Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-11-05
ne Life Worth Living 7"

In response 10 o similar question put
10 him by the great editor, Elbow do
YOU knos. Mr., Greeley, when you
have succeeded 10 public address,
Mr., Greeley, not ayerss 10 the perpe'
tratlon Of q joke At bis own expense
replledi "When more stay Ia than 60
out Mr., Mallick's famous question,
answered by himself Ia q weak way,
and repeated by Professor MiSaft' and
answered ~ a stronger way, ID prae'
tleally voted on every day, by the en-
tire human race. and decided 10 tho
affirmative. "Alore stay 10 than 90
out" for reasons very much less lm'
porlant than those considered by Nc,
MalIoek and Professor Miyert' There
are great laulliludes Of men who pos
sess neither the Roman Catholic hllh
nor rightoess OF life nor love, who yet
live out their lives N tho firm conyio
ton that Il pays them TO live
who ao open 10 no high cons'dera'
lions, such ~ would have weight with
the Mallocks md Mivarts
There ia great pleasure N con
sclous being. So universal IL this
that, when man occasionally takes
his lifc, 1t IA considered by those
whom he leaves bchiod him'as pre-
sumptive proof that he Is insane We
say of man who designedly ends his
life that ho IL not In his right mind.
One Of the most pathetic things about
death ~ the bidding goodbye to a
body that has been the nursery and
home of the spirit which It has
charmed through tho ministry OF 80
many senses.
"For who. to dumb forgetfullness prey.
This pleasing, anxious being c'or roaigusd'
Loft tho warm precincts Of tho cheerful day,
Nor cast ono longing, lingering look bshind' p
Men find their pay for living in Va
rious ways, Hope may lie TO them,
but they always believe Ter, never
theless. The better things 10 come,
of which she tells all men, become IN
deed, the substance of tho things dc.
sired; tina. Is, expectation j. q con'
slant JOY and inspiration. The pay
for this days trouble aud toll Is in the
reward which is expected tomorrow.
That reward may never come, but the
hope remains, and so long as that
lives, it pays to live. 1t pays SOME
men to live, that they may make
money, and command the power that
money brings. To what enormous
tolls and sacrifices the love and pursuit
OF money urge great multitude Of
men! The Judgment Of these men as
to whether life is worth living is not
to be taken at lite's close, when they
sum up their possessions and what
they have cost, but while they arc llv
ing and acting. A man whose life is
exhausted may well conclude that
what he has won is vanity; but it
was not vanity to him while he was
winning it, and in the fun possession
of his powers, he believed that life
was worth living.
Life is quite worth living to all
those who find engaging objects of
pursuit, and especially to those who
win success in their pursuits. We re.
peat, therefore, that, by almost a
unanimous vote, the human race prac-
tically decides every day that life is
worth living. Mr.. Mallock thinks it
is worth living provided man has
faith in a great church and Professor
Mivart-a Catholic himself-thinks
lite's highest values are in the doing
of duty and in love. We should be
the last to claim that happiness is the
highest aim of life, and that, unless
that is secured, life is failure, and
not worth living. To do right, to
sacrifice ones self for love- these are
better things than pleasure. 10 love
and to he loved-these are things that
pay. To be conscious of nobility of
character and unselfishness of life ;
10 be conscious that our lives are
brought into afecticnate relations
with other and harmonious lifr-what
are these but lfe's highest values
What are these but the highest salts.
factions Of conscious being?
If this te true, THAT character and
duty and love ore better than pleasure
and better than any success without
them,-then there is no human being
who needs to say that life is not
worth living. But the people who
do not succeed. who are unloved, who
live lives of pain and want aud weak
ness-what is there for these! A
chance tor conscious nobility Of char.