Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-12-16
LIFE WORTH LIVING.


stop Jnquiring About IL liz the Aggregate,
and Ask Ourselves What We Can DO to
Wake Our Lives Better.
1t IS not new thing for men to de-
bate over the value OF life: they have
been debat no the question ever since
the dawn OF thought. But the guest on
is usually put in such way as TO rem
der it unanswerable, except b. a sturdy
faith in Gods government. Whether
human life in the aggregate pays IS a
cue ton eIuiva!en. 20 the question
whether God is good and his govern
mcnt moral. Let faith answer that
question. since a total knowledge IS not
within orr reach, and we can not reason
about an aggregate of facts which are
only partially; known. Some lives are
worth living and some are not worth
living; but every man may make his
LIE worth living, or degrade it TO the
point where all Waite has passed oat of
it. To make life worth living is the
most arduous enterprise in the world
The entire significance of life les in a
statement # that kind.
The people whose lives are not worth
living are all about Us. They impose an
immense task on the nob'cr port on of
the race; but there is gracious COM
pensaaion for this in the fact that effort
to save others directly contributes to saw
ing ourselves. Still the burdens which
Il
of the worthless living OF people about
them seems sometimes to be almost I'M
cndu, able. 10 be Il slave o. duty is not
necessarily hard But there are duties,
and duties: and thosc duties which come
TO us from the mean and base living of
reopi2 about us-often in our own
housaholds-are the hardest life requires
OF men. Still. good maI or good
woman can live life Of service to
wicked Or useless human beings, and
count it all Joy 10 surrender themselves.
rs their Master d Il, to living and diving
tor men who reflse to be
saved. II has bc,n often re-
marked that no life except that
trouble as that of st. Paul, and vet that
his life was a constant reio;c nc and
triumph. Many man has in him
nature which can be subjected TO
Chr.st's law only by that kind of sacri-
flee which the service of sinful
men involves. The hcad-strong. self
sufficient Saul b came Paul. who
coal say Il have finished my
course only by and through the ex-
traord nary painfulness and humiiia-
ton of his labori He sought no easier.
He knew that to b, "crlcifcl with
Chr ST. was his road to eternal glory.
The lives which are not worth living
are easily recognized. A dishonest life
is not worth liv ne. and the average Of
those who 1--we it end life cmpty-hanied
They cheat Others every day. and are
themselves cheated cut of the fruits of
their rascalty: but if a dishonest life led
invariably to full hands and the most
bounteous plenty. and all JOS which
plenty by itself can give. Il dishonest
life would still be Il failure. for such q
life must be destitute OF all the moral
and spiritual ingathcrinTs AMI accumu-
lat:ons which, whether they recognize
it or not. men are always seeking. The
external wealth dishonesty gotten I'M
perfectly balances the inward poverty
which hab of dishonest getting has
created. Tie man has been all his life
growing poor in every thing which can
be counted rs worth in living. A d.ssi-
pated lie IS not worth living. DiSsipa-
ton has worse moral react on than
dishonesty. 1t i slow hut dea lily
poison 10 the whole inner nature Its
effects may not oh.rusively appear.
but in the end Of such 4 LIE it
will be found like tree
whose substance has been burned
out. leaving nothing but poor bark to
hide the ru rs with n. A cowardly life
is not worth living. We refer to
moral coward &c, 10 those forms of
poltroonery in which men skulk away
from plain and imperative duties. and
hide themselves behind fa'se pretenses
and vail Their faces with bland hypo-
crisy. The special evil in life of this
sort is that it killed self-rcspect. 1t is
an awfi thing TO know YOU are mean.
are base. Care ignoble; that YOU have
no honor or fidelity or courage in YOU.
Whatever gains come IN external ap-
pearances 10 a cowardly soul are
tremendously out-ba anced by the losses
of such living. In the end of t the man
desp ses himself. and h who has reach
ed that state Of feeling about himself
knows that his life IS not worth living.
Tic great enterprise OF the world is
to MAKE or De sara, living worthy and
valui''e t ourselves. 20 o,r fellow
men, - Almighty COL All brave en-
deavor. eli n1'.c s.ls-:acrifice. all pa.
:ion .. indast Y ard iaishfrlness lead up
to q life worth living. Such life is moi
built up in 4 moment. in day, or /.
decaie. 1t is built slowly; but no build.
ing IN the universe stand, more secure
1t vii! never fall; no earthquake can
shake IL. or crack il. or topple it over.
1t is .'God's build ng" II is built fol-
eternity; and in the building of it nj
man can fail TO he happy. Divine provi.
dencc has so ordered in that patient con
tinuan.e in well-doing shall pour into
the soul perpetual stream of satisfac
ton. del ght AMI Joy.
Let US Stop inluiring whether life L