he got out of the chair he turned to me with a smile and said: 'Say, doctor, I didn't know before that you ran a painless dental shop.'" (Text.)
(909)
ENDURING ART
You can go down into the narrow vault
which Nero built as a retreat from the great
heat, and you will find the walls painted all
over with fanciful designs in arabesque,
which have been buried beneath the earth
fifteen hundred years; but when the peasants
light it up with their torches, the colors flash
out before you as fresh as they were in the
days of St. Paul.—Wendell Phillips.
(910)
ENEMIES
Mr. Vernon L. Kellogg, with a child friend, were watching an ant-dragon as he caught an ant in a sandpit-trap.
"But, see," cried Mary, "the ant has stopt
sliding. It is going to get out!"
Ah, Mary, you are not making allowance for all the resources of this dreadful dragon of the pit. Not only is the pit a nearly perfect trap, and the eager jaws at the bottom more deadly than any array of spikes or spears at the bottom of an elephant pit, but there is another most effective thing about this fatal dragon's trap, and that is this: it is not merely a passive trap, but an active one. Already it is in action. And Mary sees now how hopeless it is with the ant. For a shower of sand is being thrown up from the bottom of the pit against the ant and it is again sliding down. The dragon has a flat, broad head and powerful neck muscles, and has wit enough to shovel up and hurl masses of dry sand-grains against the victim on the loose slopes. And this starts the avalanche again, and so down slides the frantic ant.—Vernon L. Kellogg, "Insect Stories."
(911)
Enemies Among Animals—See Subtlety Among Animals.
ENEMIES, AVOIDING
It would often be well for men to avoid enemies as did these sagacious rooks:
A curious incident in the recent history of
the Gray's Inn settlement of rooks is mentioned
by a London correspondent in the
Manchester Guardian. It appears that a
couple of carrion crows settled in the gardens,
and one day it was discovered that the
rookery was deserted. The benchers, who
are particularly proud of their rooks, gave
orders for the carrion crows to be destroyed,
and the gardener prepared pigeon's eggs with
good doses of arsenic. The crows swallowed
them and seemed to grow fatter and
healthier. At last strychnine was used, and
the pair were poisoned. Then a curious thing
happened. Not a rook had been seen for
weeks at Gray's Inn, but the next day they
were all back as tho advised by telegram.
(912)
ENEMIES CONVERTED
Count Witte, Russian Prime Minister,
summoned his secretary one day and gave
him this order:
"Make out a full list of the authors of the articles that are directly against me in the daily press."
The secretary went to work, and with the aid of his office force in a week prepared a list of about a thousand articles, with the writer's names appended. The clippings were properly classified, put in an album, and dutifully handed to the Premier.
"In how many instances," he asked, "have I been commended?"
"In three, your excellency."
"Very well; now select the most abusive and personal of the unfavorable articles, and let me know the names of the writers."
This list, too, was duly prepared and presented.
"Shall I bring this to the attention of the public prosecutor?" queried the secretary.
"For what purpose?"
"Why, to institute proceedings under the statutes regulating the press."
"No, I do not wish it," said the Premier. "I wish to select from these journalists my most aggressive critic and make him my advocate and spokesman. I shall offer him the editorship of my organ. Experience has taught me that the best champion and most faithful defender is the man who has been your bitterest assailant." (Text.)
(913)
Enemies of Character—See Self-conflict.
Enemy of the World, An—See Mystery,
Value of.
ENERGY
What unused energy still awaits utilization by man is indicated in the following calculation:
The tremendous amount of energy re-
