New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-01-27
The 1lappiest Period.

! REV. George H. Hepworth, in the Independent.
Ever since the world began this has
been disputed question, and ever since
the world began the majority OF people
have misiudged. Thoroughly dissatisfied
with any present time, we cast about for q
golden age. We can not find it in the tu-
ture, as the cloud Of uncertainty hangs on
the horizon in that direction. We are com.
| PEELED, therefore, to explore the past. The
| immediate past. with lts facts and disap.
pointments, is teo fresh in our memories TO
allow US to throw the required halo about
| il, and so we continue our journey until we
get to the point where memory grows dim,
and the imagination works actively, and
| we call that the halcyon period of life.
The distant future and the distant pas.
are both creations of The fancy. They
have charm of their Owl, and we are al
| ways ready to leave today, with its real
| istic drudgery. and roam over the Elysian
| fields from which we came into the desert
of manhood, or over those which lie on the
thither edge Of the sandy plain along
which we are SO tOilsomely travelling now.
We delight to dabble with the paints of
| imagination, to live in pictures Of what has
sharp angles. and is like one Of Stuart's
paintings, which, when looked at close to-,
has the appearance of mere daub. You
| can see only irregular patches of paint,
which look as though the brush had fallen
there by accident, while the outline seems
to fade away into the coloring Of the back
ground. The past and the future, on the
other hand are like the same picture when
seen from the proper distance. The outline
is perfect, and the ridges and valleys Of
paint become startingiy lifelike portrait.
To say that childhood is the happiest pc
Rod of life is to offer an insult to Provi-
dence. The child is, at best, but bundle
of possibilities. He is creature Of un-
trained impulse, of undeveloped affections.
| His mind is like CRATE in a well ordered
| house. The coal is there, the kindling
wood is there, and the whole thing will
| break into u blaze when touched by
match. Now, until such CRATE before the
match has touched it is a pleasanter and
more profitable sight than half dozen
| Jumps Of camel coal en- veloped with royal
| blaze and filling the room so full of light
and heat that one torgets the wintry sleet
without, childhood, with its sugar plums
| and it's toys, will be inferor to manhood,
with its bugning enthusiasm and its lofty
ambition.
hear people sigh for the days OF their
childhood, and grow impatient. All poets
have uttered their rhythmic wall over mid
die age and sung their sweetest strains over
the dimpled days of babyhood. What they
say on this subject may be very good poetry,
but it is wretched religion. Ii an uncon-
seriousness of the grand struggle OF life,
which is one of the peculiarities Of child
hood, constitutes happiness, then Darwins
theory, taken literally, is evidently the one
to be accepted. He tells us OF the descent
of the race from animals; and we are quite
right in making the perfect unconsciousness
OF the animal the very perfection of happi-
ness, while next in Order will come the
blurred consciousness of the child, and
lastly the perfect consciousness of the man.
which is the equivalent of wretchedness
and misery. Childhood is certainly well
enough TO begin with; but think we should
all be sorry to end with it. There is a place
in every human life for China dolls and
japanese tops; but there is also place for
mental culture, for struggle, for hard work
and for reasonable faith. Babehood is
beautiful, but manhood is heroic and divine.
Neither do think We should draw orr
magic circle about maturity and claim for it
the hours of our supremest happiness. a
strong man is certainly magnificent snec.
tacle. To be in full possession of ripe pow.
ers is a great privilege. To cope success.
fully with adverse circumstances, as a brave
knight fights with an equal foe, and compel
them to unconditional surrender, must opea
a hidden fountain of satisfaction in the
heart, whose waters have peculiar taste.
Not every one drinks at that fountain; but
the happiness of those who do must be quite
indescribable. To DO conscious of mighty
energies, to set those energies at work to
achieve success, to graphic with a giants
Drawn with the disappointmen.s and the
mistortunes OF life, which, Ike an army OF
furies sometimes beset one. and to stand at !
nifty an honorable victor. must fill man SO |
full of happiness that like a strong perfume |
III rose. it will permeate every fiber OF his !
being. Such happiness is no more to be
compared to that of childhood tlian is the
physical bulk of q Colossus TO be compared !
TO the tiny body Of an infant in swaddliny
clothes. 1t is not only greater in quantity.
but also richer and better in kind.
Nor am I yet convinced that silver-hairci
old age. with an enviable past and a sio.
rous future. is the happiest period of lite.
There is. to be sure, q charm about the au.
tumn ct Life which is all its own. The
spring time struggle for existence. the sum.
mer heat and drouth are over. and the full
grain stands in the field in the genial Sep.
tember day. waiting for the reaper. The
satisfaction OF a sou! that knows no re-
yrets concerning the years which are gone,
and has no fears for the time to come, is a
beyond all price, have seen
good man sink to his rest. 1t was nv
ather. His death-bed taught me- more of
he religious life than all the books have
,ver read. He was no more afraid of death
udH .NOu dEt As your luOlutFo lie no more |
lesitated to close his eyes in tie long sleep
han do to close mine every night. To
lie was to go out of one room, somewhat
mail. uncomfortable and dimIy lighted,
nto another of larger proportions and bet
er furniture, through whose windows the
light of endless day poured itself in flood
# glory. Every morning for the last week
# his life he said: "A littl. nearer home.
ny boy Such Old age is wonderful.
Ill I
ay, as l zee that misty picture
trough my tears, that the good mans
our of departure is the happiest. 1t is the
our when the brave soul kueels to receive
is crown, when angels relieve him OF his
elmet and his heavy arnor, and he enters |
he presence Of the Supreme Ruler TO re.
GIVE the reward of his valor. But will
o. say this. / will still cling to the con.
lotion which possessed me before this dear
lemory well nigh threw lie out of balance.
What, then, is the happiest period of
uman lite! l am sure there is only one ;
nswer. 1t is now. 1t am doing nv duty
,-day is the best day ever had. Yester.
ay had a happiness Of its own. and up to
ais morning it was the best day of all.
ould not, however, live it over again.
ring it, as new bead, on the chaples of
raise, and turn to the better work and the
'gher thought of this present time. OF all
/, "ahy DAYS Vi my lie, give me to-day.
his should be our feeling always, from the
radle To the hour when we are called to
'me up higher. Childhood is best for O
lltureh. manhood Is best for men and old 4
&c tor the silver-haired. We will all Join {
a chorus of common thanksgiving to a
cd, and, when asked, (Which is the hap g
est period y will say-childhood, man h
'od and old age alike: 40, Father. it is e
wv ..--....,... .- . ..- r.
The Governor of Maine wants the capital y
lnishment business taken Oft his hands, V