Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-09-21
The Other Side of the Hill.

The Other Side Of the Hill.
b Two OLD men, one of them the Duke
of Wellington, were once riding in a
carriage across country. in England.
They were each more than eighty years
of age, and they enlivened their jour
ney by an eXpedient that might almost
appear to SAVIOR OF second childhood
guessing what would be found on the
other side of each Hill which they had
occasion to ascend. The guesseS of
the Duke We're so often accurate that
his companion expressed surprise.
7" My friend was the reply, $ have
spent my whole life in guessing what
is on the other side of the hill" 4
little later, as the two friends were re-
latlng the incident, in a pleasant way,
TO lady, she made some remark which
led the Duke to observe: $ Madam, the
duty of d General in war, the plan of
a battle or campaign, is neither more
nor less than simply guessing what is
on the other side of the hill"
1t was a somewhat homely, but GER
tainly very forcible way of illustrate
ing at once familiar fact with its IA
miliar lesson. Many of us may remem-
Der reading exercise in a schooI-book
much in use forty years ago, entitled,
''The Journey of a Day, the Picture of
Human Life The comparison is, in
many ways, apt and forcible, yet in
none perhaps more than In this, that
in life as IN a journey, there is always
the other side OF the hiU" As hill
difficulty, there is another side to it;
as an obstacle to the view we try to
have of the road before us, it becomes,
when surmomted no longer him
drance but an outlook; we approach it
in the shadow, perhaps, yet beyond
there is the glorious sun-setting or sun
rising, fields, and streams, and distant
city spires, all aglow in the brightness.
What beautiful element in our ma
ture is this principle of hope, remind
ing us, always, that however the side
toward us may be forbidding or dis
heartening, there is another side to
which we shall come by-and-by. Sur
mounting the hill, often, we see that
&c end of the Lord to which an apoS-
tie refers in citing the case of job, the
muchaff1icted man. Let no one dis
trust the divine intention toward him
till he has seen that intention fully de-
veloped and wrought out. Let no one
i'll his journey through life sit down
despairing at the foot of the hill.
"The other side of the hilr' may
bring him rest, al q fulness, and con-
tentment.
Sagacity in men, besides, as the
great soldier intimated, seems to be
very much.a faculty for skillful guess
| ing. There is certain process of
reasoning even in a guess. AS Well
| ingtOn and his friend rode on, they
were passing through a country one
| portion of which had certain necessary
resemblances TO every other They
knew, at least, that the other side Of
| the hill would not bring them to des-
ert, nor to the ocean. There are GER
tain features Of an English landscape
which are pretty sure to be remarked,
| from whatever point Of view. From
the country already seen the two
| friends could reason, with a certain
degree of confidence, to that which
was as yet unseen. So there was reas-
on even in their guessing. When
Wellington planned a campaign, there
was rigorous method III the guesSeS
| by which he calculated the movements
| of his enemy as well as his own. And
still, it was guessing. The other side
of the hill was not thing seen and
| really known until he came to it, and
woe to him if he then found that he
had made any serious mistake
| Too much Of our living is hap-hazA
ard and careless, SO far as the future
| is concerned especially that far future,
which seems to us so dim in the dis
lance as we. look at it from the sue
| CcSSlFS Z. IliI1-CDpo1 Vi lIlS. AS We call
not klOaO ''what day may bring
forth" we content ourselves too easily
| without even a prudent conjecture.
There is, after all, only sort of half
wisdom in the maxim, "not to cross
a bridge till we come 20 it," not to be
concerned about the other side of the
hill till we have reached it. "a pru-
dent man." says the Inspired oracle,
"forseeth the evil and hideth himself;
but the simple pass ON and are pun
| ished. ''Be wise to-doy," says
another good counsellor. OF what
avail will be the wisdom OF to-mor-
row, if the folly of to-day has already
ruined us ?--Chacago Standard.
"A thief III Evansville, Ind, stole
| the -contribution-boX out of church.