The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-19
ALL BY EXPERIENCE.
1t Is n Bitter School, but There
Seems No Way but to Graduate
From 1t With Honor.

Experience may be a slow teacher,
but it is the best Its lessons are not
forgotten, as other lessons are. We
are all of us unwilling, perhaps I'M
able, to learn from the result of other
peoples lives. We may listen to what
they say patiently enough-it may
seem very good, very true, as applied
to them, but we fail TO apply it TO our
selves. 1t is so difficult to put our
selves in the place of others. Because
they failed TO do a certain thing-be-
cause they were disappointed in GER
tain aims and endeavorS-why should
We? This is one thing in which the
world remains ever young. Every man
and woman begins afreSh, and goes
over the same old paths. If we really
started where our parents left off, it
might be better for us in some ways,
and worse in, others. We might be-
come very cautious, very prudent,
very full of worldly wisdom; but we
should certainly be very dull, very I'M
enterprising, very uninteresting. Per-
haps it is best that each should fight
the same hard battle OF experience
AS we grow older, we sometimes feel
quite vexed with the young people for
refusing to profit by our experience.
The lessons seem to us so clear-it
seems such willful blindness not to see.
We forget that those very lessons were
and that there is no royal road. The
same harvest of strength and wisdom
must be reaped by all, and in the same
manner. younger person may be in
the very same position that we our
selves once occupied, and IL appears TO
US that our experience might be so
valuable to save from troubles and
dangers. We can point out just where
the perils lie, like a pilot near a diff
cult coast. 1t is vain; the younger
friend listens to US, perhaps atten-
lively, perhaps incredulouSly and then
falls where We had fallen, learns where
we had learnt. Experience teaches;
not words from the lips of another
Every young heart goes forth to meet
a golden land, land of milk and
honey; and is sure to be disillusioned,
sobered, taught. Yet the experience of
the past seem to havesno precedents
no deposit. no aggregate of wise eau
ton. Some are still ever learning, and
still needless of the fate of Others Life
repeats itself. The variations are in
finite, the keynote is the same.
We learn something every day of our
lives which serves 10 illustrate the
truth OF what others have told U.S. No
amount Of wise counseling, no study
Of the worlds best books can teach us
as much as few weeks of hard ex-
perience. knowledge may be gathered
from, others, but not wisdom. The
best education can not confer it, 1t is
the slow, sure work of time; the fruit
of experience. Nothing is Of value to
US, unless we learn from it. We are
backward in learning, even from our
experiences; and sometimes the same
lesson has to be taught us time after
time. The formation of our character
largely depends on the use we make
of our experience. Circumstances.
events, are the material out of when
We build our lives; we may rough
hew' them sadly. 1t may not be
strange that we fail to learn from the
experience of others; it is certainly
strange that we should ever fail to
learn from our own. What will teach
u.s. if this will not? Rightly, we should
be learning to the end of our lives
learning from joys and sorrows, little
troubles and great; and we know that
what we gather from this varied teach
ing can not be lost. That is why the
old age OF q well-spent life is so rich
and peaceful season. 1t is stored with
garnered wealth. The young act. the
old reflect. Reflection is the fruit of
action, By our own experiences we are
strengthened to help others-not to
teach them, as life alone can teach
them, but to encourage, console, SYM
pathlze. None are so truly sympe-
thetic as those who have themselves
suffered. We have to learn our lessons
singly-some in one way, some in an
other-but there need be no loneliness.
no isolation. We are always speaking
wisely when we say experience must
teach us.