Evening star., 1925-07-10

Did Marcus Aurelius, Emperor. of
Rome nearly 1000 years ago, foresee
this column?
In all modesty I submit this ques-
tion to the readers of This and That
during this week, which marks the
first anniversary of this column.
Marcus Aurelius said, in the third
book of his "Meditations":
"A man should use himself to think
of those things only about, which If
one should suddenly ask, What hast
thou now in thy thoughts? with per-
feet openness thou highest immedi.
ately answer: This or that"
SO there you have q marvellous in
stance of prophecy; and it pleases me
a great deal to feel that in the words
following Marcus described the read
ers of this column:
From thy words it should be plain
that everything in thee is simple and
benevolent, and such as befits social
animal, and one that cares not for
thoughts about pleasure or sensual
enjoyments at all, nor has any rivalry
or envy and suspicion, or anything
else for which thou wouldst blush IL
thou shouldst say that thou hadst it
in thy mind.
For the man who is such and no
longer delays being among the num-
ber of the best, is like a priest and
minister of the gods, using, too, the
deity which is planted within him,
which makes the man uncontaminat-
ed by pleasure, unharmed by any pain,
untouched by any insult feeling no
wrong, fighter in the noblest fight"
q
let us send greetings; for we, too, have
tried to be fighters in the noblest
fight. We have written OF people
especially in the home), of animals
particularly cats and dogs). of books
and literature in general, ethical
pieces, of places (notably streets,
parks, etc.. of gardens, Estey alley.
conditions, reviews of books old and
new. in praise of Washing gton. d. C,
our home town; stories from old rec
ords and stories of manners
In this work we have tried to hold
fast to the best, and the hundreds of
kind letters in the letter box make us
feel that we have succeeded, to some
extent, at least.
4
Aurelius, in his third book, gives a
piece Of advice that was old when he
wrote 1t, but is always worth while:
"A man must stand erect, not be
kept erect by others"
The whole trend of educa ton, both
in the home and schools, is to furnish
out the child so he may stand erect. on
his own feet, as the saying is, and not
be dependent upon others.
The ability to take care of ones self
is something that many have natural
ly, whereas others have to learn it by
painful degrees, some in the so-called
school of hard knocks, others in the
ordinary evolution of the personal life.
Here is one place where there can
be no doubt of evolution at all. Every
life is an evolution, beginning, a go.
ing forward, an evolution of some.
thing, resolution into something.
Evolution, in this sense, does not
necessarily mean improvement. 1t
simply implies something evolving
from one thing into another. There
Is many a splendid little boy of today
whose evolution will be downward in
the days to come.
1t Is too bad, of course, but the
years will show that to be the case.
On the other hand, let us consider a
more hopeful example, that of some
ugly duckling, who is regarded with
more or less secret chagrin by his
parents.
His will be an evolution worth
while! BY easy stages-so easy, some
times, he himself will not be able to
note them-he will progress until he
becomes the pride of his community, a