Tasks by Twilight (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1893. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... THOUGHTS. THE arch that bears up society in its progress has, as all arches have, a foundation at each end. On one side is matrimony, giving the security of the paternity to children, and on the other side is the security of enjoying the results of labor or the security of property. Both of these foundations have been called on to support offshoots not in the line of the arch as a matter of beauty or as a matter of strength. On the matrimonial side such aberrations as the guarding and imprisonment of women of the polygamous Turks. On the property side such errors as the creation of monopolies and the inequitable distribution of wealth. The progress of man involves differentiation, the capacity to improve on what has gone before, and requires necessarily that some individuals should surpass other individuals around them. Nature provides for this by making every living being different from every other. Some therefore must be superior to others or inferior to others, or more commonly, both superior to some and inferior to some. Mediocre qualitied mankind has ever an intense jealousy of this superiority, which is decreed by nature. Mediocrity carps at greatness. It recognizes greatness only under compulsion. Everlastingly it repeats to its littleness a denial and skepticism of superiority. When it catches a great man slipping or falling, it always satisfies its repressed feeling by pushing him down or jumping on his prostrate reputation. Mediocrity so much hates greatness that it will even kick the dead. Superiority and Inferiority fortunately, when they know themselves, have none of this. In fact it is almost a form of greatness when man recognizes that he does not possess the qualities to make him great. The more marked however the superiority is, the less jealous...