Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-04
THIS AND THAT


as the season Of the year do for us,
when they come round and bring
their fruits and varied delights,
! though, after all, we are never filled
| with the enjoymentS of life-this,
methinks. Is to do what Is told of the
maidens, to keep pouring water into
a perforated vessel, which, in spite of
all. can never be filled full.
| Moreover. Cerebus and the Furies.
and yon privation of light, are idle
tales. as we'll as all the rest, Ixion S
wheel. and black Tartarus belching
forth hideous fires from his throat:
things which nowhere are nor, sooth
| to say, can be.
! But there is in life a dread Of
punishment for evil deeds, signal as
the deeds are signal; /" and even
though these are wanting, yet the
conscience-stricken mind through bod.
| ing fears applies to itself goads and
frightens itself with whips, and sees
not meanwhile what end there can be
of ills or what limit at last is to be
set to punishments. and fears lest
| these very evils be enhanced after
death.
THE life Of fools at length becomes
a hell here on earth"
X n X
| Yet, Lucretius Is true optimist.
There Is nothing to hinder u.s." he
says, from living a life worthy of
gods"
| Nothing, alas. except ourselves!
| Lucretius, with the aid Of Ep,cur,1s.
and that older Greek thinker, Democ.
ritas, forecast radium when he wrote
| The outermost surface is ever
streaming off from things"
! Blessed are the pure in heart"
said the Lord.
"A happy life is not possible with.
! out clean breast" declared the pa.
gan Lucretius, which was not so bad
| for pagan.
| The above quotation occurs in the
| fifth book of THE Nature of Things"
| in which also occurs that most famous
classical bit:
The baby, like a sailor cast away
by the cruel waves, lies naked on the
ground, speechless, wanting every
furtherance Of life, soon as nature by
the throes of birth has shed him
forth into the borders of light.
| He fills the room with a rueful vail
ing, as well he may whose destiny is
to go through in life so many ills.
| But the different f1ocks, herds and
Wllu DeaStS grow up; they want no
rattles; to none of them need be ad-
dressed the fond broken accents of
the fostering nurse.
| "They ask not different dresses ac-
cording to the season; no. nor do they
want arms or lofty walls, whereby to
protect their own. the earth itself and
! nature. manifold in her works, pro.
ducing in plenty all things for all"
| In this book Lucretius pays tribute
to the canine friends of mankind.
speaking of housekeeping dogs with
faithful heart in breast"
The last portion of the fifth book
contains some beautiful truisms:
| Were a man to order his life by the
| rules of true reason, a frugal sub
i sistence joined to a contented mind
| is for him great riches. for never is
| there any lack of little
And again: Let men wear them.
| selves out to no purpose and swea.
| drops Of blood as they struggle on
along the straight road of ambition,
since they gather their knowledge
| from the mouths Of others and follow
after things from hearsay rather than
| the dictates of their own feelings
| But he has no illusions: This pre-
walls not now nor will prevail by and
by. any more than it has prevailed
! before"