The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-07-04
ILLUSIONS.

for the most part the unreal that makes
life enjoyable. Deprive man of all the
illusions and delusions Of life, and he
would be not more than a clod of organ
lied earth. It requires the threefoId
kingdom of illusion, delusion and reality
to enable the human mind to form noble
conceptions. There must be imagination
to picture, delusion to sharpen judgment,
and reality to furnish elements for COM
binations. Active minds soon tire of the
real things of life, and learn to live much
in the pure regions Of the ideal. AS a
tree or plant only wants just enough of
earth TO brace it and keep it upright, so
the mental organism wants only enough
of the material to make a secure anchor.
age to be able to touch bottom is all that
is necessary.
The human mind delights III illusions,
but abhorse delusion. Illusion is merely
an unreal image, presented to the bodily
or mental vision, aud known ct the time
to be unreal as for example, q painting
containing sleeping beauty, Il winding
stream, q clump OF trees, a setting sun and
an evening sky. Not one of these, nor
yet the whole, Will ever be mistaken for
w boo NAiSJ al = uVlJ dhC yCC bIIJ h1cSJ PAO
duce all the real emotions of real sleep
ing beauty seen upon the bank of wind
ing stream, beneath the shade Of a clump
of trees, at evening when the sun is set
ting. But let Wall Street sharper build
house Of paper in exact imitation OF
brick and broWnstone, and sell the same
to some confident Miss Nancy under the
impression that she is getting a substan.
tial palace, and when she discovers the
cheat, there is q manifest delusion. The
pleasing object that alluers and delights is
= source of unbounded qualification; while
the snowy imitation, that deceives is a
source Of unbounded disgust and abhor,
renee.
Now notwithstanding all the cry that
is made against illusions and decisions,
Notwithstanding all the eager search and
longing for the true and the real, still
very much Of life is made zap of illusion,
and by far the greater part of all the
enjoyment, and all the good, all the per
manent good, that is, comes by and
through some form Of illusion Life be-
gins with illusion. The mother who wants
her child to be good child, secures good
actions by some promised reward. 1t may
be sugar plums if the child has learned
to like these. Here is twofold illusion.
The child'S illusion is the sugar plum to
it's little mind sweet and allAbsorbing
object, that keeps expectation on tiptOe ;
the mothers illusion is the interval OF
quiet ard good behavior, which she seeks
to proloDg as much as possible, so as to
make a good investment of her rewards.
The real aim Of the mother, if she is wise,
is to develop and strengthen habit of
decent obedience in her offspring if she
is shor5.sighted and unwise, she only
makes business transaction with no eye
to permanent result.
Take tactics directly the reverse Of the
foregoing. A child is unruly its tutor
desires to make clean breast of the mat.
ter and secure reformation. He pre-
pales an already timber birch by roasting
it IN the fire, that it may fit the more
snugly to unruly pedestals. After a
proper mental preparation, the lower
limbs of the STRIPPING are tickled into a
healthy glow, perhaps to rather an exhil-
aratlng smart. Feelings Of fear and sus
pe0se leave vivid recollection upon the
mind. The actual suffering imprints the
whole affair deeply in the mental organi.
zation, ard altogether they form a sort OF
negative illusion, which the child viii
avoid provoking anew, just as a puppy
will shun hot poker. The illusion is a
fixity that will last, and with it, IN the
minds eye, the child will 90 On acting in
the way most likely to develop good
character. Caution will sprout up and
grow as surely as q cucumber will grow
under the influence Of a warm April show
er.
Taller children have their illusions.
The youth preparing for college, or even
studying well on in the course, has but
little idea of the scope and aim of educa-
ton. College rank, some glittering prize
at the years end, some wOrdy honor con-
fcrred at the termination Of the course, is
held out as an inducement to superhuman
efforts The bait is readily taken; the
prize is often won. but that is not what is
gained after ALL The illusion only served
to spur the hundred and-One ompetitOrs
on, while all have obtained more or less
discipline Of the mental powers; more or
less tixity Of purpose and perseverance,.
While pursuing the coveted illusion, the
man himself has been unconsc1ously grow
ing-all the good points Of mental giant
have been dgvel ping and the prize,
when obtained, is like the boys butterfly
when caught 0ty little dust in the hand
The period az which men start IN life
is period of most vivid illusions. The
young merchant and the young profess
sional are both alike full of hope, and
impatient for the consumation of plans
that only time can convince are not to be
realized. Wealth honor, fame, are beauti-
ful castles that seem almost within the
grasp-beantiful, bright, illusions that
are quite as good to be Illusions as they
were real, for high attachments depend
not so much upon what is really possessed, |