The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-06-20
MOMENTS MAKE THE YEARS AND
TRIPLES LIFE.

Essay read by Mis-. Mary Anna McEwen during
the graduating eXcrces OF the Cairo High school,
Friday evening June 9Th, lssJ.l
In viewing anything or studying any sub
ject the impressions received depend very
much upon our standpoint Putting our.
selves in Imagination, where we can survey
the world and its history as one vast whole,
where we can realize the passages OF ages
Of time, and consider man as are actor dur
ing them all, he seems, indeed, wonderful
being and the world a stupendous stage
erected for his benefit.
But when We pause to realize that these
centuries of time have been made up Of
years, and each year in its turn Of months,
aud weeks, and days, the individual men
who have lived, and acted and passed
away, seem all the smaller by contrast with
the long existence OF the race as a whole.
And If We consider each individual life as
divided up into days, and hours,
and minutes each one OF
which can afford opportunity for that act
only which belongs to it. We realize that
the sum of human life is indeed made up
of tribes
If we look to nature we find the same
truth, each drop OF water has its own
seprate duty: one at a time they wear the
hardest rocks, till way is opened for tile
river, which rushcs through. TO bring ruin
and devastation to the lands and homes be-
yond.
Single grains Of sand are very small
things, but combined they make the dan
gerous bars on which so many nsble ships
have gone down, Truly has it been SAID
there is nothing on the earth so small that
it may not produce great things And as
in nature so in higher sense is it true of
human life, since for Us leach breath is
burdened with a bidding and every minute
has its mission. 1t is said of
Napoleon that he paid great deal
OF attention to small details,
he united the ability to deal with the
smallest matters essential to success; with
almost unerring Judgment he gave his own
personal attention not only to the marching
of his troops, but also to the minute details
OF all matters pertaining TO the expenses ard
equipments Of his army.
This same principal will hold true in
every branch OF life. 1t is the physician,
who makes it u rule to study carefully every
case which comes to him and
does not allow the minutcst feature Of 1t 20
escape him, who gains reputation for
wonderful cures.
The writers who have gained the great.
est fame for the style and finish of their
productions are those who have been will
ing to give long and painstaking labor to
the periecting Of every line and the care
Iul CllDDsiEp VI cNCl1 "oiN' II 10 uNN VII
in gaining knowledge or success in out.
ward things that we need TO appreciate the
value of small opportunities and little
helps or hinderances, but in the greater
work Of building up character, nothing is
slight enough to be despsed As a care
less gardner allows without alarm the this
tie down to settle over his fields and, only
realizes his mistake when the next year he
tries in vain to uproot the weeds which ART
choking his flowers, so it is an easy thing
to let the seeds of evil habits
take root in in our souls by failing
to resist the first temptations
words are like these tufts Of thistle down
escaping from thoughtless lips, they ma,
go forth, winged with a power of which
the speaker never dreamed, yet capable o