The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-10-15

fui; of such Is the Kingdom OF Heaven
The moment we get to feel our own power
and responsibility. and learn to know
what II is to make mistakes and feel
the consequences Of them, we begin 10
question the desirabiIity OF life and doubt
Its privilege. Disgusts, dsappointments'
and notifications make our thanks Tor
| our creation less earnest; and pain. SICK
| ness and poverty incline Us after poor
| old Job. to wish that we had never been
| born, or even curse the day that first
| gave US light. II is very well TO cultivate
| early thankfulness for our creation, and
| TO make thanks for the privilege Of life a
fixed duty of our souls. a part of u.s.
| Otherwise experiences may set US against
Il as a habit and make 1t hard TO learn.
And yet life is great privilege; and the
first duty OF manly nature is to be
thankful for II. II We take 1t early as a
privilege, honour 1t. cherish 1t, cultivate
It, and wait for It's good fruit, we are apt
TO know more and more of its valuable
privilege, honor IL, cherish it, cultivate
fully and earnestly try to keep 1t. On the
contrary IL we underrate the privilege Of
life, take it sullenly as a necessary evil,
dreary task, a burden to be borne. 1t viii
e. ow heavier and heavier until we break
down under It,
The first thing to be learned in life is to
appreciate and value its essential merit
and the high privilege Of existence So
positively has nature provided for the
happiness OF our early years that it is
not easy TO make young child unhappy.
Their troubles easily pass away; their
tears are forgot as soon as shed. Natural
heart sunshine is very warm, very bright,
and lasts we'll its full morning. And so
nature commends life, and makes Its
privileges felt.
But when home yields 10 the school
house and unnatural treatment and I'M
acceptable exercises. and ugly tasks are
laid on, and warm impulses and affections
are checked and chilled. and dreary druid
gerry take the place Of natural life then
the privilege Of life comes to be question
ed and life begins to take the form OF
drudgery. II Is then and there that the
privilege Of life begins to be ignored;
and two great ideas overwhelm It, Those
ideas are distinction and wealth. and real
human wealth is lost in their greatness.
Mere pleasure and idleness are not life.
Those two are the giants that eat up
our childhood. These are the false lights
that mislead us. These are the fearful
deceivers that cheat us out of all privi
leges that nature and Divine Providence
have prepared for us. and make us hate
the life that has become hateful in their
service and under their dsgusts. These
prepare the way for envy which Is rotten |
in the bones.
A sensible man complains that modern |
education is harmonious and unwlse. We
have one sort of education at home; an
other sort at school; and still another In |
life. We might have added that after |
we leave home all Is perverting and hard !
ening. In the school and in business life |
Is moulded and ground up, by unnatural |
machine, repulsive methods and feeding |
and exercise and occupation: indeed life, |
sensibility, affection, honest, natural ex- |
ercise, simple and sincere enjoynlents, are |
discouraged and killed out.
Our souls are creosoted and indurated, |
and our minds cIammed with unassimila- !
BILE indigestible stuff that has nothing to
do with life. The general school provides |
no food for the soul. These It considers, |
belong to Sundays; and so it is content |
to provide an unnatural and artificial sub
stitute for life; for the sake of subsistence |
it gives up all that makes life worth liv- |
irg. And the sum, total and grand result
CT its souness course is vanity and vexa-
ton of spirit. The measure Of life is the
stature of the soul. That it is alone that
gives value to life and makes it prlvi-
lege.
To those who value their divineness and
set their lives to a true and honorable key
and follow the teachings OF nature and
true religion, its pivilege will be vindicat-
ed, and In the soul, in which the Divine !
light is kept alive, its glow Will be steady
and increasing, and all that man was
made to do and endure will be taken as
fuel for its fire. as opportunities of vir-
tue and the necessary discipline Of man
hood to the glory Of God. The Psalms OF
David and the Book Of Job are wonderful
arguments for the Privilege OF Life. And
the high Office of the Saviour was as the
light and commender Of life. Il am come
that we might have life, and that ye
might have 1t more abundantly." Dis
gust for life is the whitening of the
branch detached from the Vine.
The great lesson after all is natures
enunciation of the fundamental Christian
truth Except the branch abide in the
vine 1t is cast out and withereth.
THE SENATE IN STILL GREATER |