PEACE
Once upon a time, a long while ago, when such things could be, came a young man of thirty-five years of age unto his friend, who was a politician—Big Indian, and “High Up”—and the young man spoke unto the Politician, saying: “Friend, for twenty years have I striven and strove; I have cut hay; I have hewed wood; I have laboured in the vineyard; I’ve made things with my hands, and schemed with my head; I have gone up against many games and fought for the wherewithal to keep a family and clothes upon my back. Now I am tired and would pass my remaining days in peace. Therefore, I pray thee order it so that I may have a Government Job and be happy.”
And the Politician questioned the young man and asked: “Peace? Did’st say that thou wouldst have Peace?”
And the young man answered and said, “I wouldst.”
And the Politician said: “You know not what you ask. Peace never accomplished anything, and is not for the active-minded. You do not understand life if you desire Peace.”
But the young man harkened not to the Politician, but pressed his request for a Government Job.
And it was so, even within a few months, the young man found himself a Civil Servant with regular employment and a small, but regular, income.
And years rolled on, as usual, until the young man became nearly elderly; yea, for twelve years he plugged and said unto himself: “Truly this is not exciting or elevating, but it is the sure thing that my heart craved, and I should be satisfied and happy.” But the wise know that the “Should Bes” and the “Ises” do not balance; and the young man woke up to the fact that at forty-seven years of age he was neither satisfied nor happy, although he was willing to admit that he should be.
And it came to pass that as the young man sat in his office, working for the King, by punching holes in documents, that they might be strung on a file; on the twelfth anniversary of his conversation with his friend, the Politician, a great light broke upon him, and he saw the wisdom of the talk of the Politician. He looked about his office, and peered backward over the past twelve years, and he saw that he had had Peace in large bunches, and by the mile—yea, by the year and day—and he found that it was not in his heart to feel glad with his peaceful experience, and he reasoned with himself and said: “In a short fifteen years I will be in the Has Been class. I will have whiskers in my ears and my back will be humped and moss-grown. I’ll be a back number, and be as a dead one; therefore, it behooveth me to get busy and do something worth while lest I get mental dry rot and be as abeast of the field. Peace I desired, and now that I have found it, it satisfieth me not, but is a burden and ashes in the mouth.” And thereupon he arose and got out and went against the world amidst those who were in the great struggle. And the world smote him and threw him down and swat him, hip and thigh, right and left; but he became patient and wary, and he husbanded his strength and sparred for an opening and kept cool; and, behold, in a little while came an opportunity unto him, and he up and grasped it and made it his, and he played the game so that others were ’ware of him, and the world bowed down to him, even to his feet, and when it came to pass that he was gathered to his fathers, all his children called his name blessed. See?