The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-08-01
SOME RAMBLING THOUGHTS.
Written for the Democratic Advocate,
BY MEMO.


(Penned by layman in the spare mo-
ments of busy career, and dedicated to
better understanding of life and its varied
opportunities.
The surest way to be miserable is to
yean for what we cannot have; the surest
way to some degree of satisfaction in life is
to do the duty nearest at hand and do it
we'll Many of us are too much like the
naughty child who cried for the moons
reflection in the bathtub; we set our affec-
tions on things above our reach and then
drop back peevishly to be burden to our
selves and nuisance to those who deserve
our smiles rather than our grumblings.
We beat our hands to pieces and break
our hearts against the adamantine walls of
the unattainable; we look at some distant
pinnacle Ct ambition and we shrek out in
anxious agony, sMountain, be thou
brought nigh p and it moves not; we
neglect the glorious opportunities of the
present and dream of some golden future
that is to come to us somehow Eve do not
stop to think how and we awake to find
the present gone and the future good as
much in the clouds as ever Then turns
the milk of human kindness to a curd
within us and we amount to nothing; the
salt has lost its SAVIOR; the fire of purpose
dies out; we are thenceforth fit for naught
but TO associate with bats and blind men;
for we are blind, and, worse yet, we know
it not
You with discontented heart, for there
needs must be such among the thousands
who read these lines, bear with the words
of one who has suffered and has learned.
Look to the traveller and be wise. After
long journeyings the peak of his search is
outlined against the sky and he rejoices,
but he does not sit down and say to his
heart Il am there am there r He
knows better; it is yet fifty miles away and
between these two, the man and the noun
tain, there stretch woods and valleys and
toilsome paths. His way must be your
way. Moment by moment he takes the
next step, and the next and the next.
Sometimes in depressions he even loses
sight of that sky piercing summit, but he
knows that it is still towering above and he
plods till he gets there.
By all means hold on to noble exhibitions;
set them so high, if you will, that the base
of them is at your feet and the apex is in
the zenith, but do not unnecessarily dis
courage yourself by attempting sudden
assault upon name, and fame and success
only To reach Lake Erie from Lake
Ontario only fool would attempt to row
up the Falls of Niagara; the wise man with
similar intent would 90 through the Wei
land Canal and reap the reward of his wis
dom. There are certain sequences of Ma
ture which you cannot abbreviate. The
egg antedates the hen, Gin our day at least)
the acorn grows into the oak by unnoticed
transitions, good foundation is an abso-
lutte necessity to stately building, patient
effort goes before success. You cannot be
a great lawyer unless you are willing to be
thorough student nor a great musician
unless you will be patient practiser, nor
a good minister without going through
deep and humiliating soul-experiences, nor,
in fact, a great anything unless great is
your faith and unless your works oyertop
in volume even your faith.
In short there is no laudable ambition
of any noteworthy height that can be
reached at one leap; to wish it so is to be
lazy and out of sorts with this work -a-day
, world. Furthermore, heights that are
unattainable by sudden assault are attain
able by the strategy of patient and we'll
directed effort, which in itself is solace
as you go your patient way.
Station D., Ne,o York.