IyutHer DurbanK
An
.Appreciation
by
Elbert Hubbard
Will I Laired at San lrancico
1 utl cr llurbauk came down from
his home at Santa Koa. tifty-two
tittles to the north, to hear me.
There was an audience of nearly two
tli!'Uaml people. There were doctors.
I.iwers. a few preachers, a celebrated
assistant prosecuting attorney, many
Immiicm men. college professors from
Ilcrkclcy. teacher front grade schools,
many young folk alert anil receptee,
tarter, generous anil a goodly sprink
ling of men with tanned face and cal
loused hand.
I sat a moment there on the stage,
watting for the last few stragglers to find
their scats and as I at there the auilicncc
took psychic snapshots at me, and I also
pruug a few dry plates on them.
James Whitcomb Itiley once told mc
ll.at when he was about to appear before
an audience he always expected to begin
in a squeak or a squawk. He doubted
I illicit would memory kill, voice k
: a strike and thought sit silent, stupid,
M,!lcn in the brain cells?
1 know the feeling. And what an
.trocious, brazen, hras-patcd prcsiimp
li'iii on thr part of any man to call from
t'cl'l-, park, libraries and home the
gnat, the good and the strong of a lii K
cit) and ak thrm to it still ami listen
t' bun prate for two hour concerning
tl, - and that!
Something like this swept over me as
I -it looking into the face of that four
tin i-.ind tjcd something called an audi
in. c. at Van Ncs Theatre, that beauti
ful Sunday afternoon in Sail Francisco
iiil as the sense of (mill mounted to
i! cluck of alleged adamantine, mine
tt- I'ifiked into the eyes of l.uther llur
l itik there on the right aisle, fifth row
b.i' k Jut the one glance and we seemed
to understand each other That quick
look changed all the current of my
thought Jut In-fore, I wa trying to
swing my lariat over the coming speech,
and at the same time mentally offering
any man in the audience a hundred dollar-,
to come forward and take my job.
I now Middcnly felt a sense of peace
sweep over pic. J was back to the wall
and secure l.uther llurbauk. who has no
tune for pla) or parlies, who, through
sense of duty, denies himself to witor.
bad come to hear me speak I OIhiI ami
yet again, olio I
His eyes looked level Into mine he
smiled a welcome, friendly, kindly, gen
erous, assuring smile.
A speech Is a collaboration between
the speaker ami the listener. If jou
get much from ait oration it is because
you have brought much.
l.uther llurbauk is a sensitive plant.
The man who cannot talk to him lias no
message for mankind.
1 spoke for two hours a heart to
heart talk with the introduction cut
and peroration omitted.
I acknowledge it was a great talk
where the thoughts were not padded nor
the illustrations lugged in by the ear.
l.uther llurbauk keyed the discourse.
No one in the audience, to far a I
could delect, was aware of his presence.
The man fits into a crowd like a guinea
chick in a meadow.
The next day I saw llurbauk in bis
own garden there at Santa Kusa. A
modct mini with iron-gray hair, fur
rowed face of tail, blue eyes that would
be weary and sad were it not fur the
smiling mouth, whose corner do not
turn down, a gentle gentleman, low
voiced, ipuel, kindly, with a willing heart
of love. On llroadway no one would
see him, and on Fifth Avenue no one
would turn and look lit form is slen
der, and smart folks, sudden ami quick
in conclusion, might glance at the slender
form and say the man is tickly. Hut
the discerning behold that he is the type
that lives long, because be live well Ills
is the strength of the ilkeu corn that
bound the god Thor when all the chains
broke He is always at work, always
busy; always thinking, planning, doing;
dissatisfied with (he past, facing the Fast
with eager hope, lie is curious as a child,
sensitive as a girl in love, strong as a
man, pcri-tcnt as gravitation and gifted
like a god.
-'1
Hi hand are iuivv) ! ir..nK i! ,
hands ..I a u!pt..r Hi . I..ili. u.
essy mid iue(icnivc Children wuhl
go to him Instinctively. Women would
trust Mm.
Genius In Ms ens is a great eataclly
for hard work Fused with this rapa
city it great love, great delicacy, great
persistence.
Among scientists there is almost as
much bigotry and dogmatism as their
is among theologians.
There is canned science as well as
canned religion In truth, most ..
called scientist are teachers of test
bosiks purve)ur in canned goods.
liven among I lie lllg Five - Tyndall,
llusley, Spemcr, Wallace and Darwin
there were a few slight ihiI on the sun
Only one of that immortal iumtette si
ninety-nine and uiiiety-iiiue onr bun
dredllis tine.
That man was Charles Darwin
In the heart of Darwin there was no
room for doubt, distrust, jealousy or
hate. He was without guile lie loved
Nature with a high and holy passion
He had no other gods before her.
The bounty of Darwin, his reverence
for truth, the modesty of his claims. rt
him apart as tin- High lriet of Science
In all the realm of pleural ieraili Dar
win seemed to have but one couicer, and
that was Aiistotlc.
Now there is trinity, for l.uther Hur
bank it one with Ihene lie i a citueu (
the Celestial City of Free Minds,
With l.uther Iturbank the clap trap of
science is U-MUtifully missing The tricks
of the sciolist arc absent.
He tnakes no rlToil to explain things
he does not understand He lives his life
in the built The mo.t bvautiful word
I heard linn utter were tlirsc: "I do not
I. How."
The finest product of the life and work
of l.uther llurbauk i the man hmisell
sfeeCC. 2
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