The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-01-30
THE FRAUD OF THE LANTERN
IMPS.

TN former days lived a man named
i Lantern, who had a very large
family of boys. The entire family
father, and sons, were strange in
appearance and manner of living
Houses to dwell in they disdained,
and their abode was in swamps and
graveyards, where they were gener
ally seen on summer nights. Each
of the boys, and also the father, al
ways carried Ian ern. Sometimes
the boys were singly scattered about
and sometimes appeared in small
groups of two or three. dancing mer-
rily as they swung their lanterns.
The boys all had one name, and with
their father engaged in the same oc-
cupation. They were similar to the
Brownies, yet much more harmful in
their doings. The chief business APP
peared to be to deceive people of idle
fancies, and even those not unguard
ed. Many accounts are given of be
nighted travellers mistaking their
light for that of some inhabited
dwelling, and thus being led into dan
gerous boys from which they could
not escape until the morning light. If
you wish to look it up, you will find
reference to the harmful freaks of
this peculiar family among the old
English poets. Whether you do this
or not, you are familiar enough with
the superstition of former days to
make a discovery when you boys are
told that the name ofall the boys was
Will O. Wisp, and that of the father
Jack A Lantern.
Doubtless you will say that the peo-
pie were foolish to be SO deceived by
this luminous gas, yet many OF our
boys of this generation have tricks
practiced ON them by subtle agency
more destructive than this ignis ia
tuus, because the effects are more i'm
portant and often lifelong. Search
yourself and see if in the selection of
your life work the sole attraction is
the success and eminence others have
gained, with the years of toll attend
ing almost unthought of; if so you are
bling led astray by the Lantern imps.
Hang ON the wall of your memory the
motto, Labor on1nia Ui1cit, labor con-
quers all things, and if we get any
thing of real worth to us we must
labor for it. The desire to shine is all
right, especially if it be for the glory
OF God, but the attempt to shine
without enduring substance to draw
from is like an empty lamp with a
little oil soaked in the wick, which
when lighted will not give much light
nor burn long.
A certain author tells us that he
wrote his book in eight days. 1t cost
him small amount of labor, and con-
sequently is of small value. The sue
cess of the arii t Dore had years of
study in the hospitals and practice
in the studio behind it. The people
wondered when Motley, the historian,
appeared 50 suddenly and with great
brilliancy, unconscious of the fact
that he had wrought patiently in the
Libraries of the Old and New World
unseen of men. Some little imp with
an ignis fatuus lantern, which is the
Latin for FOOLS light, may tell you
that one of the greatest novelists of
to-day wrote his first book in thirty
nine days, his second in twenty-four,
and his "Marzio's Crucifix" in ten
days. But he will not tell you that
there is but one Marioa Crawford.
Bear in mind, also, that great army
of toilers work on unobserved by the
world to fiud the r re ward otherwheTe
than in fame Ii the truth is con-
stautly heeied, the subtle occupation
of the lantern imps will be gone.