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Show DON'T DEMAND AN IDEAL STATE (W. M. Gamble in Atlantic Monthly.) The lesson all must learn, nolens vo-lens, vo-lens, is self-limitation, based, curiously curious-ly enough, on self-assertion. Let everyone ev-eryone find, if he can, a metier of his own, wherever he can make room for It. Cut your garment according to your cloth, got according to any "pattern "pat-tern in the .Mount."" There may be a heaven, but do not regard it too ob Jectively. Do not peremptorily demand de-mand an ideal earthly state Limit knowledge strictly by the creeping In ductive process. The function of romance ro-mance is to furnish imaglnarl goals. 10 Inspire effort in its Inceptive stages, or to serve as a pleasing contrast to tho dull restrictions of theactual. Be-llofs, Be-llofs, visions, let them rather be the stuff out of which-- human achievements achieve-ments arc woven, not the substance of objective things hoped for or un seen. Do not expect too much of tho not-Solfo not-Solfo whether God or Nature or man, such has been one cautious resultant attitude of Nineteenth century teaching teach-ing and experience The main achievement achieve-ment of human aspirations was a character, char-acter, conceived of in terms of a certain cer-tain toughness and self-reliance, bred of barren soil and threatening skies. Endeavor evolves its own reward. Probably tho grapes are sour, but climb the trellis none the less valiantly. valiant-ly. To have climbed, even with so barren a hope, setting your vill against the indifference and hostility of Nature and man, will yield a sweetness sweet-ness all its own. The important thing after spending all your vitality in quest of Just a "Dark Tower," is the satisfaction involved in-volved in announcing, through a slug-horn, slug-horn, that you have arrived Brown ing'B optimism Is here at one with Bauer's idealism. Schopenhauer's pessimism pes-simism and Kipling's 'Gospel of Work.' It has been preached in one way to tho artisan, in another way to the devotee. dev-otee. It certainly, in its own setting, has a moral value of its own, and appeals ap-peals to a very sensitive syot in human hu-man self-esteem, but only a moral aristocrat aris-tocrat could respond to It without reservation. res-ervation. ,If all existence should prove stale and meaningless, at least a brave man man stand game. Man at least can make hlmBclf interesting to himself. him-self. The motive of reward is too crass; it may bo conceded to the inferior in-ferior nature. Nobody Is particularly satisfied with the social scheme In which we live to day, but that Is not the point. Like a recent tariff schedule, It is the best anyone has a right to expect. If it does not suit you, spin about you, out of your consciousness, a world more to your liking. Man's glory is his cre-ativo cre-ativo power, and his highest creation is his own orphanedc, sublimated, self reliant, lonoly self. , nn |