The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-10-05
A Beautiful Story That
Is Well Told.
A Sunday Sermon with
a Moral.
The Power of the Ideal and the Infiu-
ence of Early Environment
Demonstrated.

numDer OF the Are1.a tnat
every young person ought to read. The
story is told to illustrate the influence
early environment has upon the lives of
persons and is in substance as follows:
A beautiful girl had crossed the thresh-
hold of Fashionable social life. She
was in the midst of a merry round of
frivolous entertainments and living en-
tirely for self enjoyment. One night
at magnificent reception she was in
troduced to a brilliant young man
whose pure child nature was aglow
with that thigh ambition to do good
and rise in eminence by honest and
noble endeavor, which is so often to
be found in the clean souled youth.
During the evening these two young
people were thrown much together.
They appeared to be singularly con-
genial and the young man confessed
to the girl his secret aspirations. Il
shall rise some day." he said, Il am
determined to reach the halls of state
that l may battle for conditions which
will make possible nobler woman
hood and a purer manhood. l shall
always throw my influence upon the
side of justice, even though L stand
L
the selfishness and greed which are
mercilessly crushing the poor and driv-
ing to the level of animals those who
should be rising to the plane of the di-
vine Thrilled by these words the
soul of the beautiful girl awoke. She
felt new life and higher hope enter
her being. He had said that when his
education was finished he would per-
tn hI,lr m ~
out his work This outgushing of con
fidence and implied love had come in
one of those supreme moments when
youth is still glorious i'll the simple
sincerity of naturalncsS. 1t had been
uttered in the recess of the conserva-
tory amid the fragrance of flowers and
the gorgeous splendor of tropical veg
citation, and before the blighting effects
of the world had time to work upon
his simple being.
The next morning telegram sum
moned the girl to her distant home,
and the two were swept apart. lie
entered college to finish his education.
She did not see him again for years.
but the powerful inspiration awakened
by the lofty ideal which had. been
photographed upon her mind, changed
nGf WIOlG lie. Sllc Sttlu. VIII li'ot
to his level; / will be worthy of his
royal nature" as the moral enthusiasm
of the young man and the vivid mental
imagery called up by his burning
words came into her mind. The years
passed away but the ideal remained
and became the most real thing OF her
life, an ever present incentive to high
thinking and noble resolves. She grew
statelier and more lovely all the time
under the aspiration of the ideal of a
clean, brave and manly nature striving
against error, injustice and heaftlcSs
greed This idealiZatiOn of human
being with soul ablaZc with fire from
the altar of truth and gloritied by love
quickened the sleeping Eod-natllr"
within her, and in time connected her
soul with the divine life which calls
the human spirit upward as the sun
calls forth the planted seed. The high
est thoughts, the nOblest aspirations
were the companions of her dreams.
Broad and gentle sympathy and deeds
of loving kindness characterized her
lire. Wherever she went she left a
fragrance sweet as the breath of mlSn-
ionette, while in her search for know[
edge she learned to think broadly and
justly. -Four years passed away and
she refused many suitors because they
fell 50 far below her ideal. ''Someday
he will come" she said, my royal
souled lover, and l must be worthy OF
him." She was visiting friends in the
city one day and they met, but the man
who stood before her was not the one
who had talked so grandly several
years before.
Have you forgotten your dream of
a noble life-to champion the cause of
humanity" she asked with suppressed
emotion.
"Oh," he replied, that was the sen
ti1nental dream of a boy. and it has
given way to the practical occupation
of life as we find it. In Rome you have
to do as do the Romans. have learned
that if a man is to have a good time
in this life he must not be prude,
and he must make money"
She asked him to be frank and to
tell her if the new life suited him. He
said:
II may say frankly, no, I have never
seen the rare, high pleasure l felt
before entering upon this new life. L
have burned up the best of my being
and am really a wreck. At college l
came into an atmosphere Of moral
death. High impulses and lofty ideals
were laughed at. L yielded to the
lower voice of my nature, turned the
key upon the heaven lighted chamber
of my heart and descended to the base
ment of my being. L desired to ac-
quire money, and from college l went
into speculation. I have made much
and lived clubman's life. The world
calls me fine financier, my assO-
ciates a good fellow, but since seeing
you feel how miserable thing it is
to be a fallen man."
This story is given to illustrate two
great truths which scorer or lat,r
every deep student of life comes to
appreciate. 1t demonstrates the power
of the ideal and the influence of the
early environment. a well known
writer says that the ideals which fill