Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1878-08-23
LIFE.

Orphea, in Coleman's Rural World,
draws the following truthful picture of life,
which is well worth careful perusal:
lis an old and trite saving. EVERY bit
ter has its sweet, and every cloud its silver
lining" So with life, its brightest cup IS
often mingled with drops of bitterness, and
the moments that ly so swiftly laden with
perfume of Joy, are often also freighted with
the aroma of sorrow.
AT morn we tread life's fiowery pathway
buoyant with youth, but when the sun goes
down, it leaves a sadness. born OF uncer-
tainly as to what the morrow may bring
forth.
We start out vigorously in search of
wealth or fame, or whatever pursuit we
have marked out as ours, and feel so certain
of success. Others may have failed: we?
never, But as we journey on we find OBJ
stacleS in every direction; so many we are
tempted to take 1.-THE hand from the pillow"
and 90 no further; to turn back to the
peaceful though obscure spot from which
we started. Now ambition urges us on;
hope whispers enchanting words; our eyes
are dazzled by beautiful visions of what
may be and so on through sorrow and glad
ness, joy and pain, we urge our way.
Next the bitter drop Of censure is melted
out and in bitterness of spin: we wonder if
the end will repay us. Again we are cheer
ed by the thought that others have passed
along the same road; others have borne
these same "slings and arrows of outrage
Gus fortune" and so can we, and OH TO see
orr names beside those of the good and
great; is not the incentive powerful one
But the end is not yet.
Just as VS. are feeling so confident, so
happy, our cup of bliss is snatched away by
hand of envy or malice; the cruel, cutting
darts of ridicule are directed toward us, and
half-formed wish is in our minds, that we
might find ourselves at the foot of the noun
tain, free from danger of the various weap-
ons turned against us at every point.
Thus we go on, bitter mingling with sweet.
disappointment with success; and perhaps
we chance to find ourselves finally at the
topmost round of the ladder of fame. Feel
ing our security We now turn to look at the
rough ascent; we are filled with unbounded
joy. But as we view the many mistakes of
the pilgrimage-places where we have turn
ed aside from the straight path-perhaps
our cup is freighted with sadness and regret.
How gfieved we feel at the sight OF the
errors, and have no excuse to offer except
the promptings of ambition. Perhaps the
tear of sorrow falls as we sadly turn away
Now what beautiful plains are before us;
how they inspire us! We have won, and
can redeem all swerving from the path of
rectitude. We have reached the summit
and what can tinge the aroma of our felici-
,ys nothing will be able to scatter clouds
around our sunny way. But alas! vain
thought calumny besets us even here; our
purest motives are misconceived on every
side. The eyes of the world are upon US
cold cynical eyes which look for evil rather
than good; there are many to blame and
few to praise us-how sweet, how precious
is that few-and we feel like some little bark
amid storm at sea.
Thus if our highest AMBITIONS are realized,
we must ''leam TO live by slipping the bitter
drops" In the ''heeting hours of glad
ness, while rejoicing over our success, the
memory of sore trials and failures, hovers
around, and sadness steals over us; but
our fate is the common fate of all; and tho
some days must be dark and dreary. we
may still realize that '.behind the clouds is
the sun still shining"