Evening star., 1925-07-13
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES L. TRACEWELL.

Most people hate to get out of bed
in the morning.
In Winter the warmth Of the bed
clothes appeal nightly; in Summer
! the general slothfulness of the atmos-
phere lures one to renewed slumber.
Many find 1t almost impossible to
open their eyes. after a night of
| sound sleeping; others simply refuse
to get up until dragged out by their
heels.
Marcus Aurelius lived 1000 years
ago, but he knew all about this feel
ing. Listen to Marcus, opening the
fifth book of his "Meditations:"
In the morning when thou risest
unwillingly, let this thought be pres
emit am rising to the work Of hui
man being.
why, then, am I dissatisfied II I
am going to do the things for which 1
exist and for which / was brought
into this world?
Have l been made for this, to lie
In the bedclothes and keep myself
warm?
But this is more pleasant!
Dost thou exist then to take thy
pleasure, not at all for action and ex-
ertion? Dost thou not see the little
plants, the little birds, the spiders,
the bees working together to put in
order their several parts Of the uni
verse?
And art thou unwilling to do the
work of human being, and dost thou
not make haste to do that which is
according to thy nature?
But 1t is necessary to take rest
also!
1t Is necessary: however. nature has
hxed bounds to this, too; she has fixed
bounds both to eating and drinking,
and yet thou goest beyond these
bounds, beyond what is sufficient yet
IN thy acts It is not so, but thou
stoppest short of what thou canst do
SO thou lowest not thyself. for II
thou didst, thou wouldst love thy ma
ture and her will. Those who love
their several arts exhaust themselves
In working at them unwashed and
without food: but thou valuest thy
own nature less than the turner val
ues the turning art, or the dancer
the dancing art, or the lover of money
values his money, or the vainglorious
man his little glory.
Such men, when they have a vio-
lent affection to a thing, choose nei-
ther to eat nor to sleep rather than
to perfect the things which they care
for.
Are the acts which concern society
more vile in thy eyes and less worthy
of thy labor?"
Imagine a modern mother getting
little Willie out of bed at Z am. with
the Aurelian exhortation:
Willie, for heavens sake, get up!
You will be late for school. Why,
William, you ought to think that you
are rising to the work of a human be-
ing. that's what you ought to think" :"
Il amt rising a-tall."
well, you ought to be ashamed of
yourself, then, Willie. Why should
you be dissatisfied at the idea Of get
ting up. when you know that you
have to go to school, and that going
to school is what you were made to do.
You certainly were not created just
to lie there in the bedclothes and keep
yourself warm"
"Uh-huh. This Is mighty pleasant,
nav"
DO you exist, Willie, just to take
your own pleasure, and not to be
up and doing, a regular go.getter?
Shame on you, William! Look at the
little plants doing their stuff, and here
you are. a great big boy. lying in
bed like an old slow poke! Amt YOU
ashamed of yourself? Look at the
ants. and the spiders, and the bees
all at work.
why don't you kick off those
blankets, Willie, and get up and go