The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-09-27

hesitate. because the facts have not
YET pronounced themselves with suf.
ficient clearness.
Your years forbid you to be can
tious. Nobody is fearful of life when
ne is beginning 1t. A kind of blind.
ness, skillfully arranged by nature,
presents existence to you as tempt.
ing booty which you burn to seize
upon. Wiser men than you will warn
you against the Illusion which under.
lies your youthful srdor. They will
tell you Of disappointments they will
say that existence does not keep its
promises, and that if people onlv
knew what it was they took in hand I
they would not have the naif empress.
ments OF your age. But l declare ri
you that il Is not my sentiment. I
have traversed this life. which opens
before you like an unknown and linn
ltless land. | expect to encounter
nothing much more in it of the nov!
Ell; its termination, which seems I'd
you indefinitely far of. is very near
for me.
Well, with my hand on nv heart
l say that I have found this lifel
which it is the fashion to culm,nate.
good. and well worthhy the appetite
which youth shows for it. The one
real mistake of which you are guilty.
about it is to believe it long. No, Il
is short, very short but even thus
assure you it is we'll to have existed.
and the first duty of man toward that
infinitude from which he emerges is
to be grateful. The generous RASH
ness which makes you enter, without
a shadow Of arrier-pense upon a ca
reer, at the close of which so many
enlightened folks aver they have
found nothing save disgust, is really
very philosophic after its kind.
Forward, therefore, with good
hearts; suppress nothing of your ar.
dor; that spirit which, providential-
spread throughout the bosom of hu.
manity, is the principle of its motive
force. Forward. forward say / lose
not your love and passion for living.
Speak no evil OF the boundIess boun-
tifulness from which your being
emerges, and in the special order Of
individual fortunes bless the happy
lot which has bestowed on you gen.
erous country. devoted teachers, kind
relations, and conditions of develop
ment in which you have no longer to
strive against the old barbarism.
The joyous intoxication. then,
which springs from the new wine Of
life, and which renders you deaf to
the weak complaints of the feeble
hearted. is legitimate. Do not be
ashamed to abandon yourselves to
its influences You will find exist
ence full of sweet SAVIOR, if you do
not expect from it what it cannot
give. When people complain of life
it is almost always because they
have asknd impossible things from
it. Upon this believe wholly the
teachings oe the wisest-there is
but one foundation for a happy life,
the pursuit. namely, of the good and
of the true. You will be well pleas.
ed with existence if you make fair
use of it, and if you abide well pleas.
ed with yourselves. A noble sen.
tence is that which says; Seek ye
first for the kingdom OF heaven. and
all the rest shall be added unto
you
On q similar occasion to this OF to-
day, but iorty-three years ago, the il
llustrious NJ. Jouffry addressed the
following stern words to the pupils
of the Lycee Charlemage Our du
lty to whom experience has unveiled
1.-The ultimate truths about the things
of this world, is to announce it te
you. The mountains top Of life
Ihides from you its fartherest slope
of it's two sides you see but one, thu
which you are ascending it is brigh
beautiful. fragrant as spring time
You are not able. as we are, to con
template the other fall, with its mel
ancholy aspect, its pale sunlight. ant
the icy river flowing at the bottom
: We'll, my lads. say no to all that
1t is too mournful! The sunlight i
never pale. though it is often yeiled
Because 3 man grows old. has he tn
right to say that the flowers hay
: grown the less lovely, and the sprm!
; the less radiant! What rubbish i
this, just heaven. Amidst all tn
2 flowers land how sweet and fair tn
flower world is J only one seems +
me without charm. 1t is the sickly
ldry, stiff. withered. disagreeably gilt
Itering thing which gardeners wrong
|ly call the 'immortelle-' do not Gal
lit a flower Iprefer the bright an
\ sweet rose, though it has the defec
of fading away all too soon.
You will behold the twentieth Ger
e Itury. young scholars. All colfes
VI envy you that other privilege. 20
II will see the unforeseen You vi
:lhere what posterity says pf US. 70
a will know what there was Of soil
l. and what of frail in our dreams B