Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-06

1t is one of the pleasures Of reading
TO note in different authors, writing at
different times and in various countries,
the same thoughts, perhaps given differ
ent shades Of meaning, but the same In
essence.
We quoted here the other day SEN
tence from Americas Emerson to the
effect that 1t is best for one to think
well OF the world, and thus to make
the world one lives in"
The keynote of that sentence Is sim
pltcity Of heart and mind. Much the
same may be met with in one of Guy
de MaupaSsant's short stories. That
excellent cynic knew humanity. Even
he recognized the existence Of men and
women who are simple Of heart, good
by nature, who permit themselves to
be taken in" by the shrewd, the cum
ming and the cruel of earth.
Reading in one of Emile Zola'S nov
els, 1.-THE Fortune of the Rougons," we
came across the following good SEN
tence:
"He was one of the simple minded,
one whose simplicity was divine. and
who had remained on the threshold Of
the temple, kneeling before the tapers
which from a distance he took for
stars"
Emerson, Maupassant, Zofa-three as
diverse characters as ever lived, yet
each testifying to the need which hui
mainly has for the genuinely simple
minded. The American sage declared
that If one thought we'll of the world
he thus necessarily forsook the world
Of experience and made the world he
lives in.
The bitter French master of the short
story put tinge Of wishing into his
thought when he pointed out the diff
ference between the two types of char
acters, those who are seldesS and those
who are selfish. One might almost
swear that the writer wished he could
be a member Of the former group.
The American philosopher dealt
more in distractions, telling us that the
mere act of thinking well of the world
land necessarily of the things and
people in the world would enable us
to live in world of our own making.
The French novelist, as might be ex
pected of such realist, contented him
self with fiat statement. The man he
spoke of was one of the simple
minded His simplicity was divine.
HE had remained on the threshold of
the temple, kneeling before the tapers
which from a distance he took for
stars"
The realist outdoes, In our estima-
ton, the philosopher and the sophisti-
Gated cynic. he puts his finger exactly
on the glory of simplicity. In an age
when scientific research was just COM
ing to itself, lola realized the necessity
for the supplemented character in
complete world Of human beings.
No scientist Is content to remain on
the threshold Of the temple. He goes
inside as far as he may-that Is why he
sees tapers as tapers, and not as stars.
The supplemented, however, are con-
tent to stay on the outside, and to see
the tapers as cleaning worlds of mag
nitude. If they see them as such, are
they not exactly so to them?
This is the point where realist and
dreamer part; being such, 1t may do
we'll to examine it more closely, as there
will never be any hope later Of bringing
the two together.
The point of divergence Is the very
essence of simplicity. Hard, clever, I'M
scrupulous men like to think that the
simple minded are fools. Why, they
choose to see starsl Therefore, are they
not fools?
The essence of the simple ninded is
the desire to believe. Such one would
rather believe and be wrong, than doubt
and be right. Who would say that they
are wrong? That is why men Of de-
cent mind are willing to make no at
tempt to convert another on any sub
ject, once they see that the other is set
in his opinion.