Evening star., 1922-11-18
Letters of Franklin K. Lane
Revelations of the War Cabinet and Intimate
Views of National and World Figures by the For
mer Secretary of the Interior.
of the Interior,
Copyright. lsss. BY Anne ". Ians.)
INsTALLBGENT NO. II.

INsTALLdENT NO. II.
The philosophy Of Mr.. Lanes life
was evidenced in the letters he wrote
during the illness which resulted In
his death. On May II. 1921. he wrote
to friends who had telegraphed and
written for news:
Last Friday. about 10 in the morn
Ing, took the step that should
have taken months. yes. years. ago.
I was stretched on sttfI, hard table.
my arms were clamped down ana in
three quarters Of an hour had my
appendix and my gall bladder re-
moved. which latter was a stone
quarry and the former cesspool.
Today. most tentatively. crawled on
to chair and ate my first mouthful
Of solid food. But four days ago I
managed to shave myself. and I am
regarded as pretty spry.
For two days I had had knowledge
that this operation was to take place
at this time. and my nerves had not
been Just as good ss they should have
been. Those mon who sleep twelve
hours perfectly befora being electro.
cuted have evidently led more tran
quill lives than have or have less
concern as to the future. All. now
was to know the great secret! For
forty years ! had been wondering
wondering. Often I had said TO my
self that should summon to my mind
when this moment came some words
that would be somewhat a synthesis
Of my philosophy. Socrates said to
those who stood by. after he had
drunk the hemlock. NO evil. can be-
fall good man. whether he be alive
or dead" I don't know how far from
that we have gone in these twenty
four hundred years. The apothegm.
however. was not opposite to me. be-
cause it involved a declaration that
was good man. and don't know
any one who has the right so to ap-
preciate himself. And had come to
the conclusion that perhaps the best
statement Of my creed could be fitted
into the words. II accept" which to
my individual spirit was to 60, back
into the great ocean Of spirits. my
one duty was to conform. Lead.
Kindly Light" was all the gospel
had. 1 accepted. made pretense to
put out my hand in submission and
lay there.
All through, doctor?'
Yes. doctor"
Very we'll, we will proceed
And l was gradually pushed through
the hall into the operating room. The
process there was lightnins-like.
vas In torture.
Lift me up. lift me up
What for?"
II have one OF those angina pains
and 1 must ease 1t by getting up and
taking some nitro"
That had been my practice. but
did not reason that never before had
the pain como on my right side.
"Give him \ Whit Of ether" The
tenderest arms stole around my head
and the softest possible voice
Ulysses must. have heard 1t long ago
Now do take a deep breath" re-
sisted. I had been told that would
see the performance.
"Plesse do. breathe very deeply
just one good deep breath"
That pain was burning the side out
Of me. I tried to get my hand up to
my side. OF course 1t was tied down.
] swore.
"Oh. Christ, This is terrible"
'It will stop II you will reach for =
big breath"-and 1 resigned myself.
Men who are given the third degree
have no stronger will than mine. I
knew I was helpless. I must 20
through. / must surrender to that
Circean voice.
heard the doctor In common
place montone say. "This is an un-
usual case" The rest Of this
sentence never heard.
There was long ray Of gray light
leading from my bed to my door.
had opened my eyes. II had not
died" had come through the valley.
II wonder what he got"
4n tu0 uTONO pAII Va Iue I8y "AS
my wife smiling. and stretching out
to that unreachabls door were others,
whom recognized. all smiling.
Things were dim. but my mind seem
ed definite.
What did he Get?" had expected
eternal mysteries to be unraveled.
Either I would know. or not know.
and I would not know that I would
not know. ~
"He got a gall bladder dHed with
stones and q bad appendix, and now
you are to lie STILL"
Then to this the drama had come.
the drama beyond all dramas
handful Of brownish secretions and a
couple Of pieces Of morbid desh!! All
mel
I am doing we'll, cared for we'll. as
happy as can be: have had none Of
my angina pains since the operation.
And as lie here. I contemplate
(nAking) q frieze-a procession of
doctors and nurses and internes. Of
diagnosticians and technicians and