The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-07-25

! ambitious TO have whole reservoir
/ rolled over on you. But what you see
/ in the matter Of high political preferment
/ you see in every community in the strug-
| gle for what is called social position.
Social Ambitions.
Tens of thousands of people trying TO
get into that realm, and they are under
| terrific tension. What is social position?
1t is a difficult thing to define. but we
| all know what il is Good morals and in
| telIigence are not necessary, but wealth
| or the show of wealth is absolutely in
dispcnsabS There are men today as
| notorious for their libertinism the
night is famous for its darkness who
move In what is called high social posi-
| tion. There are hundreds of out and out
/ rakes in American society whose names
are mentioned among the distinguished
| guests at the great leyees. They have
| annexed all the known vices and are
! longing for other worlds of diabolism 10
conquer. Good morals are not necessary
in many Of the exalted circles Of so
! ciety.
Neither is intelligence necessary. You
| find in that realm men who would not
! know an adverb from an adjective If
! they met IL a hundred times day, and
| who could not write a letter of accept
/ ance or regrets without the aid Of a sec
| rotary. They buy their libraries by the
| square yard, only anxious 10 have the
/ binding Russian. Their Ignorance Is pos
! ftively sublime. making English gram
mar almost diSreputable. And yet the
I finest parlors open before them. Good
4 morals and intelligence are not neces-
+ sary, but wealth or a show of wealth
! is positively Indispensable. II does not
! make any difference how you got your
! wealth III you only got il. The best way
for you TO get into social position is for
] YOU 20 buy a large amount on credit, then
! put your property in your wite's name,
! have a few preferred creditors and then
| make an assignment Then disappear
/ from the community until the breeze Is
! over, and then come back and start in
| the same business. Do You not see how
| beautifully that viii put out all the
/ people who are In competition with You
| and trying to make an honest livingf
] How quickly II will get YOU into high
social position. What is the use Of forty
/ or fifty years of hard work when you
can by two or three bright strokes make
/ a great fortune? All my friends. when
! YOU really lost your money. how quick
! they viii let you drop, and the higher
/ YOU get the harder you will drop.
/ There are thousands in that realm to-
| day who are anxious TO keep ii. There
are thousands In that realm who are
nervous for fear they will fan out of IL,
/ and there are changes going on every
/ year, and every month, and every hour
which involve heartbreaks that are never
/ reported. High social lie is constantly
/ I'm futter about the delicate question
as To whom they shall let in and whom
! they shall push out and the battle is
/ going on-pier mirror against pier mirror.
| chandelier against chandelier, Wine cell
/ lar against wine cellar. wardrobe against
| wardrobe, equlp1ge against eQutpage.
! Uncertainty and insecurity dominant IN
! that realm, wretchedness enthrOned. tor
ture ut a premium. and life not worth
/ living.
4 life OF sin. "a life of pride, a l!fe Of
/ Indulgence. a life Of worldliness, life
/ devoted % the world the flesh and the
I devil is q failure, a dead failure an in
! finite failure. / care not how many pres
| euts you send 90 that cradle or how many
/ glrlands YOU send u that grave, You
| need 10 put right under the name on
| the tombstone this Inscription: Better
/ for that man If he had never been born"
| But j shall show YOU life that IS
| worth living. a young man says: II
| am here. j am not responsible Tor my
| ancestry. Others decided that. / ann
] not responsible for my temperament.
/ God gave me that. But here 1 am in the
/ afternoon Of the nineteenth century Mt
/ twenty years Of age. ! am here, and l
! must take an account of stock. Here 1
/ have a body which is q divinely con-
| stucted engine I must put it TO the
/ very best uses. and l must allow nothing
/ 20 damage this rarest of machinery. Two
! feet and they mean locomotiOn. Two
| eyes. and they mean capacity 90 pick
out my own way Two ears, and they
/ are telephones of communication with
/ all the outside world. and they mean CO..
| pacity 10 catch sweetest music and the
voices Of friendship very best music
| a tongue with almost iufinity of articu-
/ latiOn. Yes hands with which 90 well
! come or resist. or lift or smite or wave
or bless-h1nds 10 help myself and help
/ others.
Opportunities.
| ~, A.
| of battling with temptest and accident is
| still grander than any architect, human
or angelic could have drafted. I have
two lamps 10 light me-a golden lamp
/ and a silver lamp. a golden lamp set on
/ the sapphire mantel of the day, a silver
| lamp set on the jet mantel Of the night
Yea, / have that at twenty years OF age
/ which defes all inventory Of valuaoles-
| a soul, with capacity to choose or reject,
! ID rejoice or o. suffer. 10 love or 20 hate
| Plato says 10 Is immortal. Seneca says IL
/ Is immortal COnfucius says d. is immor-
| tai
| An old book among the family relics
/ a book with leather cover almost worn
out and pages almost obliterated by oft
J perusal. joins the other books I'm saying
/ / am immortal. i have eighty years for
| a lifetime. sixty years yet 10 live. / may
| not live an hour, but then ] must lay out
! my plans lntelligently ard for a long life
| Sixty years ADDED 10 the twenty i have
/ already lived. that VIII bring me to
! eighty. j must remember that these
/ eighty years are only brief preface 90
! the five hundred thousand millions OF
( quintiliOns Of years which Will be my
/ chief residence and existence. Now / I'M
/ derstand my opportunities and my re-
/ sponsibilities.
IF there Is any being in the universe
| all wise and all benedcent who can help
/ a man In such juncture. / want him
| The old book found among the family
| relies tells me there Is a God and that
/ for the sake OF his son, one Jesus. he will
| give help 10 man. To him / appeal
| God help me! Here / have yet sixty Years
| 20 do for myself and TO do for others l
| must develop this body by all industries
| by all gymnastics. by all sunshine. by ali
! fresh air, by all good habits. And this
| soul / must have swept and garnished
| and illumined and gloIihed by all that
/ can do for it and all that I can get God
| TO do for il. IL shall be a Luxembourg OF
| fine pictures. IL shall be an orchestra Of
/ grand harmonies. 1t shall be a palace
| for God and righteousness to reign in. I
| wonder how many kind words / can utter
/ in the next sixty years. I will try. I
/ wonder how many good deeds I can do I'm
| the next sixty years. / viii try. God
| help me"'
| That young man enters life. He is buff
\ feted; he is tried he is perplexed. A
/ grave opens on this side, and a grave
! opens on that side. lie falls, but he rises
| again. He gets into hard battle, but
= he gets the victory. The main course Of