The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-12-26
sSELRIsHNEss.


qot ,lp-ra SELFIsHNEsS.
Werare too prone to bcwail the
failures of the past, to lament the
vice and ignorance of the ages far
behind US. We are too RELUCTANT
to turn a steady, searching gaze
upon the discrepancies of the time
in which we live. The broad road
stretches far behind us, and we
surely can see upon it the print of
many misguided feet, and if it ter
minated here and now, we would
do well to observe; yes, to study
the errors of our antecedents; but
it stretches its. seductive serpen-
tine leagth -befere-as we'll as be-
hind. Dangers beset the feet of
men now as they did then. With
the march of progression the old
foe to man has changed his garb,
his face, his whole appearance, yet
he is ting same, and his name is
selfiehness. The same spirit
prompts people now to join
churches, to drink, to gamble, as
prompted the old Monks to flee to
monasteries, or persecute dissen-
ters. Truly, "Selfishness is the
root of ali evil" When ] see a
person join a church to escape the
torments of he'll, I can but pity
him, for he mistakes the grosscst
self-indulgence for religion. When
I see a young man: travelling with
the celebrity of alightning express
train, down the bewildering road
of sin,sI know that Selfishness has
blinded his eyes, and deafened his
ears only to whispers of the pleas
ures of self-indulgence.
When I see a man dressed in
linen and broadcloth, who cannot
pay his board bill, / know that
the same tempter has appeared to
him in the form of vanity. When
I, see q young woman frittering
away her time, that she may be
charming, that she may dress well,
and excusing herself by saying
that it is natural and right to wish
to appear beautiful, know that
she is sacrificing the beauty of her
soul and her higher womanhood to
the same fiend, and that Selfish
ness is Turing them on.
! All! q sly; deceitful demon dogs
ouT STEPS, laushs a. Our faces, 40
our feeble attempts to resist him,
and jeers at and ridicules the
fears, hopes, and wishes of our
better moments. There are few if
any of us who are free from the
blighting curses of selfshness. We
behold his devastations on every
hand, and despair at our own pow
erlessness; the only remedy is
vigilance, as ceaseless ashis own.
We must speak words of encour-
agement to resisting him, and
sternly condem those who yield
with cowardly eagerness. He is
the master of the road, oyer which
SO many pass, and terrible is the
charge he makes, fearful the price
he demands for the few narrow
pleasures thatihe grants, Health,
morality flow in ceaseless streams
into his Golfers. He is at the bot
tom of ali wrong, OF all dishon-
esty; he is partner with all crime,
rs well.as suggester of all trick
cry, and littleness, and all the
small sins that mar the fair
outlines of life. Let US
then, rather than bemoan
his former victories, rouse
ourselves to the need of the. pres
emit time; let US try earnestly to
beat him back from the conspic.
nous position he has taken, let
US try to lessen the number of pas
seagers who are paying so heavy
tribute to him yearly, weekly,
daily. If 1t sooths Us to look
back into the dark shades behind
US, let as remember that We should
accuston our eyes to the strong
Eciear light that shall at some time
dawn upon the world Let as re.
member that many shadows still
inger around our own pathway
that 6 greater responsibility rests
with US because we have more
light than our fore-fathers had
that our duty is not to pierce thu
primeval shades, but to lend oul
whole strength to truth. to hell
throw her white light over all soph
estries. It is useless either I,
condemn or pity the mistakes o
those darkly cropping people o
former times. God has places
us on earth Ros1 that VIC may bat
tlesxith the present wrong; tina
We may force existing circum
stances into mute subsection e
, Right. He has given to US
) isense of Justice, and knowledg
: enough that the straight and nal
row way may be more precisel
defined, and more easy to tread 70
? those coming after as. La. 5.