The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1858-02-04
THE OBJECT OF LIFE.

How few OF us truly comprehend the real
Objects ofan existence. And yet it is a,hcmc
which ought to occupy the serious attention
Of all be the sole occupant Of our inmost
! souls, an ever present monitor tellin" us how
short is life, am! that we were not born to
%rovcl in the dust, like the brute creation,
but to accomplish noble deeds, to emulate
all the virtues of manhood. We see around
us every day persons who apparently know
no more about life, no more ahon, its work
ing>, no more about IFS results than so much
dust into which In; Creator had never
hrea,hcd; who are utterly unconscious that
! W'y have any ends to serve, or can in any
Way contribute TO the advancement Of their
race; but seem TO imagine they are merely
placed here to live along easily: take thinrs
rs they come let one event carry them one
way, another another; WHO think only for
the moment take no thought for the future,
and whose opinions are rs unsettled rs the
sands Of the sea shore; who, say, have
l''lr idea of anything passing around them,
ANIL i'll this WAY travel Oh their pill .rimagc
down to the grave, into which they sink and
are forgotten.
How i.tnoble is this? Ic, who imagine
! that yon have no mission to perform on this
beautiful earth, who think that you were
! created for the rarposc Of carryin. out no
noble deeds, or be the means Of building up
il>iim" monuments Of fame, Which will stand
crumblcl to dust. ic, who are ;ru,l"iny
oat 4 weary cXi,tancc, and TO whom life is Il
cr:l>!rSS lnonoiony, and who can linl moth
in" to love or ch"ri,h We who 'l"<pond and
allow your spirits to be ground down Lv in
activity and >ln:"i>hnrss; We say, who
take not even Il thought of those occurrcn-
cr> which arc taking place in your very
midst, where are Your Scn<cs?
Wake up arouse. take yo"r I,i"cc among
Your fellows, proclaim your cmdS and follow
them i'll IN unIcvia,in. course working for
Your fellow beings happiness AS well as your
own, administering comfort to those who
may want, and arc destitute Of ail the com
forts y"u c'i Joy, promulga,in- aII that is
good and Just, and cnlrav"rng to abolish
III that may serve to ,!ctrriora,c the virtues
"f IA" race. When every one can wake mp
to the Thought Of having IN object to carry
through iir and can follow it up with Il
determination :" carry out that Object, heed
less 81! III s: around them, then may we
expect Ia see NOR: healthy energy AMI activ-
ly in our every day pursuits, and less slug
:;>h and "rovcliny rrop"n,;tirs among the
human c::t>Scs.
OF course there may hc difference Of
"lni"u as to what may be the true object
OF our existence, though such athing ought
no, to bc.
BE it remembered that we were fashioned
after the image of our Maker, and ,l.at tha,
Maker, the Everlasting, has planted in our
breasts all the noble virtues and instincts
that can lit man to I'm honorable ,o>ilion
III the world and DC IN example TO Tie race.
rs type Of honor, virtue anil goodness
provided those attributes arc cultivated in Il
proper mamncr, and are not Lrbascl and
pro>tltn.cd by unworthy acts. Therefore,
if created only for good, it is not supposed
that the true oil cct Of our lie can lie in the
necessity Of promoting vice and corruption
ani using all tho means within ones power
TO rlua!' out every accessory to the advance
mcnt O! o!hnnc>,y, virtue and integrity. MOI
The Object Of our life is TO use all our (acul
ties III the advancement OF those principles
most conducive to the welfare of the race,
and the building up of civilization, wherever
our lot may be cast. In this way will We
be carrying ont the purposes, and upholing
the land oftllat being who created the beau.
ti!ul universe and all that dwels there
in.
Could every one realize that life is short
ut the longest, and Of the necessity Of max
ing the most of it, in cndcavoring to bencii,
mankind generally, what happiness would
'heh cHlst, where now sorrow and grief alone
reign supreme, and where no cheering ray
Of hope, or a single realization of JOY ever
enter, 10 bid dropping spirit lift up its
weary head, and receive that sweet consola-
which makes life happy. But no we will
not see this. We would rather Jog along
in the good old fashioned style of living
just for oneself and within oneself, caring
for nobody, and having no one care for us,
and thus worry out an existence which
leaves behind no mark Of worth or esteem.
but monument reared to the grovclng in
stincts Of our nature
Let lis Danish from our nature forever
everything that now binds us down in one
spot, in which we live and move, and step
forth into the world let the world know