310 ONE THOUSAND FAMOUS THINGS

He Had Flung Away His Idols and Met God

, it is glorious to think of a soul so wholly devoid of the

, e
pettiness and humbug, the cynicism and dishonesty, of so much
that we see.
There is a story in one of Miss Eangsley's books of a West African
medicine -man who found himself at death's door. He applied all his
herbs and spells, and conducted all his well-known rites before his
idols, and with his friends' intercessions without any effect. At last
he wearied of his hocus-pocus, and took his idols and charms down to
the seashore and flung them into the surf ; and he said, " Now I will
be a man and meet my God alone."
Julian from the time I knew him had flung away his idoXSd
had met God. Charles Lister on Julian Grenfell
Was There More to Do t
To have laughed and talked (wise, witty, fantastic, feckless),
To have mocked at rules and rulers, and learned to obey,
To have led your men with a daring adored and reckless,
To have struck your blow for Freedom, the old straight way ;
To have hated the world and lived among those who love it,
To have thought great thoughts, and lived till you knew them true,
To have loved men more than yourself and have died to prove it —
Yes, Charles, this is to have lived ; was there more to do ?
C. A. Alington on Charles Lister
The King's Story
This story from the life of Walter Page is from the days immediately following
America's entry into the War, when the Ambassador and Mrs Page were invited
by George the Fifth to spend the night at Windsor,
IABRIVED during the middle of the afternoon (writes Page), and
he sent for me to talk with him in his office.
16 I've a good story on you," said he. " You Americans have a
queer use of the word Some to express mere bigness or emphasis.
We are taking that use of the word from you over here. Well, an
American and an Englishman were riding in the same railway com-
partment. The American read his paper diligently — all the details
of a big battle. When he had done he put the paper down and said,
* Some fight ! '
And some don't ! said the Englishman.
The King roared. " A good one on you ! **
" The trouble with that joke, sir," I ventured to reply, " is that
it's out of date."