The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-07-08
THE GOSPEL OF WORK
EMILE zOLA'S STIRRING ADVICE To
FRENCH STUDENTS.

W. ouNk Wpu I
faris-The Relation Between sciene
D and Happiness Explained.
> Emile Zola. the famous novelist. mr.,
sided at a dinner given by the Student,
ASSOCIATION of Paris In the course Q
the evening he spoke as follows:
Did science ever promise happiness
l do not think so. Science promised tn
truth. and it is questionable if harpines
a be made ont of facts. To be con
tent with them even for a day one mus
possess a stoicism. an absolute unseljsh
ness. a serenity of intelligence possibl,
only to the highest minds. Therefore /;
despairing cry goes up from suffering
humanity. How. it asks. can we live
without delusions and illusions? If there
Is not somewhere a world where Justice
reigns. where the wicked are punished
and h good rewarded. how endure the
denominations Of human existence. Ma
fure is unjust and cruel. Science ends
IN the monstrous law of the survival OF
the strongest. Reasoning thus, recoiling
from realities as yet i'll explained, they
seek a dream. put confidence in the out
OF sight and hope to satisfy in the be-
yond their yearning for fraternity and
justice.
This despairing appeal for happiness,
rising on every side. moves me infinitely.
Already music has responded to it. lit.
erature is irving to satisfy the new thirst.
and art is changing to show its sympa.
thy. 1t is h reaction against natural.
ism. which is, they say. dead and buried
AT any rate the movement is undeniable.
1t is felt in all the manifestations Of
mind. and unless it is taken into &C.
count. studied and explained the out.
look for the morrow is hopeless.
l. being an old and rugged positiyis, !
see IN all this only a halt in the march
aheaa. Indeed II is not even that, for
u libraries. Laboratories, a,nphithca. |
ters and schools are not deserted. What |
Treasures me most is the fact that the |
social ground is unchanged. For a new,
art to flourish. for a new belief 10 riy,
humanity a new direction, there nps-
be a new soil for them to terminate and
grow IN. Guns is still the democratic
SOIL whence the century rose. Faiths
are not resuscitated. and only a mvtbol.
ogy can be made of a dead religion. The
next century will affirm this one. wha,
VIII concede is that in literature we
brought the horizon too near. and Der.
sonally ! regr7t having e~ndeavored to
limit art to proved v~erities.
The new men, by r~e-extending the
iorizon, have regained possession of the
and the mysterious. and they
lave done well. Between the truths ar.
lulre' through science. which are not 70
'e shaken and the truths to be con.
luered tomorrow from the unknown
which in their turn will become iJnmov.
Die there is land of doubt and inquiry.
MS land belongs as much to literature
$ to science. Into it we can go as pio-
GERS. dong the work of precursors and
aterpretlng. according to our talents.
8 unknown forces. The ideal is only
he unexplained. II is well enough Ia
went solutions for the unknown, but
'e nave no right to put in question AID
} deny Facts already verified. As SCI.
ace advances the ideal retreats. and il
ems to me that this slow conaues,
longh we have the melancholy cert.
'de OF never knowing all. gives life It's
lly reason, its only joy.
IN these ~tfoublous DAYS youth is toia
believe, but nobody tells Il exactly =
nat TO believe Believe. they say. fer |
e sake OF tie happiness that comes
believing. and most especially BIZ. |
we IN order that you lazy learn to be. |
The advice is not bad in itself. Il
a great joy to repose upon =
g assurance given by any faith, no mat :
Il The difficulty is that one can !,
t believe by being willing to do so
nth Is q wind that blows where il l;s1. 8
]. and there only. :
conclusion let Inc offer you a creed ::
he creed of work. Young men. work. 6
aware that no counsel could be =
IRE banai. In every school at the end
every term 1t is given to every bow.
every boy hears it with Indifference. 4
t let me, who have never been any. T.
ng except a worker. tell you the re- =
I'd ! have gained from the long toll a.
ose effort has filed my life. The VI
rid was harsh to me at first. l have III
'wn poverty and despair. Later NV
stence was a battle. and ever now the in
1t e on and my work is questioned,
tradicted. insulted. Through it ali =
support has been incessant work, II
ular, daily, for an end never forgot .
How often have l seated myself at ito .,
table, tortured by some great pain. N
seal or moral! And each time, after "
hrst minutes of agony. my task has
we'd a ~solace. has given me strength
ontinue the struggle and await the
row. l.,
DIRK Is the law Of the world-the
lie that leads organized matter to its
nown goal. Life has no other reason
being, and each of us is here only to
his task and disappear. Calm
es to the most tortured ii they will
pit and complete the task they find
sr their hands. This, to be sure, is
an empirical way to live an honest
tranquil life, but is it nothing