Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-05-06
IRE Seasons and the Soul.

The Seasons and the Soul.
saedtime and harvest and cold ana a,d nSa0.
nd summer ana WlHuei, "nA 49,
ienesis, viii, a.
Tbase are the changes which mar1
= .. recurring seasons of the year. anu
= o;r connterparts are to be fOun9
he life of man. A year and 2 man pass
'hronph precisely the sasQ6experience'
~ IN the history Of H6efy human be, 4
-, :, .. GRO te, bafofnd periods of heat ana
III. LA - ~ saafftime and harvest, and OF
aay and night. e,uy
The thoughtful man, who careIuliy
mo tches what NAV be called the strue
r,eS Of nature. its joys. its shadows, It's
eiear and cloudy skies, it's fragrant
Aowars and noxious weeds. must Ieel as
thouuh he were looking into the glass
If tate. wherein he sees reflected al !ne
,ocnlarities of his own spiritual lie.
R He and nature are passing through pre-
ciselv the same changes. and there ~
na;ther weed nor flower, neither zee
nor heat, neither tempest nor CAIN, Ut
the one which the other does not equai-
ly experience. 4ho;r boontv
their fragrance and their mystery lnan
the bubbling, babbling, joyous sprins
times of nature and OF man we arg
puzzled by the processes OF g lomtdn, 90
both instances and by TBS Roiinu'ess
exuberance Of both. ,., &C. an,
Within the seed is nanuIul VI o d
n;notence. a moiety of intelligence, ana
~ on Il ia bedded it silently sets about a
task so marvellous that if you were to
see IA work for the first time you would
a,d Az eonfain yourself fcr wonder.
Wat What "a that divine propulsion which
~ a ~ from tho soil materials WHICH the
mos+ skilfuf ccs.amist eanaot FeaeAf
The boy is spiritually; :. aeea a'se' s anu
the mystery of his growth Is equa.-.
beyond solution. What marveis OF
possibility are packed within thag mar
row soul AS the sculptor finds an
angel in every block OF marble, ano
with hammer and chisel slowly brings
it to view, SO in every boy there is a
grandeur of character, an archangefs
excellence, all the elements OF that KIND
of success which God smiles upon:
They need but the Masters hand ana
the discipline of life, and then you Will
see true nobleman.
The springtime is full of gladness ana
| fragrance and laughter and a certain
kind of hanipipess; but is it, after all,
the best season. I think q0e. =, -.
| Then comes the SUMNER. with Jus
torrid heat, it's fields of ripenlng grain.
its VINEYARDS and orchards laden With
their luscious products. Nature has
been hard at work, and the results OF
her toll are in evidence. The very
nIanet must be heavier, since Gil tne
blossoms Of spring have changed to
fruit SO generous al weight. that the
branches can hardly bear the strain.
abundance, abundance everywhere.
An equally curious transition has
come to the boy. Childish things have
been put away. and he is bearing with
! the strength Of physical maturity the
heat and burden Of the day. With a
godlike intellect he makes companions
of the stars and forces from Thorn secrets
which stretch through the countless
i years of the past; he corrals for the
;; practical benefit of mankind the In
Vulnerable natural lays which have
never before known subjectlon except
to the will of God. They are tanned
II and harnessed and become as obedlent
and doeile as were the genll OF fa1ry
tales
Summer is the season Of aebisyement.
} The man has developed capacities
which excite our wonder, for ne grasps
the east and the west with his two
hands. The earth trembles under his
feet, and the heavens are within easy
J reach. And yet the appetite for knoWl
!. edge grows by what it feeds on, ana ne
is impressed aud oppressed by the con
seriousness that he has not reached the
limit of discovery, or of his own ability
to discover. Is it true that he will con
tinue to grow, or is there 2 boundary
which he cannot pass It has p9t YET
been found, and thu future beckons
him to still greater accomplishment.
Therefore say the summer OF life is
not it's best season.
81 Autumn comes with its chilling
3 frosts, and winter treads on autumn'f
heels, its arms fpil of s4oY Rnd ice.
The earth yields up it's glorious bar
vests, then becomes drowsy and soon
falls on slumber. The sap no longer
: flows, the leaves wither and cover the
ground, the trees in orchard and tores'
; are denuded,. and Kind OF saones,
l hovers over the earth like q canopy o.
, cloud.
The same experience comes to man
His maturity has passed, his work !!
5 done. The heart begins to beat like
, muff;ed drum, and the presage OF ap
!, proachlng dissolution whispers strange
possibility il his aars.
All but the fields aud forests are no1
dead; they only sleep. You may grow
sad in winter, but both fields and for
ests will tell you that they are glad to
/, rest a while, for another spring will
soon beekon them, and then they will
begin the work. Of production once
l more.
II The correspondence between Ret!urt
and man still continues. for the winter
OF life will by and by give way to the
spripgtime of eternity. The man who
dies has not reached the limit OF hi
3 powers, but in some other World ane
under more favorable eonditiGqs VII
take up the work which death force9
: him to relinquish.
Il say, therefore, that the best season
, of the souls long year is the springtlmt
of immortality that 10 to come.