Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-07-03
Ideal and Real.

The mention of ideal eloquence
started talk about ideals in general,
when one said If | had never found
anything better in this world than the
realization of my own ideals, | should
be in sorry case to-day. If the things
that have blessed my life had not been
ten thousand times better than any
thing | could possibly have imagined,
or sanely hoped for, l should be W i'll
ing to cut my throat. That is, |
should be willing and anxious to cut it,
if the real could be placed beside the
ideal, and l be told that the ideal was
for me, and the real not. My own ex-
perience with ideals and realities
makes mo quite able to understand
that wonderful thought in the Bible
about the things prepared that had not
entered into the heart of man. 1t may
be considered sublime conceit,- but it
is not,-when | say in perfect con-
seriousness of my own shortcomings,
and meaner opinion OF myself than
any one else can entertain of me; that
if had not already, in certain sense,
surpassed my own ideal, and did l not
hope, almost believingly, that l should
still further surpass it would, in
this case also, willingly accept the
knites release into some unknown and
probably more propitious field of ex-
pertinent. But you say that, OF
course, | build up new ideals, which
in time may be outworn, and give
place to still maturer. No! | am done
forever with that shadowy tribe, my
friend, i am enamored of the real =
The Old Cabinet, ScriJner's for duly.
The Hon. Schuyler Colfax has
just received the degree of L. L. D. from
Otterhein University, an institution OF
learning at Westervile, Franklin coun-
ty, Ohio. According to the statistics
Of the Census Office, this University
has two instructors, one hundred and
twelve students, and library of eight
hundred volumes. On the occasion OF
receiving this degree Mr.. Colfax de-
livered an Grafton upon moral sub
ject. His acquisition Of the electorate
of law, however, is of far less conse
quence than the previous degree OF c.
M. conferred upon him by the Uni
versity of Cakes Ames.
ROUGH ON OLD "SUNsEr. In Apri
last, while the Hon. S. S. Cox wa,
making flying visit to the scenes Of
his boyhood in Ohio, he attended
church, as all good Coxes do, on Sun
day, and listened to a sermon from the
following text, "As a servant earnest
ly desireth the shadow vii 2
The venerable preacher began b,
saying he had seen a picture illustrat
ing the text, which represented slav,
looking toward the west, waiting fo
the end Of the days work. 1t was
entitled, "Longing for Sunset How
he improved" that text! He called
on the worthless of both testaments
pictured Jacobs longing for Joseph
and old Simeon's desire to 60, "sinc,
his eyes were made glad He i'm
pressed the thought that life was
struggle, and no man should desire {,
60. "Work was to be done. Ant
yet we should look and long for sun
set. When the heart breaks, and so1
row is too painful, and suicide tempts
and the soul longs for Sunset We
should remember that sunset is onl,
the vestibule of sunrise" But how
he perforated! "When the river il
passed, the swollen flood passed, anG
heaven attained, there will be unshad
owed joy, for there is no Sunset IN
heaven
Rather rough on our Congressman
-EDIToR's DRAWER, in Harper's
Magazine for July.