The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-07-02

which is fresh. Every nation that has hung
the picture of its history on the walls of time
has left US ali embodiment Of Its ideal man
hood.
Like man, a nation should never rise
sSoud us neSea be Awas sasep WSen H. ii
pride and Grecian conceit led them to believe
that there waslnothing, In life above them,
their power wasted and their glory declined.
ment. Those broken maj BILE forms which
still stand In their mouldy temples and
which lie scattered through their grimy cities
the carnal nature Of their ideal manhood.
The mnglcalstrength ofan ideal consists In its
power TT to emaneipate pc us from the threatening
G1 tSs sestny and nst int us
energy OF immortals. Day by day under the
enthralllng wltchery OF lis spell, must we
climb higher until we INT ourselves up into
the coveted regions OF our golden dreams.
If we would grow we must compare ourselves
with that and those above as, and not with
that and those below as. Your country sup
hood possible foriit to supply, yet there are
some elements that must be In the man.
Henry Ward Beecher in his glowing md i'm
partial egogy on Gen. grant, defines
lst, Tint which ancestry gives.
3rd, That which will develops.
Some men are the weak minions OF cir.
cnmstances while others mould circumstan-
ces as the skilful sculptor moulds his clay.
without II men are no more than the weather
cocks nailed to the tops OF their barns. Will
force should rest on honest convictions hon.
est convictions on careful analysis. Men OF
where life Is controlled by the iron rule OF
some grand purpose results flow from It with
q pre.ordained regularity. There is q deter.
tSe4s In those lightning words words Of
Worms as there are roof tiles, ] would on"
There is enough Of energised determination
firm the greatest religious reformation of all
times. r-
never think ofthose lighthouses of granite
and metallic framework which our efficient
signal service has erected along the danger.
GUS points OF our coasts without being re.
minded Of how beautifully they represent q
life with firm purpose. Through ages of
stood In the Sea triumphantly mocking the
unstable waters that sometimes play and
sometimes war around their base. But all
gys Is not back Of
the pressing possibilities Of the present and
the Inviting possibilities OF the future. The
human soul can hardly bear the inspiration
human lives historically bound together. On
the eve Of one Of his great battles the army OF
Napoleon stood under the shadows OF the
great Egyptian pyramids, and looking up to
IuCll Pioau hCIShto thC lc1Ilcbo CTcuCuLuhu
exclaimed: SOLDIERS, from yonder pile,
thirty centuries look down upon you."
Twice thirty centuries look down upon Amer.
lean youths from the towering pyramids Of
the past, pyramid whose stones are gath
cred from every age and cline, and which
reaches from the present back to that time
that eonauering command 'let there be
light" But there Is no more grandly,
wealthy moment In mans life than the pres.
ent moment. The entire past is back Of It,
the past with Its sunshine and Its shadows,
Its peace and its war, It's barbsrity and It's
civilization. Its harmonies and Its discords,
It's back ward and lis forward strides, Its OPP
pressions and Its alleviations, all, all these
your future careers, Compress these insplra:
tions and agencies into the one awful now OF
your lives that they may develop a useful
greatness In your futures. The tremendous
should thunder in the years OF our race mum.
bers of whom are living in the past and q no
less number living In the future. The legend
Of Rip Van Wrinkle Is no idle myth. Thous.
ands OF our race are sleeping and dreaming
their life away. Let US know that the pres.
ent Is no neutral ground. It Is the pivotal
period OF our being. 1t is the great battle
vne
ever, or we must forever lose. Allow me In
closing to urge upon you the power OF pure
motives
Don't live too near the earth. Breathe the
/ atmosphere OF the upper skies. "a thousand
brilliant men have risen and passed away,
attracting wide attention while they lived !,
but warming and fructifying no mind by their
light, and expiring at last like burnt.out
star leaving no trace In the sky. So near
the earth were they that their light
faded at once when the fountain failed. while
many lesser star, by burning nearer heaven
has been able to send down lis rays for cen.
turies after its fires were eXtinguished" but
l cannot close without giving you whatever
benefit there may be In two verses I saw few
days ago. They were entitled, "The sons In
quiry and the mothers reply;" and fancied
as read the lines that was looking into the
radiant face Of some noble boy as he inquir-
ingIy asked Of his sainted MOTHER
"What shall bring thee, mother mine,
What shall bring TO thee?
Shall bring thee jewels that burn and
From the depths Of the shadowy sea?
Shall bring thee the crown that the hero
II wears
BY the wondering world entwined,
| Whose leaves can cover thousands cares
And shine DER troubled mind?
What are jewels, my boy, to me-?
I Thou art the gem prize,
And the dearest spot on that shadowy sea
i Will be where thy vessel flies.
4 Bring me that innocent brow, my boy,
Bring me that shadowless eye,
i Bring me the tone Of tender JOY -
That speaks in thy last goodbye"
l