The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-05-31

suished like the candle when II ha!
burned itself down to the ground may
| we'll say; Let us eat and drink for to
morrow we die All moral perspectiv,
is gone. all hope of reward and fear OF
punishment are destroyed. He Is living
| in short without moral motive. But
| thoroughly persuade him that the grave
does not end his life. that there is
something beyond for which even now
| he is living, and II becomes q divine In
! fluence III his life to give him dignity In
his own eyes and hope and courage in
the hour Of temporary defeat. Give q
man this life motive ana he need not
hitch his wagon To Il star" 1t Is al
| ready hitched 10 something greater
/ than an the stars. 1t is hltched by
! faith to the God who made the stars,
and he has for his motive the divine at
| traction impclling him forward through
all temptation. through all difficulty,
through all doubt BE the evidence.
therefore, for Immortality strong or
weak, no one can look for Il moment
upon the Influence of such Il belief with
out seeing its mighty moral motive.
He who is to live for eternity. whose
life reaches on and on into the years
and the ages, who is To be a co-liver
with God himself, simply cannot afford
to waste his substance with riotous liv-
ing. He Is Il builder of his own life in
the passing days for the eternal years
He knows this. lie feels this. He must
therefore. build well. God sees him to-
day God Will see him i,00J years from
to-day. He must live in the sight of
God.
3, James Martineau speaks these
startling significant words: "A few
years of conscious gain. followed by
long process of unconscious loss. com
plete the story of Qua being here" All
yes, few years of conscious gain. 1t
is easy To be brave during these days
Men are generally brave I'm the morn
ing They grow doubtful at MONDAY.
timid in the evening and cowardly at
night. In the hour OF conscious gain
and conscious strength no man Is tlmid
but when the gain is ended and his
strength Is ebbing away. then how
shall we find his courage? Most men
are safe enough from despair during the
first 40 years of life. How about the
later years when the sight grows DIM
the hair whtens the step grows feeble
when the tongue no longer speaks with
eloqucncc. when the body no longer
stands erect. when all the powers are
rapidly wannS--a man feels himself
rapidly sinking into the deciepitude
ana helplesSness Of age. What, then.
SHAH be the secret Of his courage?
There may indeed be a few men who
nave Tough. so bravsly and so we'll in
|
| I've IN peace upon the victories OF o. her
| days. but there N:e few men who wear
the laurels so thick about their brows
mat they may rest satisfied in old age
WIN THESE symbols of their victories.
| WHAT the old man n eds Is nothing less
than what the young man needs. He
needs hope. He needs the perspective
OF iuturs years. lie reeds to relate his
lie not merely to the things of the
past but to the possibilities of the flu
1 "a u 4,
| ueed be able in the years of infirmity
10 wrestle again with the problems OF
| liie but he will have by the inspira.
ton of his hope patience during the
fou; or his waiting AS the sick man
with hope of recovery may patiently
bear his pain and his weakness as he
looks Forward to the weeks or the
| months when once more he shall stand
on ms feet and take part in the battle
OF HE, 80 the old man suffS ring in body
ahu nlihu temporarily eclipsed. looks for
| ward with courage, not TO an hour OF
greater eclipse indeed. Blu; to the hour
or deltvcrancs, when he finds himself
made young ones more
| can conceive of a Stoicism so stOlid
as to carry an old man through the in
Hrmities OF age 10 the open grave, with
apparent indifference, bu. | cannot CON
ceiNe that such stoicsm could ever pro
duce a sweet and beautiful old npe
Stoicism Is not necessarily peace. The
| .Sai iouhuatioH OF peace Is faith and
| trust.
But yot again. If the thought of i'm
noranIy ls needed for Ghe peace and
| comfort OF old age, 1t Is also the founda-
| ZION Tor reverence OF old age There
a.t. no doubt other reasons more or less
| temporary Tor rererencing the aged, but
the real. fundamental, permanent, reason
must be found In, our estimate of tbn
uighEy and value of the human soul II
theie Is something of fundamental value
sonivthfNS TO be trusted: something m
| De ioVtd, something 10 be reverenceJ i'm
! the soul i,sElf, th.s will be ample mo-
| I'VE Tor treating the aged mother mr.
| ihther with tenderest care But IF moi
| why not follow with logical courag. ;ha
coarse hi:iitarlanism and ruthlessly xiii
| the old man when he ceases. longer Ia
De useful FACTOR In The affairs of tho
Somnun!iy; why keep him as burden
TOT othtrs 10 bear why permit him TO
interfere with ahe exacting duties "f a
DusS world? Nay, why not 20 further
why not b;avely slap the impotent. she
crlppies, The deaf. the blind? II may
D" done quickly and panlessly. II may
De done without suffering without
agony And yei there is not "A nation in
| the world so underciviliZed as TO snsl.
this cruel relief from the burdens of
age and infrmity, nor has there heen
for thousand years
| What motive is there az work i'm
human life to-day operating to MAKE MS
tender and careful of the happiness OF
those VINO axe aged or iniirm? We may
no De ah!e 70 describe tbs motive nor
even 10 define il consciously to ourselves
put is II not AT bottom our reverence
FOR human life? And this reverence
whence does II spring if NOT from, ~. -,