The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-04-03
THE PAST AND PRESENT.

There are but few persons, COM
paraiively, who are satisfied with
the present. A picture always has
two sides to it; and so has the life
of every person. We do not look at
the back ola picture, but always hang
II with the back against the wall.
1t would be we'll if we treated life
the same way; but we are inclined
to look at the back of life. The
beauties aud pleasures of the pre-
sent are not attractive, because we
are looking upon the dead past.
We are looking on the wrong side
of the picture, and are therefore
dissatisfied with it. There are
bright days and beautiful things
above aud around us, but we do not
enjoy them because we imagine the
past to be better and brighter.
We complain of the present and
point in despair to the good old days
behind us. We compare the pres
ent with the past to the disadvan-
tage of the first. We laud the last,
and mourn on account of the other.
The disposition to disparage the
present and imagine all the good
and true OF the past is common
with all classes. The politician
would have us believe that we are
on the wrong end of the road of
progress. The present is full of
political corruption; but in days
of yore men were all honest and
pure. Politicians are all shysters
now; they used to be good and
true. In the good old days of the
past right measures always prevail
ed; but the wrong is in the ascend
ency now. Our fathers were all
good men; our brothers are great
sinners. The founders of eur coun-
try were real patriots; its preserv-
ers set of robbers. The political
past is glorified the present is be-
moaned. The one is all good, the
other all evil.
The socialist of the present day
looks the same way. Times and
customs have changed, and that for
the worse. The people of the pres
ent generation are not as sociable as
they were when the complainer
was boy or girl. The present, to
this class, is all GOODNESS and exclus-
iycness; the past was all warm
friendship and sociability. The
time was when all the people were
sociable and well behaved. The
children had good manners. Neigh
bors visited and gossipped, and en-
ioyed each others company; but
those blessed days are gone, and
our social friend takes no pleasure
in the present. He has been stand
ing and gazing into the past and the
world has gone by him, and he fails
to realize the fact.
Too many good religious people
look upon the past and present in
the same light. They are really be-
hind in the race of life, and don't
know it. The church has gone be-
yond them, and they believe honest
~ that 1t has gone backward. The
preachers, and deacons, and class
leaders of the present don't wear
the kind of coats, and don't conduct
the services just as the old loved
ones did. The old church has been
pulled down and a better one built !;
but fashion and show have been
playing hob with the good old
times, and the religious grumbler
mourns. In the good old days
preachers and people were all holy !;
but in these days there is deal of
sham aud hypocrisy. Our religious
fathers were saints indeed; but
our brethren have only q form of
goodness. The old preachers were
beloved; the present ones are criti-
cised and dispsraged. The best
traits of the one are seen, but the
imperfections alone are manifest in
the other. The worship is not so
good now, as formerly. The prav-
ing and singing used 10 be so spir-
itual; that of the present so cold
and formal. How we long to see
things as they used to be. How we
complain at things as they are.
Will you let Us suggest that this
complaining, this kind of complain
ing, is very ancient A long time
ago this spirit SO prevailed among
the people that great preacher had
to say: "Say not thou, what is the
cause that the former days were
better than these? for thou dost
not inquire wisely concerning this"
Then as now too many persons
were disposed to think the past bet
ter than the present; but the wise
man said ii was uhwise so 10 do.
1t is unwise now. The good of the
present is lost because we are look
Ing back, and trying TO live upon
what is not really In being. 1t is
like q hungry man who refuses
plain food which is at hand, because
he has had better at other times and |