The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-11-20

1t seems popularity Of youth to
envy; to grow dissatisfied because
some other person Is better supplied
with pleasures. Youngsters, this
is because you are not grown enough
spiritually to understand life. Tell
ME if your old people grow morbid at
anOthcr's success. They certainly do
not, II they are normal; for the older
we grow the more fully do we realize
that sail Is not gold that glitters: :"
and that there is a seamy side to the
most expensive wardrobe. AS the
years roll by we learn to look at things
from others points OF view, instead OF
looking from within outward and
judging things good or III just accord
ing to whether we feel happy or de.
pressed. A faint recollection comes
to me OF a metaphor that Is admira-
bly, suited to us young folks. II we
take in its full meaning it can make
our lives more effective and beautiful:
since it Is certainty that while we
envy and covec we Obstruct our own
progress as effectually as sand OBJ
structs navigation.
~
Life Is arranged somewhat as fol-
lows: Each Of US travels narrow
road from the cradle to the grave-a
road OF experiences, pleasurable and
pitiful, that no other human being
ever has travelled or ever will, for no
two lives exactly agree in ways and
works and woes. Scattered all along
this narrow road are toll-gates, where
at, for further progress, we have TO
surrender this and that and the other
thing, and it is these toll.gates that
make us anxious to enjoy the lot OF
our ncighbor, whose head we see bob
bing pleasantly along In his own mar
row roadway, just shut of from US
by a slioulder-high fence. II we were
only raised high in spiritual percep-
tion we should see that his way was
fully as beset as ours with toll.gatcs,
many of them calling for sacrifices
that we should shrink from, and,
after seeing. should turn from, to pay
eagerly our own little toll OF a less har-
rowing character.
~
Thus goes life, and wise Is he who
spends no time in repining over joys
that have been and are gone; or in
yearning for a life that would be
pleasant but may not ever be. Shed.
ding idle tears over split milk when
our supply OF fodder and meal Is plen-
tiful to nOurish the stock that furn-
ishes the milk Is on par with beat.
ing our haCds against our neighbor's
fences and in an agony crying to God
to give us their lot. We know not
what We ask. If our neighbours heart
we're bare to us, he would be found,
unless he were philosophical, possibly
ready to give up all the advantages we
envy 10 him, for only taste OF the
simple pleasures he detects, or thinks
lie detects, In our more obscure life.
Tut, tut! to grow wan over what we
can never he will be as fatal to us as
the attempt OF the bullfrog to equal
the OK in size. PloddiDg Is what we
must content ourselves with. The
duty we'll done to-day is the solid
ground for the step-forward to.mor'
row. The gradual process Of accre'
tion whereby the ant builds the ant
heap must be our method. A weary
r0adP Certainly at times for this Is
y TRUTH the future always seems long
But when by patient performance OF
the simple everyday duty wc ut last
reach some faint enjoyment Of the pin
nacle that once lowered before US a
worthy Of ambition, the past will seem
strangely short, and we shall ask our
selves why we ever grew impatient.
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Every life, great or small, good OF