The Procession of Life

           Lifefiguresitselftomeasafestalorfunerealprocession.Allofushaveourplaces,andaretomoveonwardunderthedirectionoftheChiefMarshal.Thegranddifficultyresultsfromtheinvariablymistakenprinciplesonwhichthedeputymarshalsseektoarrangethisimmenseconcourseofpeople,somuchmorenumerousthanthosethattraintheirinterminablelengththroughstreetsandhighwaysintimesofpoliticalexcitement.Theirschemeisancient,farbeyondthememoryofmanoreventherecordofhistory,andhashithertobeenverylittlemodifiedbytheinnatesenseofsomethingwrong,andthedimperceptionofbettermethods,thathavedisquietedalltheagesthroughwhichtheprocessionhastakenitsmarch.Itsmembersareclassifiedbythemerestexternalcircumstances,andthusaremorecertaintobethrownoutoftheirtruepositionsthanifnoprincipleofarrangementwereattempted.Inonepartoftheprocessionweseemenoflandedestateormoneyedcapitalgravelykeepingeachothercompany,forthepreposterousreasonthattheychancetohaveasimilarstandinginthetax-gatherer’sbook.Tradesandprofessionsmarchtogetherwithscarcelyamorerealbondofunion.Inthismanner,itcannotbedenied,peoplearedisentangledfromthemassandseparatedintovariousclassesaccordingtocertainapparentrelations;allhavesomeartificialbadgewhichtheworld,andthemselvesamongthefirst,learntoconsiderasagenuinecharacteristic.