The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-03-27
DUTY.

dom is the best application OF knowl-
edge in the affairs of life; hence he
who has the most knowledge, and ap-
plies it wisely, comes nearest to per-
forming duty. This being SO, the
first duty of man is to acquire knowl-
edge and concurrent with this, the du-
ty enioined in the proverb "Get
wisdom, and with all thy getting. get
understanding" But then the ques-
ton comes What is this knowledge
that l shall seek after !? Not from
books alone. Mans whole surround
ings, all the elements of nature, his
own individual intelligence, are all
crowded with elements full of harmO-
ny, and beauty, and truth, and
grandeur. From which way We will
open page OF entertainment and in
struction, written in an universal
tongue. vetoed in the language Of God
himself, lie open before us. A grain
Of sand, blade of grass, the forests,
the mountains, the rivers, the plains.
the great ocean, the heights and the
depths, sun, moon, and stars. all ma
ture. animate and inanimate-are re-
plete with songs and sermons, with
beauty and philosophy. the beginning
of whose lessons Of wisdom a man
could not master though he live to
the age of Metbusalah. But what is
life-how, whence and wherefore
an insolvable mystery. Men have in
deed sought out many inventions. but
they have not penetrated a hairs
breadth beyond the confines of this
life. either forward or backward. As
our knowledge then is limited to this
life, our duty must pertain to this life
also. Beyond the practical concerns
of this present life, there can be no
idea of duty. But in these concerns
duty confronts us everywhere.
Every man, every woman'
every child, has his or her
duty to perform ; and it is always i'm
mediately present, always by and
around and with US 1t is as insepera-
bic from us Ms the spark of life itself.
DUTY knows no sentiment, is charmed
by no allurements. lullsd by no hap
sody, lured by no fancy, swerved by
no superstition, blinded by no hypoc-
risy, frighted by no dogma. 1t comes
into our lives with our first boots, and
cheers us with its apporviag presence
or haunts our memory with its slight
ed admonitiops until oblivion relieves
us from responsibility. 1t has no
thing to do with the heretofore or the
the hereafter, except as these are
linked with the present. The knowl-
edge we need t" acquire is that which
will aid us in the Performance of pres
ent duty-what will help us now, to-
day. We need to cultivate every
faculty. by all means that are presen-
ted. Cultivate perception and mem
ory. We should keep our eyes fixed
always on the moral virtues of truth,
and virtue. The little child has
constant duty to perform-to its par
ents, its teachers. its companions.
Parents have duty of great respon-
sibility ever before them in training
Alright the little ones. Men in bus
mess have duties at every step-to be
honest, fearless, forbearing; husbands
and wives duties to each other-to be
gentle, patient, and tender; men in
public life duties of the greatest mo-
mept-to be faithful to the people
whose servants they are each ones
duties toward all humanity-to be
charitab bic and to do good.
There is no more weighty word in
the English language than this QUE
duty.