The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-08-03

Every good comes to man slowly. The
mysteries of nature that have been unravelled,
the science OF government, the discovery O.
the laws governing the universe, the better un-
Outstanding of our wonderful organisms, our
arts, our painting, our music. Each and all
have beef. revealed to mankind slowly and al
ter long and patient toll. 1t took thousands
of years to develop our system of Christian
morals that to-day elevates us above the
heather nations.
A long look at the past shows us man stand
ing on the threshold Of his new world totally
ignorant of all that surrounds him. Inquiring
and wondering he slowly advances from bar
barism towards civilization. by degrees h.
anlocks the door of NATURES chamber. where
her secrets are hid. Little by, little the greas
wonders of the earth, air and sea are made
known to him, and slowly he moves onward
toward dim comprehension of the deep mys-
terry called life.
Blu, after thousands of years have passed we
see him still standing in world only half OF
which is yet civilized. We see him still per-
picked with many of the questions that con-
fronted him at the beginning. We see him
still surrounded by difficulties that seem insur-
mountable. But the greatness of man lies in
the fact that he always persists in his efforts to
advance, that he never talters that he ques-
tons ever.
He will 90 on down the cycle of the years,
questioning and wondering, asking the earth
to explain her laws to him, asking the wiGe
ocean to show him her treasure, asking the
air to reveal its magic power unto him, asking
his race to tell him from whence
he came and into what new mysteries
he is slowly drifting
That these questions will ever be answered
is doubtful. The past has not given us much
light, the present but mul'iplies the questions,
and it will likely ever remain that the future
must be looked TO Tor solution OF the prob
lens, and from that sunlt horizon we mus
continue to draw our inspiration. Sir William
Hamilton in his mastery summing up of a
wide survey of both past and present. says ::
"irhere is nothing great on earth but man.
and thing great in man but mind
And yet from look at the past we may de
rive some encouragement. The thousands OF
pluttons who lived in the time of Rome's
power, the thousands who have lived for
pleasure and dress in all the centuries, the but
terhes who swarmed in the light Of Pompeii' S
splendor are all forgotten. The truly great
ones, the Percles, the Ciceros, the Platos and
Socrates, have all been men who did not al
low physical to dominate the mental, who
thought Of something besides exciting sports
and costly apparel; they were all men who sa,
around imaginary banquets rather than real
ones, who sat at those banquets to think and
write and talk rather than to eat and drink.
As it is true that swords are the only things
that last forever" so it is true that the men
who devote their lives TO mental pursuits will
ever WELD the greatest influence over man.
kiad, will be those whose names shall con-
tinue to shine down the vista of the ages.
This mental striving, this training of the
mind, we call education. For this purpose
we have schools and colleges, books and
printing presses. In our early years we sow
the seed, and at we grow older we cul
tivate, and in old age we reap
the rich harvest. When we garner the
grain sowed in other pursuits, we find it most
" chaff, but in gathering up the products of
these golden seeds we find them to have
brought forth hundred fold All other pur-
suits fail to satisfy u.s. If we seek wealth we
are apt to miss it or see it fade away before
our imporing eyes; if we live for pleasure we
soon become satia,ed with il; if we live for
worldly fame we may hear the moaning of the
wiads around our st. Helena.
Solomon. the man who possessed all these
riches. and honor and wisdom, tells US which
is best, in these words: When ye have found
knowledge then there is a reward, and thy ex-
pectalions shall not be cut off,
This education is for the benefit Of the en-
tire ace. 1t has been the source of all our
power it i. the first cause OF the effects we see
around Us; Il has been the willing instrumen