certain forms of cell-life into growth and
activity, and by the same token, and the use of the radium-ray, do they
destroy the germs of disease.

By his prophetic vision, Spencer saw years ago that we would yet be able
to eliminate and refine the substances of earth until we found the
element that would combine spontaneously with electricity, and radiate
life and heat. Among the very last letters dictated by Spencer, only a
few days before his death, was one to Madame Curie congratulating her on
her discovery of radium, and urging her not to relax in her further
efforts to seek out the secret of life. "My only regret is," wrote the
great man, "that I will not be here to rejoice with you in the fulness
of your success." Thus to the last did he preserve the eager, curious
and receptive heart of youth, and prove to the scientific world his
theory that brain-cells, properly exercised, are the last organs of the
body to lose their functions.

SCHOPENHAUER

Wherever one goes one immediately comes upon this incorrigible mob
of humanity. It exists everywhere in legions; crowding, soiling
everything, like flies in summer. Hence the numberless bad books,
those rank weeds of literature which extract nourishment from the
corn and choke it. They monopolize the time, money and attention
which really belong to good books and their noble aims; they are
written merely with a view to making money or procuring places.
They are not only useless, but they do positive harm. Nine-tenths
of the whole of our present literature aims solely at taking a few
shillings out of the public's pocket, and to accomplish this,
author, publisher and reviewer have joined forces.

--_Schopenhauer_

[Illustration: SCHOPENHAUER]

The philosophy we evolve is determined by what we are; just as a nation
passes laws legalizing the things it wishes to do. "Where the artist is,
there you will find art," said Whistler. We will not get the Ideal
Commonwealth until we get Ideal People; and we will not get an ideal
philosophy until we get an ideal philosopher. Place the mentally and
morally slipshod in ideal surroundings and they will quickly evolve a
slum, just as did John Shakespeare, when at Stratford he was fined two
pounds ten for maintaining a sequinarium. All we can say for John is
that he was the author of a fine boy, who resembled his mother mu