The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-12-28

HOPE.
BY DIR. T. A. HOYT.

human nature. 1t is a buoyant and ex-
hilirating element of our being. 1t sep
arates widely between man and the lower
animals. The ancients described hope
"as that tendency of the desires peculiar
to MANI towards the future, and towards
some good, supposed or real, but at pre-
sent hidden" 1t is an endowment of our
spiritual nature. By it man asserts his
longing for Immortality. While the
spirit of the beast goeth downward to the
earth, the spirit of man goeth upward to
the skies, and onward to the future
Vain are the efforts of a low-born phil
osophy to clip these soaring wings, to ex-
tinguish this celestial fire, to degrade this
high-bred Pegasus into beast of burden,
to satisfy the soul with husks of earth,
instead of angels food. The spirit will
rise up from amid the meanest surround
ings, build for itself castles in the air,
palaces of beauty, and draw solace in its
present misery from the bright, imaginary
future.
Hope is an ETHEREAL essence; it despises
the bonds of time and sense; it wings its
flight to purer cline. Like the lark, it
flies to meet the coming day, and sings as
it flies. Like the eagle, it scars above
the clouds of earth and bathes in the I'M
clouded sunlight.
1t is not surprising that Hope figures
conspicuously in history, literature, and
art, and that it has done so in all ages
Every student of human nature must dis
Germ this sparkling jewel. 1t could not
escape the acute vision of the ancients.
Plato calls hope "the expectation, the
presentiment of good" Thucydides uses
it of "not arbitrary, but well grounded
expectation" Euripides says, at is ne
cessary that the wise hold their lives in
hope" Menander declares it to be the
blessing of the unfortunate that they
are saved by hope" Homer, after de-
scribing many miseries, adds, yet abun-
dance of hope was left" 1t is related of
Alexander the Great, that as he was dis
tributing the spoils Of victory with a
lavish hand, one of his friends asked him,
What have you left for YOURSELF" He
answered, Hope" This was more to
the hero than all he had won or given
away. His grand aspiration was to con-
quer the world: until that was done, he
was buoyed Up by hope; but when done,
hope, no longer having a place, fed from
his bosom, and in the deserted chamber
gathered safety, WEAKNESS, disgust de-
spair, foul brood which plucked out his
heart.
, The familiar fable of Pandora's Box
well illustrates the value attached by the
Greeks to Hope. This box was given
full of heavens blessings to men, but
opened through prying curiosity, they
all escaped except Hope, which was re-
tanned, the single gift of celestial birth
left to mankind Another and older
legend is thus narrated by the poet of
Hope:
Primeval Hope the A0man muses.. saw.
When man and nature mourned their first decay
When every form of death and every woe
Shot from malignant stars to earth below:
When murder barred her arm, and rampant war
Yoked the red dragons of her iron car,
When Peace and Mercy, banished from the plain.
Sprung on the viewless winds to heaven again
ALL all forSook the friendess, guilty mind,
But Hope, the charmer, fingered still behind"
The Greeks and Romans worshipped per-
sonifcations of Hope-Elpis and Spes.
In Rome she had several temples. Livy
mentions one built in B. G. 1884, by the
consul Atilius Calatinus; and Tacitus
speaks of another as rebuilt by Tiberius,
and dedicated by Germanicus.
Hope was represented in classic art as
youthful figure, lightly walking in full
attire, holding in her right hand flower,
and with the left lifting her garment"
1t is evident that we discover in Hope
one Of the chief sources of human feeling
and action. Such universal homage tes-
titles to the reality and power of this
quality. In modern times, books have
been written on it, and it is the tacit mo-
tive in many others. We can bring its
universally to the test. Every one
cberishes Hope as the dearest gem of the
hoart II II 80 49,. r. ..--.- IL