The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1896-04-23


ness shall come to us when our
eyes are dim and when it is said
that we are old. We will remem-
Der them then Their virtues will
shine before US, years after we
think that we have forgotten them,
and we can never remember that
there were any blemishes. The
remembrance of the old friends is
the glory of the old age, that
comes as a prelude to the great
change Standing in the shadow
of the night one is apt to forget
that the darkness is a promise of
the dawn; but there is revived
the softening influences of the old
friendships and the chill of the
shadow is gone. At the end of
that interval between the time
when we were not and the time
when we shall be no more, the
mind returns again to it's first sur
roundings. Pictures Of the days
when vi gorous youth and young
manhood were looking forward to
the splendors of life to be enjoyed;
of the days when Hope. at the
urging of Ambition, whispered to
us Of great accomplishments, of
renown. fortune and of all things
pleasant.
Later, the thorns grew in the
pathway. The road was rough,
the untried way was thick with
pitfalls and the pilgrim knew that
Youth, and Hope, and Ambition
were deceivers. How vile and COM
monplace was everything! How
sordid were the hearts Of men, and
how contemplate and utterly
worthless was the wretched thing
called life!
After that youth died, and the
hope, the comfort and the prom
Uses of it faded away. The friends
of that foolish time were forgotten;
and in the struggle Of life, stripped
for the race, all the handicaps of
old acquaintance were thrown
aside. It was a bitter struggle
and wearing race, with all things
against the man who was straining
his very heartstrings to reach the
goal. The muscles must be hard
ened, and the heart must be hard
ened also. Who could win i'll
weighted down with useless love
or friendship?
1t there were winnings, if for
tune came to bless-or curse
there was the more reason why the
old days should fade. Good for
tune comes to the man because of
his own exertions; evil fortune be-
cause of the doings Of others. The
successful man is great man, on
his face there are lines of satisfac-
ton craven, and over his features
there comes a smile Of approba-
ton Of his own wisdom. as he
bends to take the crown Of laurel on
his head. Friends? All, yes, he has
those who are useful to him. Step
ping stones, they are, for one who
hardly deigns to use them. Instru-
ments in his own deft hand to as
sist him in the carving out of his
own fortune. They change as their
usefulness diminishes or increases.
AS different tool is needed, the
master workman lays aside the old
one. And as methods change there
is nothing more to be accomplished
by retaining the casts and forms
Of superannuated processes.
But at last, when the fortune is
made, or marred; when there is no
longer any profit in the struggle,
nor any hope in the race; when
the reminders Of old age come to
pluck the beard, to send tinges and
aches, sensations and pains here
and there through the precious,
WORKOUT body, the occupant of
the old tenement bethinks him of
the days of his youth and the
friends who loved him then. He
blots out the hosts Of time-servers
Ito whom he was also a time
server) and thinks of the boys
and girls who loved him because
he had lovable qualities. His
heart throbs at the recollection of
the old days. His schoolmates
come to him, he can feel the pres
sure of the hand that lay in his,
as, boy and girl together, they
trudged to school, he can see the
very smiles and dimples in the ,
rose face of the girl with whom he
romped-so many, many years ago.
The old friends, dear brother
and dear sister will come To vo1, {