The Monitor., 1891-09-11
Written for the MONITOR.
CONTEMPLATION.


Communion with her visible forms, she speaks
a various language. For his layer hours
She has voice OF gladness, and smile
And eloquence of beauty, and she glides
Into his darker musings with mild
And gentle sympathy that steals away
Their sharpness ere he is aware
remember seeing, years ago, hanging
on the " all of sitting loom. picture
called Evening Contemplation. 1t was
representation Of a lady standing On bal
cony " ih desk beside her and an open
book at her feet. From her position she
looked cut over the spires and turrets of a
small city situated in the valley below.
1t was evening. The sun had set: it's
last beams had faded from the western sky
and tie pale neon, rising in that clouded
majesty of which Milton speaks, had
thrown her ''silyer mantle over the
valley where all was SO quiet and peace
ful. A few stars were visible, struggling
against the superior light, and suggesting
the beautiful exclamation of David: when
consider The heavens, the work of Thy
fingers, and the moon and stars which
Thou hast ordained" etc.
Thore was no particular merit in the ex-
ecution of the picture itself, but the beauty
of the thought which the artist had at
tempted TO portray was peculiarly impress
sive.
Doubtless we have all ON some occasion
stood before some sublime work of nature
and experienced feeling of fsupreme pleas
ure mingling with pleasant sense of for
getfulness of the cares and troubles and
perplexities of life, and aspired, for a
m oment at least, TO taste of the beauty
of the spiritual life of man. And have we
not meditated, in the presence of such
grandeur, on the possibilities lying iu our
pathway through which our lives might be
made to harmonize with the beauties of
nature. 1t is no part of the divine econo-
my that man should occupy other than an
exalted position in the realms of creation.
But TIE choice is given to the individual
himself. He may say as Aristides, the
Grecian, said: Twill be both great and
good, or he may say as the Assyrian king
said: Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for
all things else are nothing. He may take
as the panacea of all ills the library and the
Christian church, or he may bathe In the
pool of debauchery and blast divine pur-
pose in the hilarious pleasures of a bac-
chanalian feast.
But there is one thought that must be
present to all: Our influence is eternal.
We may wreck our own lives and waste
our on n time and fortune, but we have no
claim en- The time, the fortunes and the
lives of those who are yet to come. And
yet as truly as the influence of the
eruption Of Mt. Veslvius lives to-day in
the iuins of Pompeii, so truly will the in
fiuence of our wrong actions and our false
economies live in the ruined lives of future
men.
There is much in the world to inspire us
if We cnly look ON the right side of Nature.
If He form the habit of looking for the
beautiful, our own lives will be insensibly
modelled after those pictures and in turn
will become beautiful. But if we form
the cy nical habit of distrusting everything
and analyzing every action to discover
scme selfish motive, we will soon form q
character treacherous TO itself and always
seeking some self-aggrandzement at the
expense Of others.
All nobility of action must be natural,
and must spring from noble thoughts; it
must rest on solid basis No one can
succeed in attempting to be hypocritically
good. The sugar coating will eventually
wear off and all the foulness of a corrupt
character will become apparent. To ap-
pear wise one must spend days and years
in thoughtful study. He must walk with
Plato and Aristotle, converse with Seneca
and follow Emerson through all his weary
warderinss. 1t is not sufficient to ape the
thoughts OF Others though this for time
may bring commendation. He must in
deed lave the germ of wisdom within him.
And so it is with all action; success depends
on the purpose, and if the purpose is pure
the deed is praiseworthy.
Butit does not follow that the virtuous
man shall submit in passive silence to the
onslaughts ofthose who would take ad.
vantage of the honesty of righteous man.
1t is not a laudahle virtue that permits one
to be encroached upon. 1t may be a beau
tiful preamble TO a future life. but it is not
the practical idea Of present existence /
cannot think that this life was ever intend
ed to be merely preparatory school, bat
it is an existence complete in itself, with a
beginning and an end, purpose and an
object; aud every one owes it to himself TO
resist the assaults of INSCRIPTIONS men,
and he who through undue confidence
becomes the victim of such men
does not come mp to thestandard of perfect
manhood. Confidence is an admirable
quality when reposed in worthy objects,
but it tbecomes a misguiding influence when
wasted on those who cannot appreciate 1T.
ESQ live that when thy summons comes to
join
The innnmorable caravan which moves
To the pale realms of shade where each shall
take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go, not like the quarry slave at night.
- a l.naF arQt m a