The Investment of Influence: A Study of Social Sympathy and Service — John Shaqi
The Investment of Influence: A Study of Social Sympathy and ServiceHillis, Newell Dwight
Philosophy
The Investment of Influence: A Study of Social Sympathy and Service
Hillis, Newell Dwight
Conduct of life
The time-principle holds equally in man's social and industrial life.
To-day our colleges have their anthropological departments and our
cities their museums. The comparative study of the dress, weapons,
tools, houses, ships of savage and civilized races gives an outline
view of the progress of society. How fragile and rude the handiwork of
savages! How quickly are the wants provided for! A few fig leaves
make a full summer suit for the African and the skin of an ox his garb
for winter. But civilized man must toil long upon his loom for
garments of wool and fine silk. Slowly the hollow log journeys toward
the ocean steamer; slowly the forked stick gives place to the
steam-plow, the slow ox to the swift engine; slowly the sea-shell, with
three strings tied across its mouth, develops into the many-mouthed
pipe-organ. But if rude and low conveniences represent little time and
toil, these later inventions represent centuries of arduous labor. In
his history of the German tribes, Tacitus gives us a picture of a day's
toil for one of the forest children. Moving to the banks of some new
stream, the rude man peels the bark from the tree and bends it over the
tent pole; with a club he beats down the nuts from the branches; with a
round stone he knocks the squirrel from the bough; another hour
suffices for cutting a line from the ox's hide and, hastily making a
hook out of the wishbone of the bird, he draws the trout from its
stream. But if for savage man a day suffices for building and
provisioning the tent, the accumulated wisdom of centuries is required
for the home of to-day. One century offers an arch for the door,
another century offers glass windows, another offers wrought nails and
hinges, another plaster that will receive and hold the warm colors,
another offers the marble, tapestry, picture and piano, the thousand
conveniences for use and beauty.
Husbandry also represents patience and the labor of generations. Were
it given to the child, tearing open the golden meat of the fruit, to
trace the ascent of the tree, he would see the wild apple or bitter
orange growing in the edge of the ancient forest. But man, standing by
the fruit, grafted it for sweetness, pruned it for the juicy flow,
nourished it for taste and color. Could he who picks the peach or pear
have this inner vision, he would behold an untold company of husbandmen
standing beneath the branches and pointing to their special
contributions. The fathers labored, the children entered into the
fruitage of the labor in his dream; the poet slept in St. Peter's and
saw the shadowy forms of all the architects and builders from the
beginning of time standing about him and giving their special
contributions to Bramante and Angelo's great temple. Thus many hands
have toiled upon man's house, man's art, industry, invention.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account