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Lapsus Calami (Apr 1891)/The Philosopher and Philanthropist

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Lapsus Calami  (1891)  by J.K.S.
The Philosopher and Philanthropist
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First published in Out of School at Eton and later included in Lapsus Calami. In the third and subsequent editions it is followed immediately by "To a Friend".


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The Philosopher and Philanthropist

Searching an infinite Where,
Probing a bottomless When,
⁠Dreamfully wandering,
⁠Ceaselessly pondering,
What is the Wherefore of men:
Bartering life for a There,
Selling his soul for a Then,
⁠Baffling obscurity,
⁠Conning futurity,
Usefulest, wisest of men!

Grasping the Present of Life,
Seizing a definite Now,
⁠Labouring thornfully,
⁠Banishing scornfully
Doubts of his Whither and How:
Spending his substance in Strife,
Working a practical How,
⁠Letting obscurity
⁠Rest on futurity,
Usefuler, wiser, I trow.

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