…do not propose to give an honor to the laundress who has ironed 24 collars without singeing one, to the banker who has signed 100 successful bond issues, to the school teacher who has taught 1,000 scholars, to the real estate dealer who has sold 100 lots at double profit, to the insurance agent who has taken $100,000 worth of insurance and never landed his company in a loss, or to the plumber who has set 50 toilet seats without a leak. We rather offer to the laundress, the school teacher, the banker, the real estate man, the insurance agent and the plumber, a totally different realm for their thoughts, something into which they enter as a relaxation, something that utilizes their powers of industry and handicraft, but in a wholly different world, a realm of dreams, if you like, an open space where they can forget their laundry work, their plumbing, their banking, etc., and rejoice in the things of the imagination and the beauties of nature.
Let me illustrate in the story of the London shoe clerk. For six days in the week, morning, noon and night, he was engaged in selling shoes. He had no opportunity for recreation excepting on Sundays, when he was too tired to do anything but go, in fair weather, to Battersea Park, and lie upon the grass.
One Sunday morning, a bug came out of the grass and crawled across his hand. He was surprised to see that it was quite beautiful in color — orange, with black and white spots.
Next Sunday, he had a similar experience, but this bug was brilliant emerald green. He had never thought of them as beautiful objects, but this gave him the idea. He looked about for other kinds; after several Sundays, he had at least a dozen — quite different and more or less beautiful. Then he began mounting them on pins, and he looked forward joyfully to a weekly renewal of his bug hunt.
Some friend said: “Why don’t you go to the library? There are books about these things which tell their names and habits.” But, alas, the library was not open on Sundays.
