Newspapers / The Roanoke Beacon and … / Oct. 2, 1908, edition 1 / Page 3
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A WELL-BALANCED MIND "Yes," he read aloud from his tnagnum opus as he lay back In his chal.- holding the open volume up in hi3 right hand, "there is no deny ing the fact. Happiness is purely subjective. It is a thing of man's inward self, not of his outward sur roundings. How oiten is the beggar, though denuded of those accidents upon which men popularly, but er roneously, suppose happiness to de pend money, friends, rank power, what not how often, I say, is this beggar the happiest of men, while the prince in his palace, or the million aire in hi3 mansion, is the most mis erable! Some, observing this phe nomenon, but failing to grasp its true meaning, jump to, the hasty conclu sion that riches are, positively, a source of unhappiness. They are equally, however, as mistaken in their way as those who conceive riches to be a source of happiness. The truth is that neither riches nor poverty, nor any external circum stances whatsoever, have the remo test connection with a man's happi ness. He whose mind is well bal anced will be invariably happy, while fie whose mind is ill balanced will be invariably miserable, be his purse lull or be it empty." The philosopher laid down his book. "How well I have put that! How true it is," he soliloquized, musing ly. "Look at my own case. Men call me lucky, because, by the death of my cousin Tom in the wilds of Africa, I succeeded unexpectedly to my present fortune. Lucky, for sooth! I laugh at their stupid esti mate. I am neither more nor less happy than I was when I came into the money fifteen years ago. I have always been happy, simply because mine is a happy nature in other words, a well balanced mind. Were I -to wake up to-morrow and find myself suddenly bereft of my wealth, it would make no difference. Nay, why should it?" (The philosopher helped himself to a choice cigar from . the open box at his elbow, and, light ing it, slowly inhaled its fragrant vapor.) "I smoke these Partagas now," he went on in the same reflective vein. "Why? Because the gods give them to me. I sit in this morocco arm chair. Why? Because the gods give it to me. I take, in fact, what Heav en sends because it were ungracious, perhaps impious, to refuse it. But it affects not my happiness one way or the other. Who's that?" he added, quickly, as the sound of the opening door fell upon his ears. "Oh. you, Selina. Now what is it that you want with me, my dear?" "I wfcb. to have a word or two with ''iFaaf'pUfse, uncle," replied the new comer, k pretty graceful girl, appar ently about five and twenty years of age. "Can you spare me five min utes?" "If it is only five yes," said the philosopher, looking, however, some thing less pleased by the interrup tion than a philosopher of so well balanced a mind should properly Jiave done. "You know the subject," demand ed Selina, with an expression half defiant, half-coaxing on her pretty face. "Do you mean your engagement to young Paterson?" queried Draycot Dabber. Selina nodded. "Well, in that event, my dear," remarked her uncle, "I do not see what there is for us in this matter to discuss. You have asked my con sent. I have given it with my blessing. And there's an end of it." As he spoke, he waved, as it wre, the subject aside with a dismisscry gesture of his elegant white hand. "But, uncle," cried Selina, "there Is not an end of it, as you know. Charlie Paterson has only 150 a year." "So you have informed me before. Well, what of it?" sniilcd our phi losopher, placidly. "Charlie and I cannnot live on 150 a year," exclaimed his niece, with scarcely repressed indignation. "No?" ejaculated Draycot Dabber, still smiling in the same placid, un ruffled way. "Upon my word, you do surprise me, Selina. One hundred and fifty pounds a year is let me see (he made a brief calculation upon a leaf of his pocketbook) yes, it is 2 17s. 8-4-12d. a week a sum far more than sufficient to purchase the necessaries of life for two people. Kay! how many married couples are there in England, to say nothing of other countries, who would consider themselves positively wealthy with such an income. And yet you tell me that you cannot live upon it?" "Not in in the style which is expected of people in our walk of life," cried his niece, her eyes flash ing. "Really, Selina," answered the philosopher, with his most "superior" air, "you do talk like a very foolish girl. Style? Style, indeed! Is it not happiness that is the aim and ob ject of married life? And does style promote happiness? Pshaw! The only source of happiness is a well balanced mind. If. your minds are veil balanced, you will be happy on 150 a year. And if your minds are not well balanced, you would be un happy on 150,090.. The famous So crates J "Oh, bother Soy Selina. her ewSiL . . ted in- :..; i7iv to knit U&f any financial assistance upon my marriage?" - "I decline," said Draycot Dabber, "to lavish 'upon you that which will not make you one lota the happier. Were I to do so, I should simply stultify myself and all my most cher ished convictions." "It is cruel. It is unjust!' cried out the girl, angrily. "And I have the right to expect assistance I know I have under my great uncle's will." At that the philosopher's face as sumed a look of annoyance of irri tation quite incompatible with a well balanced mind. "Nonsense!" he retorted hastily. "Nothing of the kind. All I was called upon to do by the will was to undertaKe your support. And that I am sure I have done liberally most liberally. But my uncle said nothing about giving you money up on your marriage; nothing whatever. No doubt he recognized that when a girl marries, her maintenance then becomes her husband's business. And I certainly shall not frustrate his in tentions, to say nothing of stultify ing myself by squandering useless dross upon you, Selina. Whatever I can do to advance your true happi ness shall be done cheerfully. But money brings true happiness to no one; nor ever did. Upon that point all wise men are agreed. There, my dear! There is no more to be said. Besides, you have already had your five minutes. Let us consider the subject closed." Again he resumed the perusal of his book. By-and-by it slipped from his hand to the carpet. His eyes were shut, his mouth open. A stertorous noise issuing therefrom announced that the philosopher was in a pro found slumber. He awoke at length, to find the splendid footman addressing him apologetically. "Eh? What? What the duce is it?" Inquired Draycot Dabber, rub bing his eyes. "A gentleman to see you, sir," ex plained James. "He apologizes, sir, for calling at this hour, but he sez as his business is rather pertikler." "Who is he? What name does he give?" demanded Draycot Dabber. "Sez as he's a stranger, sir, and you wouldn't know his name," re plied James. "But he's just been a readin' of your book, sir, and wishes to see you in connection with it. That's the message he give, sir." "My book?" (The philosopher smiled. His book? Some admirer, no doubt; some earnest seeker after truth who, impressed by that mas terly exposition, desired to consult the master thereon.) "Show him up, James," he said. James withdrew, presently return ing and ushering in the stranger. The latter was a tall, middle aged man, of handsome appearance, well dressed in his style, which was, how ever, rather the style of Bohemia than of Mayfair. "You are puzzled," said the stran ger. "Come! Look at me. Don't you know me?" ("So, hq! The chestnut dodge of imaginary old acquaintance," thought Draycot Dabber.) He replied stiffly: "You are under some delusion, sir. I never set eyes upon you before." The stranger laughed. ,, "Well, I daresay I am a-good bit changed," he said. "Twenty years at my time of life do make a differ ence especially when they've been spent among the natives in Central Africa." "You Tom?" (The words fell with a strange, almost unnatural, sound from his parched lips.) "Im possible! Tom was killed in Africa fifteen years ago." "Oh, no, he wasn't. My pal Jevons was the one who was killed. I was carried off alive by the natives. I only managed to escape six months ago, and I arrived in London the day before yesterday. Yesterday morning I went to see my solicitors, and it was then I heard of my uncle's will and my own supposed death. Made a pretty considerable flutter in their office, my reappearance did, I can tell you. I asked them what I was to do. They advised me to place myself in their hands at once. But I said that I'd rather see you before taking any action, and discuss the po sition of affairs with you in a friend ly spirit. I was coming last night; only feeling what a shock it would be to you, 1 put the disagreeable In terview off. Luckily, however, on my return journey from the solicitor, I saw a copy of your book on an Un derground bookstall and immediate ly bought it. I have been reading it all the morning, with the result that quite a load has been lifted from my Happy Fliilosopliy. The ship you have been expecting so long has ar rived. Times are as good as they ever will be, and na ture is doing as much for the people as she ever does. A good many people will continue to sit in the gloaming and long and wish and build castles, but they will waste their time. They are the poetry sort of people, who are always expecting the impossible to happen. Poetry ideas would be very pleasant if there was any prospect of their coming true. Living is a matter-of-fact sort of business, and those who accept it as such succeed best and live most contentedly. t t mind. Of course, if you hadn't been a philosopher, with a very proper and admirable contempt for money, I should have found my task uncom monly painful. But as r It is, I have n't minded breaking the news to you in the least, any more than you, I am sure, have minded having it broken to you," said Cousin Tom, cheerful ly. The philosopher still sat staring at him, appalled and helpless. He now recognized in this middle aged man various facial characteristics of that boy-cousin (whom he had last seen twenty years ago) which left him no room for doubt on the score of his genuine identity. Yes, this was Tom, right enough, the legal possessor of all his (Draycot Dabber's) money. Under such circumstances he felt a defiant tone was at once useless and ill-advised. Perhaps if he were con ciliatory, diplomatic, he might be able to make some sort of terms with his cousin. Therefore, forcing hi3 Hps into a smile it was a very sickly attempt he said: "Pardom me, Tom , I spoke hast ily. This is a bit of a shock, you know." "Oh, dont mention it. That's all right. But you'll soon get over the shock, of course. What a lucky thing for you that you despiso mon ey!" " "I never said that I er exactly despised it," answered Draycot Dab ber. "But you said in fact, you proved most conclusively that money has nothing to do with happiness. A most" just conclusion, in which I en tirely concur. By the way, is your niece Selina, whom I remember as a tiny tot in socks and bare legs, still living with you?" "Yes," said Draycot Dabber. "But," he added, anxious for his own reasons to change that subject, "as I was about to observe " "I am quite longing to see her again," interrupted Cousin Tom. "Is she as pretty as she then bade fair to be? Tell you what, Draycot I'll stop and dine with you to-night and resume my acquaintance with Miss Selina." "I'm sorry to say I'm dining out to-night with Lord X.," answered Draycot Dabber, quickly, thankful indeed to have this real excuse. "But any other evening " "Besides," he answered desperate "Besides," he added, desperately, "it would be such a shock to Selina to introduce you to her suddenly like this, and " "Oh, -if that's all," irrepressible Tom, "I interposed the needn't be in troduced to her under my own name. Say I'm an old friend of yours, and call me Mr. Jones, or anything else you like. Yes, by Jove! That will be rather fun to make my own niece's acquaintance in the character of a stranger." And thus it had to be. Selina was sent for, and her Uncle Tom was in troduced to her by Draycot Dabber as "Mr. Jones, an old friend of mine, who has arrived unexpectedly, and whom I must ask you, my dear, to entertain at dinner to-night in my unavoidable absence." It was close on midnight when he returned. " To h!s no great joy he found hi3 Cousin Tom still there, smoking a cigar in the library. "Oh! Here you are at last," said Tom. "Selina went to bed more than an hour ago, but I've stopped on be cause I have something particular to say to you. Selina has been talking to me about her engagment. "I've found you out, Draycot. You are a confounded mean-spirited hypo crite. And that's a fact." "How how dare you use such language to me?" cried the philoso pher, his teeth chattering, neverthe less. "Considering our respective posi tions, 'dare' is rather a funny word," rejoined Tom, meaningly. "How ever, I'm not going to argue with you about words. I'm going to make a proposal to you a proposal consid erably "more favorable to yourself than you at all deserve. Only it's not my way to be hard on any one. Listen to me, Draycot. I've got a goodish bit of money already quite as much as I need. And as you've enjoyed this fortune of uncle's so long,, well, you may continue to en joy it upon one condition. You must Immediately make over 20,- 000 to our niece Selina." "Twenty thousand pounds! posterous!" cried out Draycot ber, staring from his chair. "Preposterous, is it? Very Pre-Dab- well. Then I'll press my legal rights to take possession of your entire for tune, and give Selina the 20,000 myself." ; . . . . There was a long pause. Then Draycot Dabber muttered in sullen desperation, "I'll pay Selina the 20,000." , One daj about a fortnight later, Cousin Tom looked in on Draycot Dabber. w Jb' i k i I " 4 K A fcr rV WV- V' M M t M f M "Come to wish you good-by," ho said. . "I'm off on my travels again, Draycot. I say, old man (he winked five times in succession), what a lark this has been! What a prime sell! I'm not' your Cousin Tom at all. Cousin Tom was kiled fifteen years ago. I'm his pal, Jevons!" "What?" gasped Draycot Dabber. "Quite true; always was consid ered like Cousin Tom, you know. Had been in England this six months, and had heard of your shabby con duct toward Selina weeks since. De termined to bluff you into filling your moral obligations. Bluffed you most successfully. Oh! my eye! What fun it has been! Beats poker into fits!" "Fun!" cried the philosopher, be side himself with fury. "You you won't find it much fun, you black guard. You've perpetrated a most impudent fraud on me. I'll prosecute you. I'll get back my 20,000. I'll" "Prosecute me if you like, and get back your 20,000 if you can," in terposed Jevons, quietly; "but I don't think you'll do either, Mr. Draycot Dabber. Our interviews have been strictly private. You have no wit nesses. Besides, there s that book of yours, in which you publicly profess your indifference to money. How about that eh? And how would you like your mean, hypocritical at tempt to wriggle out of your obliga tions to your niece exposed in court? Look rather funny on the part of such a high minded, wealth despising philosopher, wouldn't it? Oh, no! You'll never prosecute, you chicken livered humbug. ' You'll just fume, and rave, and worry, and sit down by your loss." Draycot Dabber did. London Truth. SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY Professor George E. Palmer, of Harvard University, in a' recent lec ture said in substance: "The scien tific world swung to Darwinism and then swung back; the religious world swung over to the scientific position, and is swinging back." A German invented a horseshoe oi paper, prepared by saturating with oil, turpentine and other ingredients. Thin layers of such paper are glued to the hool till the requisite thickness is attained. The shoes thus made are said to be durable and waterproof. The Literary Digest quotes an au thority in Cosmos to the effect that at last a method has been found to make a much stronger and more durable gas mantle by using an arti ficial silk as the fabric on which the oxides are deposited. This silk is made by the dissolution of cellulose in ammoniate of copper. Geologists say that New York City is as unlikely to be disturbed by an earthquake as any place on the globe. It is possible .that the east end of Long Island or the sandy shore of New Jersey may some time slip into the Atlantic Ocean, but the rock foun dations of the city are likely to stand until the final "wreck of matter and the crash of worlds." The State archivist at Frauenfeld, in the canton of Thurgovie, has dis covered a valuable manuscript, which had been used as a cover for other documents. It is a portion of a Book of Hours written in the twelfth cen tury, it is supposed, either In a Swiss or German convent. This, at all events, is the opinion of MM. BuchI and Wagner, professors in the Uni versity of Fribourg, and other note worthy personages in the world of letters. As we reach lower and lower depths, the water becomes colder; .the warm water, being less dense, remains at the surface. At about 1200 feet the temperature is little above the freezing-point of fresh water. Light gradually disappears, and at 1400 feet, says Country Life, absolute darkness prevails; and as no plant can live without light, the vegetable kingdom is unrepresented, except by some boring algae which have been dredged from a depth of over 3000 feet. Further, there are no currents, oxygen is scarce and uni formity of temperature prevails. How Kansas Got Its Sunflowers. J. F. Bales, a farmer of Beloit, Kan., a historian of local note, de clares that Brigham Young was the man who brought the first sunflower seed to the State. "When Young went to Salt Lake he planted sunflow ers all along his route to guiae his followers later on," said Bales, "and from the seed which the old Mormon sowed has come the sunflower crop oi the Sunflower State." Atchison Globe. Artificial Bait. Natica (casting fly) "Now, when girls fish for a husband they never use artificial bait." Gladys "Oh, yes, they do." Natica "When?" Gladys "Why, when some oi them try to attract the unwary men by their looks.". Philadelphia Lefl ger. QUEEN KEPT ALOOF. Queen Wilhelmina refused to rec ognize the recent meeting of suffa gists in Holland. According to Dutch etiquette, she could not so without the consent of the Dutch Parliament, and this body is not in sympathy with the movement. Dr. Aletta H. Jacobs is the president of the National Suf frage Association of the Netherlands. Pittsburg Dispatch. PSYCHOLOGY OF DRESS. Dr. Thos. Claye Shaw, of London, speaking on the subject of the special psychology of women, says that there is a psychology in clothes. It is use less to say that they dress as they do to please men. They dress simply be cause they have to in their own way and to their own satisfaction. The psychology of dress Is that it appears to make you be what you profess to be. BOWS TO OLD CUSTOM. Countess Szechenyl, formerly Miss Gladys Vanderbilt, has had her first lesson in Hungarian domestic cus toms. In common with all American brides, the countess received Innum erable gifts of sterling silver, all marked with her maiden initial "V." Before the superb collection of plate was shipped to Europe the "Vs" were erased and the crest of the Szechenyi family was substituted therefor, by order of her husband. Indianapolis News. A CAPABLE WOMAN. Mrs. Ida P. Wilson is the owner md editor of the Lebanon (Ohio) Pa triot and is said to exercise a very great influence in the politics of her county. Her first husband had a newspaper that amounted to very lit tle, but his wife took hold of it and she is now worth 40,000. Her pres ent husband is a lawyer and attends to his own business, while his wife runs the paper, except that he attends the political conventions for her. She has also been postmaster and is un doubtedly a very capable woman. Indianapolis News. FRENCH WOMEN'S WAGES. A recent French census shows that 6,500,000 women out of a total popu lation of 14,000,000 of the female sex in France are dependent upon their own exertions for support. The wages appear pitifully small, as the Filling For Chicken Patties. Melt two tablespooufuls ot butter and cook in it two tablespoonfuls of flour, one-fourth, a teaspoonful each of salt and pepper and a grating of nut meg (one-fourth a teaspoonful). When the mixture becomes frothy, add one cup of chicken broth and stir constantly until smooth and boiling. Add six canned mushrooms and one truffle, cut in small pieces, and one cup and a fourth of ten der, cooked chicken, cut in one-third an inch cubes. Stir until very hot but not boiling, then beat in the yolk of an egg. beaten and mixed with one tablespoonful of thick, rich cream. Stir until the egg thickens, then use to fill hot patties. si; OS ) S3 3 " O 5 o n O a i O o- highest compensation (that paid for precious stone cutting) is only $1.87 per day. The dressmakers get about five cents a day, plus two meals, and the factory workers from twenty to fifty cents a day. The rate of wage seems surprisingly small in a country not afflicted with a continuous stream of immigration tliat makes for con gestion of population and consequent lowering of wages. Vogue. CLASSIC DRAPERY. One of the fashionable weddings in London for which Paris dressmakers were kept busy was entirely Greek, the bride in a draped gown of white satin embroidered in a Greek key de sign in seed pearls and with long points of the peplum hanging from the shoulders and weighted with pearl tassels. Her maids of honor wore white crepe -gowns embroidered in silver that were very similar, save that they did not wear the shawl of fine white silk mull that draped the head in antique fashion, in place of the traditional veil. The pages, in evitable at an English wedding, wore Greek tunics in fine white cloth em broidered in pale blue Greek key de sign, and they wore myrtle chaplets on their feet. I thought the bride's limp veil, swathing her head and shoulders and one arm, instead of the usual crisp, floating cascade of stiff tulle, a most beautiful idea and worth repeating. Vogue. PARABLE FOR SUFFRAGETTES. Mrs. Humphrey Ward is against votes for women. She has joined In London an anti-suffrage league. In a circular letter she says: "The league promoters consider that each sex is a sphere as important as the other, and they earnestly dep recate the tendency which has been in recent times exhibited In some quarters to underestimate the im portance of the sphere which special ly calls for the care and devotion of a woman the home. "Nor could women undertake the nhvsical responsibilities of enforcing any law which, by their votes, they mi slit cause to be enacted. And if any law came to be popularly re garded as woman-made, not only might that law be treated with dis regard and contempt, but it- might drag down respect for law in gen eral." A suffragette of Pittsburg sneered at Mrs. Humphrey Ward's queer logic the other day. "I knew the prolix lady was against votes for women," she said. "At a luncheon of suffragettes in New "York, by means of a parable, she pointed out her belief that the Imme diate home circle, not the distant polling booth or Senate chamber, was the true feminine sphere of useful ness. We didn't applaud, I assure you. "She said an aged Scot told Ms minister that he was going to make; a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. " 'And whiles I'm theer,' said the pilgrim, complacently, 'I'll read the Ten Commandments aloud frae the top o' Mount Sinai.' " 'Saunders,' said the minister, 'tak' my advice. Bide at hame and keep them.' " Washington Star. HOW COLORS AFFECT US. Which is your color? Are yoa dominated by joy-inducing green and spurred to activity by white, or are you, perchance, made prone to ex citement and anger by the dominance of red, or rendered revengeful by yellow? All colors, it appears, have their effect on men and women. As a fa mous eye specialist puts it: "The ef fect of colors upon the temperament of human beings is enormous. "Although," he said, "people do not recognize it, they are influenced to a great degree by colors. "It is, of course, hard to define ab solutely the different effects of ra rious colors, but, broadly speaking, j'ou may tabulate them, and the In fluence each exercises, as follows:. "Red Excitement and anger. 1 "Yellow Mischief and revenge. "Blue Placidity. "Green Happiness. "Black Misery and evil. "White Activity." Pittsburg Dispatch. TRAINING FOR CHILDREN. At its recent convention in Cleve land the National Education Associa tion devoted more time to vocational training than to anything else, and a more definite idea seemed to be gained of what was wanted then ever before. The consensus of opinion seemed to favor general education, including manual training up to fourteen for all children; after that shop training for all those intending to go into the trades, regular shops, provided with all modern machinery and appliances being attached to each school. Aa adjustment with each trade repre sented in the shop was advised, so that the graduates from the course would be accepted as advanced ap- prentices or journeymen. The eight hour day should prevail in these school shops, with no vacations but legal holidays and the month of Au gust. It was declared that "we are increasing the number not only o unemployed, but of the unemploy able;" that "there should be scholar ships for other than literary quali ties," and that in time the State would find this industrial training so profitable that It would be willing to pay the pupil who would stay ia school till he had thoroughly learned his trade. New York Tribune. All coiors are used In tailored coats of linen. Gilt or silvered ribbon maintains its popularity. Black taffeta skirts are trimmed with folds of satin or taffeta. Many women are covering their own buttons these days and embroid ing them. The sailor hat is made of folds of white maline and edged with a wide band of black. Those who like to do the old-fashioned cross-stitch embroidery will be pleased to find it in vogue again. It seems that the costume is scarce ly considered complete unless there is somewhere about it a bit of linen. They say that to be strictly fash ionable in one's figure the shoulders must be broad and the waist small. Do not have starch put into heav ier linen frocks when they are laun dered; let them hang limp as other gowns do. Conspicuous dress is admissible only when the conspicuous costume is perfect in detail and need not be often worn. While all-white cottons and linens will never lose their prestige, there i3 a stronger leaning than for some sea sons past toward colored effects. The little pleated bow at the throat gives the necessary joining between the collar of the waist and the frill and make the two appear to belong to each other. White or black ostrich plumes, though the first cost is not small, are I about as good an Investment a3 It is possible to make in millinery, ior they may be curled and cleaned countless times, and with reasonable care they may last many seasons. - uisuam.u. ,ullft snider then, is that you dec?01 8oldcr-e me me
The Roanoke Beacon and Washington County News (Plymouth, N.C.)
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