Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-05-05
Why Not 4?

line secret OF true living Is TO get tne
most out of the present hour. That man
has the future already in his hand who
knows how to value the present; achieve
ment, reward, recognition by the world,
are only matter of time with him. He
has caught the tides of power, and al
though they move invisibly they will
bear him to success as certainly as the
force of gravitation swings the planets
along their appointed spheres. There
is no chance about it, no luck or fortune;
it is simply the law of human life. And
happiness depends upon the recognition
of this fact not less than success. Thou
sands of people are always expecting to
enjoy themselves at some future day;
they look upon joyful times in their lives
as GASES in desert, little islands of calm
and beauty in monotonous ocean of
storm and struggle. If we look for Joy
in this fashion it will come to us in no
other way; it will be distant, alluring
and always fading into mirage as we
approach it. The trials which we expect
by and by to be free from are not wholly
removed, the burdens we thought to lay
down are not taken from us, the sense
of insecurity and danger we hoped to
lose in enlarged prosperity and stronger
grasp of the rewards of work still keeps
companionship with us. When the
moment of success, to which we had
looked forward, comes, we taste GER
tain Joy, but it is incomplete, girt round
with possibilities of disaster, limited by
responsibilities and duties which refuse
to liberate us.
There is deeper philosophy of Joy
than such a seeking for it ever dis
Germs. Joy is not an isolated thing, it
| flows through the common hours of
wise life; tits not an oasis blossoming on
the edge of a desert it is perennial
stream carrying fertility and beauty into
the barren places. They only are truly
happy who find happiness in the present
hour and demand of to-day what those
who are less wise demand only of the
distant future. Forget that there is any
future, lay hold of to-day as if it were
all you ever expected to possess, either
for work OF Joy, and it will suddenly be-
come rich in your hands. Accept your
trials, bear your burdens, as things which
are to be your daily companions. and
then transform them from enemies into
friends. Study how to draw strength
out of them, to be strong in them, to look
over them, to work under them; then
make the most of every source of happi-
ness as if you never expected freer day.
Do not delay your walk until you feel
less heavy hearted; 90 now, open your
mind and you will find your burden less
hard to bear; think more of the needs of
others because you are so anxious about
your own; read the book now that you
are tempted to put away for less weari-
some time; look at the pictures now that
you would like to study with more
composed mind; hold on to the habits of
self-culture that you are tempted to give
up until more favorable season. In a
word. make this present hour, with all
its limitations and difficulties, yield the
joy you were deferring to the future and
you will make every coming hour richer
in the possibilities and the certainty of
happiness. Christian Union.
| "A party of street laborers in San
Francisco disconnected the water pipe
through which the engines of public
school were supplied. The engineer
noticed that the water in the boilers was
getting low and attempted to let in
more. Not drop flowed. His hair
stood on end when he realized that in a
few minutes there would be an explo-
sion which would shatter the building
and probably kill half of the great num-
Der of scholars up stairs. Wild with
fright he dispatched the janitor to see
that the connections were made again,
but he himself stayed at his post to be
A deep drawn sigh of relief escaped him
when he heard the water flowing and
knew that all danger was past A fear
full disaster was barely averted.
"A New Hampshire man says that
he drove forty miles the other day in his
| State without meeting a team