The Dawson journal., 1883-09-20
The Value ofLife.


spirit" said Solomau, after life of
voluptious dissipation; at least, after
a period of dissolute and squander-
ed existence. For twenty-five years
he was wise, vittuous AMI magnif-
cent prince. He made Jerusalem the
most glorious city the world ever saw.
He built the temple which never had
and never will have a parallel in
beauty glory, wealth, or design.
Nations bowed at his throne, and
laid their treasures at his feet. He
wrote the sublimest and purest
proverbs that ever graoed the pages
of wisdom and yet, when his glory
had been consumated. he gave him
self upto lust, and finally died in
gloriously. Solomon, no doubt,
wrote the book of Ecclesiastes which
indicates his repentance and in
this work we see wherein he tried
every pleasure and indulgence, only
to find in the end that all was "yanl-
ty and vexation of spirit
Such is the cry of every one that
does not spend life virtuously and
usefully. Happiness does not come
from the indulgences of passion and
appetite but it arises from the
restraint of passion, and in the u,ili-
zation of all our energies, forces and
resources for good Selfshness in
mo form, ever made man happy,
or made the world happy around
him. Gross, grovelling and low, in
deed, are the enjoyments OF man
who looks only to bis own inter
ests, and who seeks only his own
good. We were never made to live
unto ourselves. We are naturalI,
social and codependent beiugs-co
operative in every species and the.
ory OF happiness and development
IN the world; and he who lives un-
to himself, will ultimately cry like
Solomon, "All is vanity and vexation
of spirit. The most tormenting
thought to dying man must be to
have lived for evil and the next
most miserable retrospect of life
must be to have lived for no purpose
no good to self, or to others. Il
ls certain, too, that to have lived for
no good to others, is to have lived
for no good to self. Even were il
right, In any sense, to be selfish.
the purest and noblest form of
selhshness would consist in having
done ourselves good by doing 9th
ers all the good we can.
An earnest life will never cry.
"vanity of yanfties Glorifyinc
God, and doing our fellow men good
meUer dies. We may hoard money.
we may crafty pride and ambition,
we may satiate last and APPETITE, we
may live unto ouselves, hut the re-
ward of such a life has only hope
less death for its sting and even
while we live such life, it is but tbe
fitful and oft recurring commentary
upon the truth that "the pleasures
of SIN are but for a season" 'that the
way of the transgressor is hard
and that selfshness has no reward
but disappointment in the end.
How few even think of this. How
many are seeking to lay up treasures
In time and enjoy the present mo-
ment, at the expense Of treasure and
happiness which are permanent
while a useful life lasts. which
crowns with Joy useful life when it
closes, and which lays up fadeloss
crowns and ecstacies for the life to
come. The very essence OF life is TO
do all the good we can by exemplify-
ing virtue, by seeking the paths Of
wisdom, by striving to bless the
world we live in, and by honoring
the God that gave US existence.
Fellow beings, let us be awake to
this sublime issue. Ye who plow
the fields, who run the shops. who
turn the wheels, who stand behind
the counters, live to some purpose
be good and useful in your day and
generation. Make money, acquire
reputation, build up your houses
beautify your places, but make all re-
dound to the good of the world and
the glory of God. Life is but
span. Il is too short to throw
away. 1t win soon be gone. Woe
to the man who does not care what
the epitaph on his tomb may be
What mockery is piece of white.
sculptured marble over the ashes Of
a useless, selfish mortal What q
commentary upon the expression :
"'8H as Uanfy.f Even before death