The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1874-01-22
DOOMED THINGS.

TODAY the world is beautiful; there
is q smile all over the broad face OF ma
ture. Looking on SO much freshness
and beauty. one could wish thatit could
continue forever. But the sad thought
intrudes; this beauty will fade and pass
into decay. Nor is it difficult for the
thought to expand and the mind to be
brought to contemplate the fate OF much
that IS now engrossing the human mind
or exciting human action. All that we
see hear taste, handle, is doomed to
undergo wonderful changes and disin-
tegrations. Secular interests have a
powerful hold on our thoughts.
Commerce with it sails whitening cv-
ery sea with its grand emporium OF
trade; politics with the splendor OF its
palaces, pageantry gifts sovereigns, and
majesty of it's laws; war with its ar
mics and navies, and all its internal en-
ginery Of destruction, are subjects OF
intense interest, yet they are only tenn
porary. They are born either Of mans
necessities or passions, and are there
fore doomed to die when he dies. Or,
should we extend the thought to the
beautiful and noble creations of the hui
man mind, and take in the artistic with
its myriads Of form, the same truth
holds good In the present age we
have a material civilization which has
reached an accumulation of resour-
ces unapproached by any former time.
Architecture, sculpture, painting, man
ufacturing and engineering, reveal, on
all hands, human genious in the unrl-
vailed exquisiteness of its taste, and
the power of its continuance. Men Wis
it our exhibitions, our galleries of fine
arts, and gaze on the breathing marble
or glowing canvass with admiration
and wonder But time willrust the most
beautiful, crumble the most enduring,
and shatter the most powerful of hui
man productions.
The handicapped towers; the gor-
geous palaces: the solemn temples;
the great globe itself; yea. all which it
inherits shall dissolve, and, like the UNI
substantial pageant faded, leave not a
wreck behind
Social distinctions are doomed things
These distintion are greatly valued by
many. The lineal descendants of those
who made the history Of centuries past.
who were rich: men who ruled in cabi-
nets, commanded armies, headed revo-
utions, they should be regarded as semi
dcities. They do not belong to the
common herd. They are great because
they have better blood than brains.
Before such the world bows the knee
and pours forth the most extravagant
admiration. But all distinctions not
based on merit and character. are des.
tined TO the grave of oblivion Death
wipes out all such distinctions. The
ashes of the prince and beggar minglc
in the grave and wranglc not about
pedigree and blood
There the prisoners rest together:
they hear not the voice of the oppres-
sor: the small and the great are there:
there the servant is free from his mas
ter
In n very importan sense religious
systems arc doomed things. In so far
as they cmhody truth they arc immor-
tai; but this is only true in part. Men
have their religious systems embracing
doctrine and polity: they have their
creed and their church; these they adj
mirc and almost believe are infallble.
We hear them cxclaim, What splendid
theology; what noble history is ours!
What great men have ofliciatcd at our
alters! how grand our liturgy! how
splendid our ceremonies!
After all, what are the grandest ca
thedrals, largest temples, or most splen-
did ritual, compared with truth? These
are but the husks of seeds that require
the open heavens and mighty CONT
nents for growth and development. As
soon as the seed begins to terminate
the husks rot The ancient temple was
the magnificent symbol of a dispense
ton under which humanity was happy
for ages. Three days after Jesus de-
parted from it, the veil was rent and
the Holy of holics exposed to the wan
ton gaze of the sin-besotted and sim
maddened populace. The temple and
I ho cycfnn, - c,,c,1,o1;,oJ La. H.