The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-03-21


stupid thing imaginable would be sec
ond journey of life. 1t is amusing to
hear people say: 81 would like to live
my life over again, If l could take my
present experience and knowledge of
things back with me and begin under
those improved auspices" Why, what
an uninteresting boy you would be with
those present attainments in child's
mind. No one would want such boy
around the house. A philosopher at
twenty, scientist at fifteen, an archie
ologist at ten and domestic nuisance
all the time. An oak crowded into an
acorn. A Rocky mountain eagle thrust
into the egg shell from which it was
Matched. .tE
Besides that, If you took life over
again, you would have to take its deep
sadness over again. Would you want to
try again the griefs and the heartbreaks
and the bereavements through which
you have gone? What a mercy that we
shall never be called to suffer them
again! We may have others bad enough.
but those old ones never again. Would
you want to go through the process of
losing your father again or your mother
again or your companion in life again or
your child again?
Besides that would you want to risk
the temptations, of life over again?
From the fact that you are here l con-
clude that though in many respects
your life may have been unfortunate
and unconsecrated you have got on so
far tolerably well, if nothing more than
tolerable. AS for myself, ny life has
been far from being as conset rated as
would like to have had it. ] would not
want to try it over again, lest next time
1 would do worse. ...
Why. just look at the temptations we
have all passed through, and Just look
at the multitudes who have gone COM
pletely under. just call over the roll
Of your school mates and college mates,
the clerks who were with you in the
same store or bank, or the operatives in
the same factory, with just as good
prospects as you, who have come to com.
plete mishap. Some young man that
told you that he was going to be mil
lionaire and own the fastest trotters on
Westchester turnpike and retire by the
time he was thirty-fve years Of age
you do not hear from him for many
years, and know nothing about him un'
til some day he comes into your store
and asks for five cents to get mug Of
beer. You, the good mother of the
household and all your children rising
up to call you blessed, can remember
when you were quite jealous of the belle
of the village who was so transcendent
ly fair and popular. But while yor
have these two honorable and queenly
names of wife and mother, she became
a poor waif of the street, and went int
the blackness of darkness forever. Live
life over again? Why, if many of those
who are now respectable were permitted
to experiment the next journey would
be demolition. You got through, as JOl
says, by the skin of your teeth. Mex
time you might not get through at all
Satan would say: Il know him better
now than 1 did before, and have fol
fifty years been studying his weak
nesses, and l will weave a stronger
web of circumstances to catch hin
next time" And Satan would centel
his forces on this one man, and the las
state of that man would be worse thar
the first. My friends, our faces are il
the right direction. Better go forward
than backward, even If we had the
choice. The greatest disaster l car
think Of would be for you to return tt
boyhood in 1890. O, if life were a smooth
Luzerne or Cayuga lake, would like tt
get into a yacht and sail over it, no
once, but twice-yea, a thousand times
But life is an uncerta. n sea, and some o.
the ships crash on the icebergs of colo
Indifference, and some take fire of evi
passions, and some lose their forbearings
and run into the skerries, and some are
never heard of. Surely on such treach
erous sea as that one voyage is enough
Besides all this. do you know if vol
could have your wish and live life ovel
again it would put you SO much farther
from reunion with your friends il
Heaven? If you are in the noon of life
or the evening of life you are not very
far from the golden gate at which yot
are to meet your transported and EN-
paradised loved ones. You are now, lei
us say, twenty years or ten years or ont
year off from celestial con function. Nov
suppose you went back in your earthl.
life thirty years or forty years or fit.
years, what an awful postponement o
the time of reunion. 1t would be a
though you were going to San Francisc'
to great banquet and you got to Oak
land, four or five miles this side of it
and then came back to Hoboken or Har
lem to get better start; as though yo1
were going to England to be crowne,
and having come in sight of the mount
aims of Wales you put back to Sand.
Hook in order to make better voyage
The further on you get in life, if a Chris
| tan, the nearer you are to the renewal
| broken up comprehensive. No; tn
wheel of time turns in the right direc
ton, and it is we'll it turns so fast
Three hundred and sixty-five revolu
lions year and forward. But, hear ye
hear We! while tell you how you ma
practically live your life over again an
be all the better for 1t. You may pu
into the remaining years of your life al
you have learned of wisdom in your pas
life. You may make the coming te
years worth the preceding forty or fift
years. When man says he would ik
to live his life over again because h
would do so much better, and yet goe
right on living as he had always lived
do you not see he stultifies himself? III
proves that if he could go back he woul
do almost the same as he has done.
a man eat green apples some Wednesda
in cholera time and is thrown into feal
full cramps and says on Thursday: =
wish 1 had been more prudent in m
diet; o, if could live Wednesday owe
| AGAIN ~ and then on Friday eats annie