Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-02-18
TWO LIVES.
Climbing Better Than Flying-A Lesson
for Young People.

Climbing Better Than Tlying-A Lesson
for Young People.
There came one day to young man
deep, clear flash of insight into the
sordid, imperfect life of the world as it
moved before him. And with this awak
ening came also the vision of an ideal So
ciety-serene, perfect and peaceful,
lifted above the commonplace like u
lofty mountain range looping far above
the dust and the clouds of the valley.
Being of a generous, warm-hearted dis
position and possessing sanguine
fancy, he loved to indulge in castle
building, filling the airy picture with
noble forms and delightful scenes.
Grooming to himself, the young vision
AIRY spent many an hour apart from his
fellow men in fruitless reverie. Of him
it could be said:
There at the foot of yonder nodding beech
That wreathes it's old fantastic roots so
high,
His listless length at noontide would he
stretch,
And pore upon the brook that babbles
by"
The very vagueness of his day dreams
lent them an additional charm, holding
him captive year after year. His friends
noted the dreamy mildness of his eyes,
and marked his absent-minded manner
and ineffective life, while strangers
often seriously misjudged him; but no
one suspected that he was walking I'M
der a spell of his own weaving. And
L. 4 80,
voices calling: ely to us and be at
rest!" How his eyes kindled at such
moment and his heart beat high as if
paradise was almost within reach! But
these flights of golden fancy were only
in his minds eye," soon to fade into
the light of common day, leaving him
less consented and efficient than before.
No wonder, therefore, if our day dream
er fell into the habits of fault-finding,
giving vent to passionate gusts of COM
plant toward the world in general and
his own lot in particular. Somehow, all
his attempts at flying proved woeful
failures, his wings melted as he neared
the sun. hurting his soul back to earth
again.
Gradually his will lost its tension, his
eyes took on shy, defeated look, and
his heart was full of bitterness, grieving
most of all that he was overlooked by
others and failure in himself. Thus
nervelessly drifting, drifting, as n
cloud across the landscape, he
reached the bounds of human life,
never having done one effective stroke
or achieved the first element of strength
and victory. Yea, at times this poor
man even doubted the reality of the
Christian faith and the hope of Heaven;
he was fleeing shadow in a world of
shadows.
We turn from this picture of pathetic
failure to contemplate the life history
of another young man to whom also
was unveiled "the vision of SIM" and to
whom came sunbursts of glorious ideals.
But instead of losing himself in idle day
dreams and empty longings, he set reso-
lutely at work to make things better.
He began with himself He looked into
his own heart and saw sin lodged there;
hence he was unfit for perfect state of
society. He looked into his mind and
saw how little he knew, and how great
the need of discipline; why, then, en-
pect perfection in others? This search
ing self-knowledge led to self-improve-
ment and checked the tendency toward
conjuring up visions that can never be
realized in this world. Writing the
word Excelsior" on his banner, he
climbed step by step toward such goal
as God Himself intended him to reach.
With Spartan stoicism he endured the
stern discipline of pain at the behest of
duty, and with patient perseverance
wooed and won success. He heard the
distant voices calling him, but his best
answer was living nobly day by day.
Thus were the sweet ideals of early
youth in a measure realized in the prac-
teal achievements of later years; nor
did the hope of a. final perfect state at
any time leave him; on the contrary, it
frightened with the years, becoming
more tangible and assured. AS he came
to realize in his own character the purity
and righteousness for which he longed,
it was inevitable that he should expect
great things from others and more from
God. Climbing was slow work, and the
weary years brought many hardships,
but he was assured that all things
worked together for good, he saw that
every right effort brought it's blessed
reward.
And when at last the evening of life
drew near, how sweet was the memory
of battles fought and victories won!
Great peace was his and eager was the
anticipation of that Heaven of which he
had many foretastes here. Instead of
being weary of a shadowy world, his
only regret was that he could no longer
be in the thick of the fight. He found
that climbing was better than flying
Joseph f. Flint, in Men.
Lived Within the Reach OF Men.
Christ's life is an inspiration to us,
because He lived within the reach Of
men; He was governed by motives, was
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