The National tribune., 1897-05-13
EDITORS CHIT.

EDITORS CHAT.
What the Springtide May DO for Thoughtful
Natures-The Secret of Reading History.
It has been quite the fashion Of the cheap
penny-a- liner, tucked up in his dim and dingy
city Office, with blank, bleary wallis uprising on
all sides and tho persistent sunshine vainiy
endeavoring to steal through the smoked and
primy windows, to make pitiful sport OF
aspiring Poetry" or Spring anthems. yelling
up from the hearts of those who have the
Springtide Of beauty and promise all around
them.
There is Springtime in nature which should
bring forth . corresponding awakening in the
hearts of those who have eyes to see and minds
to understand and enjoy. Tho tender leaves,
the exquisite and indescrihable tints Of foliage
and flower, the efforts of twig and plant to
grow and develop, even in the most unprop-
tious places, are ever recurring miracles Of the
infinite forces of nature, the goodness and
graciousness of the loving All-Father.
With all tnis wonderful life aud beauty,
which comes with the balmy breezes Of the
Spripgtime must rise in the heart Of even the
most disconsolste new desire and fresh i'm
pulse. If the barren, frozen earth can spring
into supernal life and verdure, why cannot the
heart of man take on new hope and be filled
with animating desires.
There is an apple tree that stands in the
lawn Of friend, we'll up to the front, where
its spreading branches retard something OF
the growth and verdure Of the grass De.
meath. 1t is old and gnarled. and it's tall
and spreading branches sweep round the
south angle Of the house. peeping into the
windows on both sides, below and above. When
the house WAS built the tree stood there and
was spared when all others were cut away to
make room for . smooth-clipped lawn.
TREE FOR A FRIEND.
Again and again my friend has been asked
to let the tree be cut down also; but she would
as soon part with near and dear friend.
Great joys and SORROWS have come into her
life since she has occupied the upper room, and
the apple tree has stood for her sentinel OF
fortitude and an emblem of hope. PROSTATE
upon, her bed for many weeks at time, she has
measured time and gauged the seasons BY the
varying phases of the old tree.
In the Autumn il has been the last to shed
its leaves and then the golden fruit has hung
upon its boughs until, when dried and shrunken,
the belated birds have come and fed upon its
branches. It has caught the heaviest snow-
fall and tossed its feathered plumes 10 the
northern blasts. 1t has defed the storms and
the tempests that have cut of weaker growths
and come out stronger and moro vigorous with
every Spriugtide-
The sprouts, so pale and tender, have uu-
folded in a Thousand shapes and sizes, and the
buds of swelling pink, as beautiful as any rose.
have, in a night turned into the lovely flush OF
the wild rose of the hedges.
When the Summer days are long and sultry
its generous shade has been cooling and sweet,
and in the Autumn, when the fruit hangs
luscious. the little children come and gather it
in their baskets and widespreading aprons.
Happy the heart that has tree for friend.
1t is a happy sign for any people when they
have this Joy in silent nature. Natural and
sweet is the German home life, and their folk
songs and fork-lore are full of buds and bios
SONS and the simple joys of living. Let us get
out Of ourselves and our low horizons and learn
the secrets Of the field and the forest, the gar
den and the plain, and the old yet ever new
lessons OF perpetual youth.
HOW TO READ HISTORY.
One of the Loyal Home Workers writes that
history is very irksome study, because there
is SO much in it about var, aud so many dates
to remember. That feeling comes from an i'm
perfect knowledge of how history should be
read or studied. One should understand the
sole value of study like this is to enable Us to
fix upon some Of the conditions from which our
present civilization has emerged. We must
learn that effect is without cause. and that
nations go back ward or forward in civilization
in proportion as they observed or disregarded
the great elementary laws of growth and prog
ress.
For instance, the great Thirty Years War in
Germany was not so much the strife for terri
tory as 1t was the intolerance OF Catholic against
Lutheran and Lutheran against Calvinist and
SO back again in reverse ratio; and it re-
quired all that strife and slaughter to bring
about the era OF liberation guaranteed in the
laws Of the realm.
The intense nationality of the Germans was
not developed until the spirit was evoked by
resistance Of Napole0nic aggressions, and the
growing nationalism which is cementing all
classes and sections Of our own country arises
from the determined resistance made by our
people against the effort to disrupt the Re-
public.
One should go farther back, too, to learn that
but for constitutional compromise, allowing the
Upas tree Of human slavery to spread its tang
ling roots, there would have been no war; no
insurrectionary spirit engendered.
When we take up history with purpose it
becomes an absorbing and profitable study,
pointing out clearly the headlands of hope and
the pitfalls Of destruction.
The new movement to make patriotic teach.
ing prominent factor in our public schools has
all these things in mind. When our boys and
girls know why our Nation is grand and great.
and that its basic rock is equal rights and an
equal chance for every man, woman and child
born under the flag, or adopted into it, then
they will realize the Importance of every in
divdual doing his or her full share towards
keeping onr Republic strong and steady in her
Il