The Van Buren press., 1897-07-31
ARP HAS 4 BIRTHDAY.
And He Philosophers o Little ON
tho Occasion.
Says Everything Shrinks ms We Near
the GonI-Thinlss Man Was Made
to De Happy--Mclan-
choIy Poets.

Another paternal birthday in my IAN
iIy. They seem to come about twice
year to me now. How everything
shrinks as we near the goal. The trees
are not so tall nor the hills so high as
they used to be. That is very natural,
and is nothing newEbut how is it that
even time should shrink time, that is
so exact so Interchangeable, and that is
measured by the same ticking of the
clock, and that is measured by the ris-
ing and setting of the sun, and that by
the revolving earth, and that by its
annual course around the sun? / can't
see why time should seem to shrink at
all, or, if any change, it should expand,
for we can do more, think more, learn
more, in day than when we were chill
dren. Seyenty-two years ago to-day |
came into this sublunary world and
have had my share of joy and sorrows
and am content with my lot in life. As
David said "The lines have fallen to
me in pleasant places. Yea, | have
good heritage" But poor old Job took
it hard when Satan despoiled him, and
he cursed his day and said, in the an
guish of his soul: "Let the day perish
wherein l was born. Why died l not
from the womb, for then | should have
lain still and been at rest, for there
the wicked cease from troubling and
the weary arc at rest?' Poor old man;
his sad story always eXcites my sym
pathy. Then there was Jeremiah. who
eXclaimed "Oh, that my head were
waters and mine eyes a river of tears.
Cursed be the day wherein l was born;
cursed be the man who brought tidings
to my father saying man child is born
unto thee
| don't like these sad people nor sad
stories nor tales of misery. l never
read romance that ends sadly. |
don't like the company of people who
wear sad faces and are never happy
unless they are miserable | wish that
Robert Burns had never written MAN
was made to mourn" for don believe
It, OF all Gods creatures, man is the
only one that can smile, and he should
smile ms often as he can. Cowper was
| al SdN DOtl. bul lit lDta
"Rehlnd frowning providence
He wears smiling face
That is better. The. Creator who
beautified and adorned the earth with
fruits and flowers and gave us birds to
| sing and music to charm, and studded
| the heavens with stars, did not make
man to mourn. If He had given us
only buzzards for birds and dog fen
mel for flowers and the bowling of the
winds for music we might have
mourned. but rather like that poet
who in the gush Of his gratitude said:
This world is very lovely. oh my God,
thank Thee that l live"
Young was another sad and solemn
poet, and says:
"AIan wants but little here below,
Nor wants that little long"
Sidney Smith was more genial, and
says:
"Man wants but little here below,
| AS beef, pork, lamb and venison show"
/ wish somebody would tell me where
I can find parody on that same text
that was written by John Quincy
| Adams about half a century ago 1T
was a charming poem, and began
"Man wants but little here below,
Nor wants that little long,
| 'Tis not with me exactly so,
Tho it's so in the song"
Then he sets forth delightful cata-
| logue of what he does want, and it ae-
cords with our desires and excuses as
for indulging them. Let a man, and
especially woman, wish as much as he
or she pleases, but no good comes of
distressful longing for things we can't
get. Woman is peculiar about that.
She can want pretty things ever so
badly, and do without them ever so
graciously. During the war and about
its distressing close the wives and
mothers who had lived in luxury came
down to poverty and hard times with
more fortitude than the men-I knew
many men who gave up and pned away
and died, but their wives didn't. They
held up their heads and struggled on.
| remember how crushed and helpless
| felt when got my family back home
and found nothing but a shelter-not
a bed to sleep on-not n COW in the
county, no flour, no sugar nor coffee
lot a chicken nor an egg, and no money
to buy with, if there had been any
thing to buy wood to burn, no fence
around the house, and so we had TO
burn the stable that the Yankees built
on our lot for their horses. 1t was desc
-. 4
spair, but my wife never surrendered,
and she hasn't yet. She wants as many
good things and nice things rs any
body, but when trouble comes she can
suffer and be strong.
1t is a good time about now for
man of my years TO look back and take
l kind of inventory of what / have done
I'll this tlme-what has been accom-
plished for the worlds good or any
body's good, not for my own good, for
that don't count up yonder Before !
go into the receivers hands IL is well
for me 10 make up an invoice. When
a schoolboy we used 10 debate whether
or not there was such thing as dis
Interested benevolenec. | thought then
that there was. but ii seems 20 me now
lln,t slmoss syery good thing I ever did
was very much mixed with selfishness,
and that all that viii excuse me viii be
On the line Of the poet who says:
THEY who Joy would win.
Must share it-hsppiness was born in
twin"
There is some comfort in that. for
believe I have taken pleasure IN divid-
lng with others the blessings that God
| hes oiyen me. The retrosnect is. how