tho teachings Of Moses. Mo-
hammed Buddha. Of the sacred books
Of the HIndoos, of Confu~fus and II
the great American poet, Walt Whit
man, whose works Ledoux says that
he knows by art. He does not
deny that his inspiration comes from
all Of these. He says that all Of the
great religious teachers and the great
est poets were men who had achieved
cos1nic consciousness and who tried
TO inpart II 10 their fellow men. That
he regards az his mission too. but he
hastens to assure you that he does not
regard himself as either a prophet or
a poet. He seems ear 70 esespe the
repute Of being one more amateur
messiah. He says that his words are
nothing, what he does everything He
proposes to preach a gospel by acting
it-by giving the example Of life
devoted to unse1ash service
He has nothing, he says and he
wants nothing He gave up a success
: fui professional career for his present
work. He wears castoff clothing given
him by friends and never knows
where his next dollar is coming from.
He has a wife and three grown chill
dren all OF whom he has taught to
I support themselves. He believes that
the Individual who devotes himself 70
J the feeding Of another individual
! creates one loafer and one slave. He
does not believe that any one should
! be a dependent after childhood.
! Ledoux is perhaps our only public
, figure who speaks 10 his interviewcrs
, in sort Of poetry. For example this:
r He Speaks in Meter.
t, "My mission is to lift up the hearts
! Of the down-hearted. and 70 bring a
greater measure Of love and beauty
into the lives Of the long denied. For
that purpose I have become a servant
] Of the servants, serving the hewers
I OF wood and the drawers Of water
. the builders Of the pyramids"
] Whether you like II or not. you have
8 to admit that It is pretty good free
verse.
e Ledoux is big, barrel-chested, ath-
: letic-iooking man, with head oi
/.
Z wavers. He says that he IL never un-
happy because he wants nothing and
E SO cannot be disappointed. Ills pres
v ence is undeniabIy impressive and
: magnetic 1t would be hard Tor any
q one to overlook him or laugh az him
!. He is widely read. He is a vegetar-
r ian, uses no tobacco, alcohol or con-
A diments. He says that he sleeps bu'
two to four hours a day. and that hs
!, has cut his sleep down gradually
! from eight hours, as he has eliminated
from his life the burden Of persona
!. desire and strife. He is a voluminou'
!. and eloquent talker, with mind q
astonishing variety. He VIII tell yor
= a. funny incident, outline a prac1ica
7. plan for home for the unemployed
a and recite TO you his poetic-mystica
y version Of the evolution OF life from
the protozoon to cosmic conscious
le ness, all within an hour Whateve
Is else he may be. he is unique and in
III teresting.
What has he Accomplishment On
III thing, undoubtedly. He has brough
2 home to Americans the fact Of unem
ID pIoyment--the misery and waste Of Il
ge He has made them see it, both as
n. human catastrophe and as an eco
n nornic problem. more vividly than eve
IN before.