The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-12-16
The Future.

We are all interested in the future.
1t is upon the future that our hopes
are concentrated. An eminent poet
wrote:
"The past is nothing, and at last,
The future "a be but the past"
This resolves all our lives into moth
ing. Yet we are unwilling to take to
so trifing a view of life. There is
much to live for, and while many of
our former hopes and anticipated
pleasures may lay buried in the grave
of the past, yet there is a well spring
in our breast that should always fur
nish q new supply. Without this
there would beibut little indncement
to live castle building, generally a
source of great pleasure, would not be
INDUCED in, AID as consequence,
life would be burdcnsome and gloomy.
For instance boys or girls, between
the ages of Ten and fifteen may and do
find happiness in the employment OF
the present; but their greatest source
of enjoyment is in the anticipation OF
the future; plans are laid rs to what
they will do when arrived at the age
when they must stay out on the thea
ter of life and bear a responsible part
in its affairs. Boys have their plans,
and discuss them intently, each one
taking his own view of the future
the professions, trades and other pur-
suits in life. One will be q lawyer,
and how bravely and ably will he
stand up in the courts of justice and
defend the innocent and punish the
guilty. Another will adopt physic as
his profession, and life will be devot-
ed to the amelioration of suffering
humanity. Another will select the
Christian ministry, and preach the
Gospel, and attempt to save souls
from everlasting woe and despair.
The ambition ofanother will be to be-
come a mechanic or a merchant, and
so on until the whole field of life and
labor is surveyed. 1t is q well known
fact that there is nor pleasure in an
t~icipating our future than there is in
its realization.
So, too, we might take up the little
Miss of ten years old, and follow her
along up until she passes the stage of
girlhood, and finds herself a young
lady with the beaux dancing attend
ance upon her, her early hopes in this
respect are realized, but the realiza-
ton would be unsatisfactory if there
were not other anticipations now sug-
costing themselves. She now looks
forward to couriship and marriage,
and thus travels out, living O OH
the anticipation of the f .ture than in
the realization of the present or the
recollections of the past.
We have suggestions to make to
our young friends as to their course
through life. If you wish to be sue
ccssful and enjoy life, you must form
habits of virtue, temperance and NOR
atty. To the young men we would
say be honest, industrious and sober,
for-with these virtues, you are bound
TO succeed in life and your future will
be al honorable and a happy one. We
inquired once ola man, who at an
early age reached an eminent position
in life, and who had an elegant wife
and five little children, two of whom
were girls, the others boys, what were
his plans for the future of his child
ren. He said, $50 far as my boys are
concerned, [ would have them intelli-
gent, moral, manly and brave, and as
to my girls. I want them educated;
and particularly would | have them
to cultivate that grace which so high
w adoruS a woman-mOAeSty." We
thought his standard Il good one.