The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-04-02

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are all repeated. The children, who at
the fathers funeral seemed to have
an uncomfortable grief, after the will
is read go into elaborate process to prove
that the father was crazy, and therefore
incompetent to make will; and there
are men on the jury who think
that the fact that the testator
gave 30 much Of his money to the
Bible society, and the missionary So
ciety, or the opening Of free library is
proof positive that he was insane, and
that he knew not what he was signing
when he subscribed to the words: I'm
the name of God, amen. ], being OF
sound mind, do make this my last will
and testament"
The torn Wills, the fraudulent wills.
the broken wills have recently been
made such spectacle to. angels and to
men that all over the land successful
men are calling in architects and saying
to them:
"How much would 1t cost for me to
build picture-gallery for our town"
or, "What plans can you draw me out
for concert hall?" or, 81 am specially
interested In the incurables, and how
large building would accommodate
three hundred Of such patients?" or,
"The Church Of God has been great
help all my life, and want you to drawme
a plan for church, commodious, beau
tiful, we'll ventilated, and with plenty
Of windows to let in the light; l want
you to get right at work in making out
plans Of such q building, for, though l
am we'll now, life is uncertain, and be-
fore / leave the world / want to see
something done that will be an appro-
pirate acknowledgment Of the goodness
Of God to me and mine; now when can |
hear you?"
In our own city we have many ex-
amples Of this. What grandeur Of
beneHcence has our fellow citizen, Mr..
Pratt, demonstrated, building educa-
tional institutions which will put their
hands on the nineteenth century, and
the twentieth century, and all the CEN
turtles! All honor to such man! Do not
say so when he is dead, say it now. 1t
would be a good thing If some Of the
eulogies we chisel on tombstones were
written on paper in time for the philan-
thropists to read them while YET they
are alive. Less post-mortem praise, and
more ante-morteml
A poor Scotch lad came TO America at
twelve years of age and went to Pitts
burgh. He looked around for work, and
became an engineer in q cellar, then
rose to become a telegraph messenger
boy, then rose to q position in q railroad
office, then rose to place in telegraph
Office, then rose TO be superintendent OF
railroad, then rose till he became an
iron and steel manufacturer, then rose
until he opened free libraries in
his native land, and last month q
free library in Allegheny City, and now
offers two million dollars for q
free library in Pittsburgh. The
example will be catching until the
earth is revolutionized. How majestic
such men in comparison with some
wot OF, who amass wealth and clutch II
with both hands until death begins tc
feel for their heartstrings, and then
they dictate TO an attorney last will
and testament, in which they spite
some daughter because she married
against her fathers wish, and fling {
few ctusts TO God and suffering human
ity, as much as to say: 81 have keptthii
surplus property, through all these
severe winters, and through all these
long years, from . needy and suffering
world, and would keep 1t longer II
could, but as must give II up, take 1t
and much good may 1t do you" Nov
we begin TO understand the text, "Bet
ter is living dog than dead lion"
Who would attempt TO write the obitu
ary OF the dead lions OF commerce, the
dead lions OF law, the dead lions Of med
icine, the dead lions Of social infuence'
Vast capacity had they, and mighty
range, and other men In their presenc,
we're as powerless as the antelope Of
heifer or giraffe when from the Jungle |
Numidian lion springs upon Its prey
But they get through with life. The,
lie down In their magnificent lair. The,
have made their last sharp bargain
They have spoken their last hard word
They have committed their last meal
act. When tawny inhabitant Of tn,
desert rolls over helpless, the Homes
and whelps fill the air with shrieks AM
howls, and lash themselves into lamenta
tions, and II is genuine grief for th
poor things. But when this dead lioi
OF monstrous uselessness expires. Their
is nothing but dramatized woe, for 'Bet
ter Ia a living dog than dead lion" 4
Ny text also means that an opportu
nifty OF the living present is better thai
q great opportunity passed. We spen'
much Of our time in saying: "If ] onl.
had" We can all look back and Sc
some occasion where we might hav
done . great deed, or might have al
fected an important result, or we nigh
have dealt . stroke that would hay
accomplished q vast result. Throug
stupidity or lack Of appreciation Of tn
crisis, or through procrastination, v
let ths chance 20 BY. How much tim
We have wasted in thinkig Of what "
J might have said or might have donel W
} spend hours and days and years in walk
J ing around that dead lion. We ca
not resuscitate It. II will never open II
eyes again. There will never be anothe
J spring in It's paw. Dead as any felin
terror Of South Africa, through who's
heart thirty years ago Gordon Cummi
sent the slug. Don't let US give an
! more time TO the deploring Of the dea
past. There are other opportunities r,
} manning. They may not be as great bu
thew are worth our attention. Small OF