Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-06-29


| He Is least seen when all the powers
OF i'll are most abroad.
Ill masters good and good seems t
To III with greatest ease.
And worst of ALL the good with good
Is at cross purposes
l at Is not so but so II looks
| Surely "thc whole creation groanetl
and travailcth In pain together unit
now (Rome S-22). This declaration o
the word of God sermonizes the testi
] mony of human experience; condense.
| into sentence tho heart-stained ant
bloody pages of human hisNM,
Let us turn for relief k19aruth il
the bright, side of things r6hria
its / fuil value, tife tr,lls .Es h
the bright side ofahina 4 ~ SIG H.
leniable Ground. ciRVevdss k91( III @
in certain aspdpntH ma ture .af{d
'society and Of history for natura
ontimism,
| was impressed on my journey by
the prevailing beauty of the landscape
| The. train moved so swiftly that there
arfolded before me an evcrchangins
| field and forest, hill and valley, grow
| ing grain and blooming flowers. pur-
ling brooks and majestic river, bearing
its heet to the waiting sea. And what
| il true of the slight segment upon
| which | looked. is true of the circle OF
| thea shole round globe-the prevailing
external aspect OF nature IL attractive
which any exceptional scenes of de-
| fornity and desolation serve only to
| emphasize.
| What is true of nature. however can
not. be. said of human society CON
siIered as whole Millions of our fell
low beings are stll in the region of the
shadow of moral death. held in the
bondage of superstition and degrade
ton. Nevertheless, If we may think
| only of the nations blessed by Chris
tan civilization. however imperfect
that is admitted to be. the natural
optimist will find much to fortify him
in his position. He notes the general
prevalences of political and social or
ders, the good degree of liberty enjoyed
The sweet sanctities of home the
charms of childhood. its innocence and
laughter. youth in the rich exuberance
of its energy. triumphng in the JOY of
achievement, the fascination of art.
the quiet and still air of delightful
studies" the witchery of music the
ministries of charity, the victories of
physical science, not only affording to
| its votaries the exalted satisfaction OF
discovery. but in its unnumerable.
practical applications to life, beautify-
ing H. charging it and filing it with
~ oh Af ,,sli ..f,
imagination. never dreamed-a vcritable
|'Aladdins lamp. He may contend. too.
that the balance of pleasures overpains
is everywhere among men, even in
their worst estate. vastly preponder-
ant; forgetting as we will permit him
now to do for the sake of the argu-
nlent. forgetting that a single sorrow
may weigh upon the hear. that joy
shall seem to be lighter in the scale
than feather weight. Not without
abundant reason, moreover, he may in
Fsist upon the real. though slow and in
consistent material intellectual and
moral progress of the race, led, though
le may not acknowledge 1t, by the
pierced feet of Christ. ~
after all has been
81nted that the natural optmst NAV
IyAtArly claim, the utmost that can be
Es9sttained by this view of life and nature
rs something closely akin to Persian
sdualisn, which probably to the ma
jority of thoughtful men pessinsim APP
pears TO bexthc only warrantable con-.
clusiofi. Those who recall the pos.
thuemous essay by John Stewart Mil.
must ADMIT that his terrific indictment
against nature. granting to him the
tlarge extension which he gives to that
E.ferfl, is just, that is, if the unuuestion-
able facts which he cites are accepted
without the Christian Interpretation of
them. And if we seek for striking evil
dence of the total inadeduacy of ma
tionai optimism in personal experience.
we may listen to Goethe who is regarded
as Il representative in poetry of that
school of thought, when he says: Il
have always looked upon myself as
favorite of fortune; neither will ] be-
nison myself, or accuse my course of
life as unworthy. Bnt yet, after all.
it has been nothing but labor and
trouble. and 4 may well say that in
my - years. I have not had four
weeks during which I could enjoy life.
1t has been the rolling of stone which
must be constantly moved about"
Had the poet been a less thoughtful
man, he probably would not have
agreed so exactly with the wisdom OF
Solomon. ~
It is tiine now to ascend to the loftier
polnr t,a vseM ana breathe a more in
place, tfe Christian Interpretation OF
bright size. Karmonized. The Christian
optimist looks upon, the dark side hope
fuiiy. Holding steadily. Fin View both
Glasses offacts We have cited. he seeks
TO tlarmonizes them in a consistent scheme
OF thought lAnd action and so ascend TO
the height Of hope on which Paul stood
when he penncd the words of the text
Consider then by what steps we make the
ascent. We assure ourselves:
First by personal experience the exist
ehce of morally perfect personal God
the God of Hope.
sonal God has a perfect plan of His
universe.
Thirdly. that He has an adequate end
in the creation and government of His
universe in the perfect expression OF
Himself or His own glory. That all
well being or glory of all who will.
VIII you now rapidly take these
steps with me? The Christian opti-
mist rests his hope in the first in
stance upon the truth of a personal
God, a Being of CONSCIOUSNESS and
self-determination. Everything turns
upon this pivotal fact. Given per-
sonal God. who is Himself the archi-
type and exponent of personality.