The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 28, 1904, Page 13

paaaul i EHE through some gossamer web of fin ace, and the massive fist, in whose gigantic grasp a bar of iron seems a toy. Down there by the e, which I see flow past as I write, e r of busy hands is twining the rope, with which later on other hands no less industrious will reef the sails of £t many little boats floating upon the gtres Everywhere upon the face of the earth men’'s hands are the pen or with the easel or the plow, sow- building incessantly, for- | xorable struggle toiling in the d at scheme, the mighty monument common action it is conscious tie of uni- stronger and- fur- rower arti- nded on reciproc- e link between. man it signs the pledge of every 1, its symbolism plays an im- all the functions of her it be as the priest- 1 in solemn benedic- 1t witness to spoken 8 high to testify of an oath. Clasped nblem of the alliance of individuals; the frank hand is the token of loyal outstretched hand the v ome; the reconciliation puts an end to a bitter lifelong ttested by the stmple action of hands. Man’'s instinctive hom- 1 is never better expressed the touch of his lips upon her the ¢ I ce to the ole sex is zly symbolized s simple action. he recognition gh import has caused numer- expressions relating to pass into our daily speech = “hand in hand” has mous of the most entire ht and deed; we speak of are unduly influenced by ving fallen “into their and the expression ‘“‘to lend a s equivalent to giving help in rm—not necessarily of a material Above all, the supreme beauty nd—its i inctive abhorrence uch that contaminates, of all iwworthy action, its shrinking that might sully its native not all this admirably in the popular acceptation ands” as the symbol of un- tc go through " % significance of the hand > has its counterpart to the individual or- here it serves as a swift and of correspondence be- s and the outer ical evolution of the e records an acquisi- " that of this sensi- orated member peech itself—a rendering in concrete conceptions, the dictates the impre written characters sions of the i the c va ar iter world or sti —and the g objective life to the c f incalculable services con- fined to the plastic s alone—though their action there is paramount and indispensable—but music also, that most ethereal language 1e human soul. Music itself would lose at least half of its significance and be shut out from the sph of its most complex development had there not been be- stowed upon us, in addition to the sing- ing voice, the fingers, whose touch upon keys or strings has power to draw trom their depths the hidden sweetness slum- bering within Man's noblest ideas must in course of time have perished, sterile and forgotten, had there been no means of recording them; the high- est fli of the imagination could ave taken shape but for thrs is above all in its untrained 1tameous move the direet tary expression of on, that the m habit « T gesticulation has died out can dly appreciate the full 2 to be conveyed in the nd appropriate ges- tures of a pair of shapely hands. Just as an expressive countenance may be likened to mirrc that reflects the workings of the soul, so may every turn, every twist—nay, the mer- est quiver of the hand—serve—more definitely and more accurately even P 5 play of feature— elatic ach passing mood, each fleeting impulse or impression. m the loving caress a light touch imparts, to the fierce malediction, is there any shade of feeling so subtle or HE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY! CALLL -HHAND Bv CARMEN @'YLVA | (H.M. THE QUEEN OF ROUMANIA ) es. Races among so intense, that it cannot be renderad this mute language, the forms of articulate speech—is not restricted to any special branch of the human race, but is equally clear comprehensible to all? their purport, these convt joy or sorrow, hope or f catory or disdainful w; surprise or Can we mistake sive signs of ar—the depre- , the start of tremor of doubt, the rapid beating together of the palms in acclamation, the spasmodic clench- ing of the fist in anger or despair? Do they not tell their own tale, these VE FZ50 4 hands, now outstretched in eager en- treaty, now thrown protectingly around some cherished object, or again silently wrung in agony or clasped in prayer? In their dumb show, defiance or scorn, wonder, horror and remorse are made visible to us, as it were by so many lightning flashes cast upon the somber drama perpetual being enacted within the narrow limits of our con- ventionalities, every strong outburst of natural feeling being so systematically repressed, that we must needs betake ourselves to more primitive people, 13 e\ ; and a less artificial state of soclety, in order to behold the picturesque dis- play of uncontrollable a passion, yet, the artistic beauty and dramati ncerity of such manifesta- tions is a t ed to among us by development lent them to oratory and the actor’s art. t the tribune and on the stage a sort of Both appropriate gesture furnishe running accompaniment to speech, and much of their success who thus “suit the action to the word"” is due te the persuasive power of this mute auxil- Yet modern training is on the whole too much concerned with mere mus- cular development and too exclusiv ly utilitarian in its tendencies to pay proper attention to the culture of this noble member, hence the finest spe mens of grace and suppleness are chiefly to be found among those na- tions who have not yet learned to con- sider material prosperity as the test of civilization, nmor success in comm cial enterprise as one of the princ factors in the same. For the bea ful slim hand, shapely and supy must go to the least Latin nations—the —or to the Slav and the handsom: « 1 age tribes. - Or better still, we g0 back to ages that cherished and - spected the nebility of tI has been said that the our ancestors in the fords conclusive proof of the hand which wie battleaxes and hu swords, and that scar stance would the by the Crusader descendant”. b hand. I think t far too little atter its way quite as int worthy ¢ often affo our though can control our less our h s, wi pitations an tray—as “though aware—the sensati but also give ev occupatio 4 own bea conside honest labor is as adm as that which gt I is apparent in times even the te imprinted by t Camoens on wherewith I w of Guinevere with dainty f membrance familiar t s like a w! other E while the whole dramatic ac perhaps the best known ne great cc rary poet » ters in ely hands of its the sculpt wife. “Oh! for the touch A 1 hand!” we all have ent of our N hand and their rm mind those that the has fixed in ir upon his canv perfect, it would V. could go n th ¢ ortrayal. Han et off in the | refined and happier to none but high a very soul of the lier seems to spe the age of beautiful hands in E and who can tell, [ ask once mor much we may have lost by the neglect that has succeeded the care and atten- tion then bestowed on them? And we value enough, or turn to suffic account, the strange power of attr tion, the magnetic force known to em- anate from certain hands, whose mi- raculous results have been attested at all periods and in all parts of the world —the laying on of hands, so practiced i k in them. That was ur in Apos ages, and for many centu- ries later, and now fallen into disuse? But the theme is so rich ip its suz- gestions, the would lead us too far It was while sitting at my typewriter that the perfection of the hand as a plece of mechanism came upon me with redoubled e I realized all the ingenuity and pains which man had expended in making an Instrument after all so infinitely inferior to the corresponding instrument in the human frame. And I realized, too, for the fir time, the incalculable speed of thought, in the appreciable fraction of time that intervenes in the transmission of that thought to the fingers from the br: But the resfit of all my musings was only as ever to fill me with more and more wonderment at the divine mys- tery of all creation, and more and mor thankfulness for the blessings that in that marvelous scheme have been so fully and freely bestowed upon man DO YOU EVER 4 to ask frequent ques- estions. After s ready to ask 1estions which a child little time for is best for a parent many ques- desire to ask He should con- of discover- children to ask ques d and to hi For this reason, if prop- y prove to be only to the rents as well. asking ques- right kind of who can do trouble from this uld fail to remember most natural to all, Since it is ially to children. children sr.ould not be criticized for sking questions. The child finds every- thing full of my with the average If he is gifted intelligence he can- — not help seeking to find an explanation for the wonderful things which sur- round him. Yet it is reported on good authority that some parents have been heard to exclaim, “Stop asking me s ‘You will drive me Z ‘Don’t bother me with any more questions!” “I'll whip you if you don’t stop asking me questions!” The ents’ attitude should rather be shown by such statements as the fol- lowing “I am very glad to have you sk me proper questions about what ¥ou wigh to know. I am busy now, but this evening I will try to answer your quegtions.” Who will doubt the differ- ence in effect upon any child? In answering a child’s questions the nt should remember that, in most the child is not seeking for the of knowledge. He generally wants enly the main facts. He does not wan* an extended discourse on any TEACH YOUR | CHILD TO | Twenty-First Talk to Parents by William J. Shearer i it subject. Therefore most answers to young children should be very short and to the point. If parents would but remember this they would find much less trouble in answering the many questions which are sure to come. Some questions . require more time and thought. They therefore cannot well be answered at the time. This is especially the case with questions of older children. Such questions may be postponed until a more suitable occa- sion. The important matter is that the child should feel that he is free to ask questions about those things which are of interest to him, but concerning which he has no sure means of gain- ing information. If he has a way of finding the answer by reference to cy- clopedia, to some other book or in some v, he should be required to own question. Many times parents will be asked questions which they cannot answer. If such is the case a parent should not hesitate to say, “I do not know, but if you are anxious to understand I will look it up and explain it to you later.” Many parents refuse to do this lest the children think less of them. not a mistake? Even the child soon learns that the field of knowledge is He soon comes that it is impossible for any person to know even a small part of what is to While to some parents the whole world is a fleld, to others a field is a world. Why, then, should they T not be frank with their children in this matter, as in other things? Again, there are-questions which it is not right or best that parents should answer. Such questions may be passed over with the statement that they can- not be explained now, or that it is not necessary for them to understand it at this time. They may be told that when the time comes all these things will be made clear to them. There are many things which it is not safe for a child to have. Some would be injurious, if net fatal. There are many other things which it is not best for a child to possess. As his protector, it is the parent’s business to see that the child does not get what is injurious. These things it is easy for the parent ASK QUESTIONS? - | to refuse. The sharp knife, the bottle of poison, the loaded revolver, would be denied a child very quickly. However, too many find it almost impossible to refuse many things which the child should not have, even though they are not especially harmful. How hard it is for a loving parent to refuse to give what a child cries for or what it pleads for! It gives so much pleasure to make the child happy. He enjoys it so much that it is indeed very hard to refuse where it is possible to grant the request. Yet the most un- kind treatment any parent can give is to grant everything asked for. Such a course means almost certain rulnation How many parents do not appreciate to its fullest extent the truth of this statement! That every child should be denied that which will injure him all must readily admit. Yet is it not a fact that ¥ SMALL TRICKS OF GRAFTERS OF VARIOUS SORTS s | HE recent uncovering of such flagrant and far-reaching corrup- tion on the part of the public of- ficials in different places has shocked the moral sense of the coun- try. It is go distinct and peculiar a type of wrongdoing that a new term has had to be invented to describe it or at least an old word given a new meaning. The term “grafting” has al- s had an honorable signification in pomological circles and it is too bad that it should now have to undergo so humiliating an experience as is in- volved in its degradation to its present popular use. But far more humiliat- ing to our national pride is the thing for which it now stands. It may well give pause to some of our vain boast- ings and induce a mood of serious in- trospection. Are we after all as highly w clvilized as we thought we were? Are we really in the van of the Christian nations of the world? There is one compensation, to be sure, in the fact that brave men have arisen like Mr. Folk of St. Louis, Mr. Percy Jones in Minneapolis and Mr. Bristow at Washington to expose this rottenness, to hound down the men tainted with it and force them to reck- on with an outraged public conscience. There are still left in public life in America incorruptible and fearless souls and the majority of citizens have not become so dull to ethical distinc- tions that they do not condemn evil- doing and evil-doers when they are once brought to light. But before we proceed to toss a great many stones in the direction of known and convicted offenders let us recognize the fact that grafting has become a national vice, creeping insidiously into all kinds of business and fastening its tentacles Upon many a man supposed to be thoroughly honest. moment to be thought that the only grafters in the land are in St. Louis of in Grand Rapids or in a compar: tively narrow set of postoffice employe: Grafting exists openly nose in every city and town of the land. For what is grafting? It is the filching through channels peculiarly accessible of the individual funds that belong to a corporation or to a people at large. And here we come across a remarkable and distressing fact. would not put his hand into the pocket of his neighbor, who would scorn to enter a store at night and rob a safe, use his connection with a city government or a great corporation to enrich himself at the expense of others. Somehow it seems so less culpable to from a soulless corporation or It is not for a or under the A man who from all the pecple than to steal from, say, John Jones. It is one way of eking out a sulary which seems too small. It is oniy a little sin and lots ot other peoplé are doing it all the time. Ah, yes, that is the awful pity of it. The sin runs through American life. The drummer brings into the house a big bill for “expenses’” and these may cover portions of his own wardrobe or the furnishings of his house. The in- surance agent, {f he can manage to do it, divides his commission with the man whose policy he is writing, when he is well aware of the rule of his company forbidding such action. I have even known preachers who have the as- surance to go into their pulpits Sunday morning with messages taken without credit from another man’'s writings. And how about the rank and file of us? How many of us, when the conductor X3 fafls to take up our ticket, seek him out at the end of our journey and yield up the bit of pasteboard which, if it remains in our pockets, is stolen prop- erty? When the waiter at the res- taurant brings us a check which repre- sents an amount smaller than what we have actually purchased, how many of us will ask him to rectify the error? If he had overcharged us how quick we would have been to seek redress. “Thou shalt not steal” is our mes- sage to-day. The commandment is as old as the code of Moses, but how few to-day obey it in the letter afhd in the spirit?> Thou shalt not steal another man’s pocketbook. Thou shalt not steal his thought, the product of hard men- tal labor. Thou shall not steal time from thy corporation or funds belong- ing to it. Thou shalt not steal from the people who have honored you with public offige. THE PARSON. many children are not denied many things which do, in reality, do h It is wrong to give a child every it wishes. It is positively injurio give a child tc eat whatever he asks for Every parent must judge for h what the child should be denied what he should be granted. No parent should fail to see the importance of re- fusing even though it means tempo- rary pain for the child or even for the parent. * Childhood should be the happiest time of life. ' A child should suffer no more pain tham is necessary to proper- ly train him for the life which is to come. He should not be met with de- nial at every turn. However, the fact remains that it is of great importance that every child should find quite early in life that his every wish cannot be granted. Most parents cannot have everything they desire. To be in life they must learn to forego many pleasures they would like to en- joy, and get into the habit of enjoying greatly those things which they do have. Thus, only, will their lives be happy. Is it not likely that the child will also fall to get many things he will wish to have when he is older? Is it not very important that he should be trained to take, as a matter of course his failures to secure many things he asks for? Only thus will he be fitted to meet life’ rm many disapointments. Most children of the present time e: pect far more than they should. Their parents were glad for the wagon made from an old box, with spools for wheels. The child to-day is satisfied with nothing less than automobiles of varfous sizes and colors. The parent was glad, perhaps, for a rag doll which was loved for its hideousness. The child of to-day must have a whole family of expensive dolls, made as life- like as possible. The parents considered theme®lves fortunate if they were given the privilege of looking at a book, even though not at all suited to their age. Now the child is given many books prepared expressly for children. Is it any wonder that chil- dren expect much more than it is nee- essary or best that they should have?