The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1857-07-27
For the City.


AIvM,s Lessen.
VA young girl with pale face and tear-d'm
med ewes sat alone in her room one summer
eve. The curtains were drawn nwny from
the OMEN window, and the rosy glow OF
brilliant sunset flooded the chamber with
radiant halo. Poor Alva! From earliest
childhood she had been an invalid, win
weak, suffering body, but strong, earnest
soul. O, friends friends you who have
sound bodies, well built temples in which to
1 hold the struggling spirit, you can never
know the anguish that must be endured by
such soul as hers. With deep, passion
ate love for the beautiful; heart yearning
! for the good and true n mind that could see
and feel keenly the wrongs and woes OF hui
mainly, and the ignorance and narrowness
of vision which characterize so great a por-
ton of the human brotherhood; soul filled
with high aspirations and noble purposes
vet continually thwarted and pulled bhck by
/, that giunt tyrant of the world, Disease -
I Was il any wonder If she grew desponuing
1 IL, at times, the rebellious tears would Tow,
when she saw some great hope which she had
cherished for years fading out, when the
beautiful ideal of her life, lowering afar off
among the clouds, began TO grow indistinct
and shndowy, and the despairing thought
crep. into her heart that it must be ai'eoy'
thus that ever through the years that she
must live, disappointments, weakness ana
sorrow were TO be her portion? All friends
methinks you too would have wept.
4 Upon this evening, as Ava sat alone in
her room, with the sunset glow around her,
u there was deeper sadness than usuailn her
heart. She had been reading the history OF
one who began life with the same hopes and
purposes which had animated her bosom,
but be had been blessed with strong phys
ical constitution, great powers OF endurance,
the capability of performing, of carrying out
the plans which his mind had formed in sea-
sons Of high and earnest thought. She read
how great souls loved him how every where
the noble band OF reformsrs stretched out
their hands to him in brotherly greeting;
how useful he had been; how much wrong he
had helpedto undo; how much right he had
assisted to bring about; and then she looked
at her own life, so useless, it seemed to her.
81, alas have accomplished nothing in all
these years." she sighed, sand We, how glad
ly would have done something; how gladly
would have helped to push on the car of
human progress, instead OF falling wearily
by the waysde. 0 for health for the pow
er to do, or DEATH | cannot bear to live
thus, mere cypher in existence. saliva!
Ava - Whence came that chidiag voice
On the evening breeze, or the sunset gieamsf
Nay, it was the voice which speaks to oil
human souls, sometime, if they will but list
en-; the tones of which are not heard by the
outward sense, but the spirit thrills meath
the silently breathed truths. Voices from
out the infinite depths of eternity speak to
the souls standing on this isiand between the
. two great seas Beginningless Past on the one
hand, and Endless Future on the other-oft-
ener than we imagine. so, Alva," said the
voice. cit is not true that any life can be en-
tirely useless; eeery sou has an influence OF
some kind, and though it may not appear
great, though, indeed, TO the hurrying world
it may seem AS nothing, yet, Alsa, in tho
future all these things will be righted, and
many who have seemed to be doing the most
good, who have exerted great and marked
influence on the worlds destiny, will find
that often those quiet yet strong souls, who
have had clear insight into the true purpose
Of this life, have done as much good us they.
You, Alya, have much to strive against
bodily weakness, wearying disease but be
brave be strong look forward Do all
you can. Live your life out truly, whether
it be long or short, and sometime in the com
ing future, if not in this world, in the other,
you shall see the result Of your lahors and
be satisfied.
The sun had gone down behind the hills.
the gray twilight had given place TO silvery
moonbeams. when Alva raised her face once
more. There were no tears there now, and
instead Of the mournfnl and desparing ex-
! preston resting upon her countenance be-
fore, there beamed tho light of lofty pur-
! pose.
"Yes,s che said, 81 see it now; the way
J is growing brighter; even ], weak and weary
! though be, may live as true n life rs the
noblest men who have blessed the world
, Let me do oil can; LEI me keep my hear,
, pure and brave, tina. no wrong thing shall
pass by me unrebuked no right cause. how.
2 ever feebly sustained, look to me for recog.
milton and find it not. Father, thank thee
for this lesson. Every soul has mission tc
: perform; its o,en mission, and not some
I other ones. Let me not turn away from
the duties before me to watch others in their
! more conspicuous stations, and sink down
9 sad and despairing because, compared with
theirs, my labor seems so humble. All. I'll,
: no light work to preserve the soul pure ane
e true, therefore will no longer mourn thai
d there is 50 iiitie can do. Here is enough fol
lifetims.'
There may be other hearts who mourn, al
e Alva did, that the limits of their usefulness,
h are so circumscribed. To them saliva.
8 lesson" may have meaning in it. With
that hope send it forth.
BERsARpISE L..
. The Topeka Convention.
! TorEkA, X. r., July To- The Convention
!, just adjourned ut Topeka, was one Of ID,
!, largest and most earnest ever held. 4