New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-05
pESSTIJSM AND OPTIMISM.


So far as this world is concerned, the best
of every individual dies with him. Deeds
done and books written shadow forth only the
pale image of the soul. And strangely enough
this fact becomes more evident to our con
seriousness the further we advance along the
path of achievement and progress There are
three stages in the development OF man. In
the first he has emerged from his primitive
animasm. and in his new found Consciousness
Of the universe into which he has been so
my steriously projected he shrnks and covers
before tho forces of Nature. 1t is the ago OF
fctichiSm Of superstition, of blind inscnsatc
fear Then comes the second stage, when the
human animal has learned to exult in his giant
like strength and ignorant alike Of himself
and his environment, thinks himself to be the
master of fate This is the age OF the demi-
god Of the tabled Hercules. Of the berscrkcr
and tho viking Of Northern Europe, when men
thought that the problem of life was to be
worked out by brute strength alone and when
the only heaven Of which they could conceive
was the heaven Of Mahomct or the Northmans
Valhalla, pcoplcd with slaughtcring heroes
The third and last stage is that upon which we
are now entering when the higher possibilities
Of our own nature and OF the universe are I'M
folding themselves before us. when our very
progress in intuition and culture and knowl-
edge serves but Ia give us a trucr conception
Of our cphcmcral littcncss. and when, in view
ing the majestic sweep Of Natures plan, the
truth OF the poets word comes home to us,
50 cnrcful OF the type she seems.
So careless Of the single lfc.'
And thus we get TO realize the pulling para
dox that when we have shown ourselves 10 be
strongest we know ourselves 10 bo weakest ;
when we have conquered the heights of knowl-
edge we discern still loficr peaks to he scaled,
and when we have proved ourselves TO be
little lower than the angels we have also dis
covered in our nature "A kinship with the beast
that pcriShcs. Even the Sacred Book which
most Of us reverence as the divine word of
God, echoes for us tho cry of despair which
instnctvcly comes To our lips: For that
which befallcth tho sons Of mon befallcth
beasts even one thing bcfallcth them. As the
one dicth, so dicth the other; yea, they have
all ono breath, so that 4 man hath no prom
incnce above beast. for all is vanity. All 60
into one place all are Of the dust, and all turn
to dust again"
But, fortunately for the progress and happi-
ness Of the race, this is not the true nor the
final philosophy of life. Tho counsel of the
despairing and outworn cynic finds no answer
in our better nature. Even while We listen TO
it in the hour Of failure and humiliation, we arc
dimly conscious of its falschood. Some one,
We believe, has said that if there were no such
thing as religion the welfare OF the race de-
mands that a religion should be invented We
can forgive the cyncism of the remark be-
cause Of the essential truth it contains. No
man, whatever may be his attitude toward
Christianity as system of theology, can fail
to realize its incstimablo value as a bridge of
hope, as a stimulus to endcayor, as a sweet
cning and enrolling influence in human life
IL has botted out the dcspairing wall of the
Preacher quoted above, and has substituted
for il word of hope, of courage Of faith in
man and his possibilities Pessimism, it NAV
be, is human rs they tell MS But optimism
is divine. and because it Is divine is most truly
and essentially human. Look up and not
down look forward and not backward look
out and not In, and lend a hand" will con-
tinuo to stand as tho true gospel of life when
all the helpless cynicisms of our overweight
civilization shall have been buried in the
oblivion they foreshadow.
Nor can we look at the world to-day without
seeing the latent protest against the epitaph
which pcssimism would write for humanity
We shrink from the Oblivion Of individualsm.
Knowing tho transformers of the single life,
we refuse to stand by ourselves, and on our
own merits challenge remembrance or fame.
And so we organize ourselves into societies
and clubs and associations in order thus to
make our individual efforts tell in the great
hurry -bury we call life. Underlying them ALL
especially tho greatest of them, the Church. is
the thought of brotherhood, with its inspiring
lessons of mutual help and common endoavor
And as we thus realize the divine possibilities
of the race, trucr and nobler conception of
the individuals composing it comes to us, and
our hearts re-echo those noble words of the
poet,
Thou wilt not leave liz I'm the dust;
Thou madcSt man. he knows not why;
lie thinks he not made "a die
And Thou hast made him; Thou art tust.