Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-03-16
8. struggle for Life.


r,s struggle for Life.
Ten as philosophy, has not
IF Dsr v.ry satisfactory explanation
xgsn - ~ a. Certainly added several
Il life, n-nssions and phrases to that yo-
choic;s I'll y which we can describe me.
csbulslyo = these, none Is more striking
ADd an liable than the one winch fur-
snd vaius. c.ption to this article. A
nishes, ! sor life" is the normal condition
sruggle ~ - mass of humanity as well as
efthe - animal tribes which inhabit
he Various Reduced to its final and
our ls.s,e existence. whether sentient
simplest ..srt can hardly be called any
Of urisena-e than a close and severe
hing NJ ra,nst adverse influences and
sHagg'ss. Tes from birth to death. Day
iSsIsioa'sr the struggle goes on, year fol-
asF asy n rapid and endless succession,
pss YEA .m he struggle is continued. Now
Nd sun some overtasked laborer, or
I'D liant. falls out of the strife wearied,
clnps,sd and overcome, throws down
ssAssnons of defense, sinks back with a
bs despair. and with him the struggle
az But the mcmentary gap in the
sguand oncoming column is speedily
phs 40 the dead and now useless body
tte aside or hastily covered up, and
sasltitude, giving one glance at the
- of their unfortunate comrade,
rslpsrerly and anxiously on as before.
privileged few apparently go
NJ N the world as though life were
continuous gala-day, the un-
@,,ed millions toll and sweat and groan
cs,ssin the bare necessarics OF life or the
pss,ed prizes Of ambition, and even then
WV Wv one in thousand succeeds. The
and frequent crack OF the suicides
saa .ai heard on every hand, the CON-
p ,s;nt ~ the heart-sick and hopeless, as
p raiI a. the groan of the dying, tell only
s v sa;Iure and agony at the thought
y y being conquered before the goal is
= .a.ched and the victory won.
AID as If to make this fact more i'm
,,assiye and startling, this state of
Kings upon examination, is found to be
~ accidental and Fictitious, but rather
~, and fundamental. 1.-THE whole
orsstion groaneth and travaileth in pain
..asether.p No certificate of character,
- ,acord of honorable achievement, no
alsss distinction is respected or exempt
~ The law knows no favorites; the
dark heavy, grinding necessity rests
uu All alike. With bright skies over
head with an emerald earth beneath our
Get with beauty and grandeur in cloud
and forest. in mountain and sea, we all
live and strive as if writing under the
nenalty of terrible curse; and this fact
mipbt truthfully be called the great, un-
deriving fact of the universe. In the po-
litcal arena, in the home. in the family,
in the shop, in the street, and in the
church. the struggle never intermits, new
er wholly dies out.
II is the continuance of this terrific
Struggle for life, the noise of which rises
mn betimes into the fierce clamor Of an
angry fight, and anon sinks back into the
low. monotonous hum Of amachine which
gives to life its sadness. and constitutes
fhe basis of all its tragedy Its indelible
traces are seen in the knotted brow and
in the furrowed facial lines of care; its
echo is heard in the weary, long drawn
sgh its influence discolors and embit-
tiers the sweetest, pleasantest cup of joy.
On account of this, it is dangerous to look
too closely into any human heart or
home; for, before we are aware, we shall
be rudely stumbling over the wrecks and
among the debris OF an invisible but sad
Remembered battlefield, wherein per-
ished hopes and plans that were dearer
than life itself to the vanquished survi-
yors. On account of this fact, also, we
mustnot gaze into the open but glazed eye
ola freshly slaughtered animal unless we
wish to read thereinknew the same old
story; for in its stran Be and startling ex-
preston we shall see delineated the histo-
~ Of the animals whole existence--its
Struggle for life and its failure toxkeep it
Its helplessness under an overmastering
necessity its meek, but saddened resig-
nation to its own uncaused fate.
What, now, in view of all this, are the
PRACTICAL life-lessons which this undeni-
sble life-struggle teaches US? 1t incul-
,ates, first OF all, perhaps, the truth that
activity, enterprise, industry, constitute
he normal law of life. He who sits down
md idly mourhs over the fact OF this
struggle will inevitably be crushed in its
progress. 1t is worse than useless to ask
Why all this is so, and why it is not differ
mt; better accept the fact at once, and
hen proceed to make the best of it The
nan is guilty of moral cowardice, TO say
nothing Of the deeper crime, who in fit
# despair puts a pistol to his forehead
md terminates this life struggle sudden
y, prematurely and ingloriously. Better
,ird up the loins of the mind and say to
tagging zeal:
In the worlds broad field Of ttlttle,
In the bivouac Of life,