The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1889-07-04
WOULD IT BE DESIRABLE
KNOW THE FUTUREs

| ut t6 easy TO see - har0 tu 1OreSee, ~
says DR.. Franklin yet the desire and
longing Of humanity is to foresee.
The playful child as It wonders what
part Of his pack Santa Claus will leave
for It; the -blushing and artAiI young
lady with her hopes and fears as she
longs to know who will be the next
victim of her fascination; the business
man with his cares and anxiety con.
cerning the state Of the markets during
the coming week or month, an exhibit
a great curiosity or, In other words.
strong desire to know the future. But
with all the longings of generations
past and gone we cannot now see one
The only time we can truly claim as
ours is the present moment. We can.
not claim tomorrow, for that time
may never come. Ere another sun
may cast its golden rays over the east.
ern bills, we may have departed this
world. We know the uncertainty OF
life, yet we do not always fully realize
1t. We look forward to the next day
with the assurance that we shall spend
1t here. There Is future for everyone
but II is not all to be spent on this earth.
Nay, the portion spent here is but
moment when compared to eternity.
Our knowledge Of the future ls limit.
ed and drawn mostly from prophesies
and from the Interchangeable laws Of ma.
ture, but enough of 1t has been reveal
ed to us for encouragement az we'll as
warning.
1t is with this as with many other
things, we are not satisfied with our
present knowledge but are always try
ing to see farther. There are times and
cases in which this would indeed be
pleasant.
How often in the quiet hours the
thought has come to us, IL we could but
lit the veil and peer into the future
how happy weshould be. But this has
not been granted to man. Fur, In the
words of Pope,
"Heaven from all creatures hides the
book OF fate
All but It,, the t.., page prescribed, ths'r pres
We have desire even In early child
hood to know the future. When plan.
ming picnic or May.day frOlic, how
many times we have wished to know
what the weather was going to be. II
we could have been able to bee we
should have had fewer days of antici-
pated enjoyment spoiled by showers.
Not only children wish to know the
state Of coming weather but people In
almost every calling and occupation,
probably none oftener than seamen.
If they could know this, they would
know when to set sail and many thous-
ands of precious souls, mourned by
friends in their far. off homes and their
funeral dirges sung by the ever.rplling
waves above them, would be saved
from graves in the oceans bed
II young people could see the dppor.
tunities they are to meet when they
are older, they would most probably be
prepared to make use Of them and
would rise to distinction, receive just
praise and honor, and, later, cognjzant t
that they had done their duty, would
be crowned with peaceful and happy
old age.
With q knowledge of the future,
many are the accidents which might
be avoided, and many the lives that
might be saved. Had the eruption OF
Vesuvius been foreknown, those thous.
ands who perished so misera bly, beneath
that stream of molten lava and ashes,
could have been saved. Or coming
nearer the present time we see what
wreck the hurricane on the Samoan
waters wrought. This not having bedp
anticipated or foreknown, one German
and three American vessels were com.
PEELED to toss and dash in the storm,
and the result was the loss Of more than
three millions Of dollars and nearly
one hundred and fifty lives. Indeed
1t Is not necessary to 60 so far distant
from home for an example. Had the
horribleness of the disaster in the Con.
emaugh valley been fOreseen, who
doubts that the slight warning that
was given would have been needed by
all. Had this been 30, the plain that
had been made 90 beautiful by the
workings Of natures hand would not
now he the scene ofsuch terrible calam.
Then II the future were as an open
book to US, our lives would many times
be very different from what they now
are the hasty words and deeds which
now are 30 pr0fuse would be restrained.
Little things which are done thought.
lessly but which are followed by un-
dreamed.0f results would many times
be left undone. Our influence would
be used on the side Of right. Long
premeditated plans would often be al.
| SCACNs Al chOAI WI hNCC VousN w
changed In very many particulars.
Let US now turn our attention to the
other side OF the question: There are
many unpleasant things which could
In no manner be avoided.
There is divinity that shapes our
ends,
Rough-hew them as we WILL"
Dryden says,
"Too curious man, why dost thou seek
Events which, good or III, foreknown,
are woe
Th' all-seeing power that made thee
mortal, gave
Thee every thing a mortal state should
have;
Foreknowledge only is enjoyed by
heaven
Wretched were life If he foreknew his
doom:
Even joys foreseen give pleasing hope
no room,
And griefs assur'd are felt before they
come"
There are many who seeing troubles
ahead would give up In despair. They