The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1896-05-14
LIES BATTLE.

LIES BATTLE.
To the greatest possible extent life,
with us, is what our progenitors have
made it. If the lives of those before
us had been reasonably shaped accord
ingly as nature has ordained we today
would be living in an entirely different
sphere, so far as our moral and social
existence is related. Of course, we are
the happy progressors of our forepar-
ents by having commenced atthe point
where they left off, when we reckon
time and representations from the
lives of those who struggled bravely
against temptations. But, going back
to the earliest point of humanity's ap-
pearance, here we find we have lost
more than we have gained, generally
speaking. The main reason why we
do not advance more rapidly is because
we are not sufficiently clothed with
moral courage to resist the evil pro-
pensities of our nature. These cOndl-
tions vary, though, among the people
to such degree as to lift one person
above another, accordingly as the lives
of early predecessors have been trained
to subdue the right or willfully submit
to evil. Taking the naturally broad,
comprehensive view of our existence
here, life is what we make it, taking
the human family as whole. No one
person is entirely responsible for the
life he leads, as we are SO readily sus-
ceptible to outward influences as to in
nocently follow after them, not realiz-
ing the full significance until we are
bound within the strangling folds. we
are, then, the creatures of early sur
roundings, and our lives are the out
come of whatever may have strongly
influenced us from the starting period
Early contaminations may be counter
acted by careful training in the way
we should go. Children can be led by
proper influence thrown around them
but coercion causes them to retaliate
|
character in the presence of childhood
exert twofold power to lead as we
are taught. The high-sounding CLASH
of words upon the part of a guiding
humanitarian surrounds the perso1
thus compelled to hear with sense O.
unreasonable clatter more or less con
fusing. Lives Of uncertain progress
in life's great battle are indicated
, leading to no high purpose, unless the.
, have been cast through reasonable in
= fluence. We live not alone for our
:, selves, but for those who are to folloV
us. Self-pride never pointed one t.
high estate. No selfish spirit eve
= reached beyond the common leve
y Those whose names we trace as havin
:. been the shining lights of their da
- were wholly unconscious of fame as
result of their works. Faith held ther
= to their duty, as with an unseen han
- they steadily climbed to honors dom
They were then able to hold fast to ths
~ which they had gained without sigr
- of ostentation. Life with those pc
~ sons was one continual round of unse
~ fish and pleasant labor. They gre
into their work and became part {
:; it. The heart relaxed from self; the
- thought only of the times in which the
~ lived. The beautiful lesson of homo
~ ary devotion to cause which they
~ earnestly espoused has left behir
them indelible marks of heroism al
moral worth even more ornate thu
any other class of influences. Th'
never thought of their Importance
considered that it was in their pow
pc to lead millions by their gentle wan
of Life in such cases is certainly the o.
n true cause of having been placed
" our present position. If we do not
ne tempt to fill our lives with unceasi
nd labor in the right direction we shou
its not murmur when the stripes of CHI
it tisement are heavily laid upon
tn Life lies before us in all it's gra
ad possibilities, and is clearly marked
he as dazzling, naL,@w route, alo
of which only people of determined p
Oh poses in the highest grade of use
employment are likely to follow. I