San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-12-19

Take hits thought, the supernatural on
of the poetry of the ages and you tax,
out its very essence. This is so palpa
BILE fact that to assert it is to prov,
it, for the testimony is in every volume
Leaving all enquiry as to the why Of
this permeating of the poetical though
of all ages with this peculiar idea, OF
life outside and beyond this present fol
which this present is somehow respon
sible, the fact is what concerns tn.
present investigation.
The influence that this idea has
had is as universal as the idea itself
and in the vast majority of instances
is destruction to all present enjoy
ment. There is among all who accept
this fact of a living to-come as the out
come of this now, more or less unrest
and disquiet as to the conditions OF
that to-come. This is too apparent to
call for proof. The least religious na.
tons are the happiest. Those who
think least of that future are those who
take the most out of the present. The
| why, it is not the present purpose to
enquire.
Taking the fact, we see that there is
| n doctrine, or belief, or idea, or per-
suasion, call it what you please that
pleasure hereafter is to be bought with
pain here; that this idea or conviction
is strongest in the minds of those who
are most religious; that all that we suf-
fer here is to be made up to us some
where else. Out of this idea comes
the assurance that it is wise and meri-
torious to suffer. Then, that we ought
to suffer. Then, that the more we
suffer. the better for us in the end
Thus persuaded we begin to build our
personal purgatOries and institute a
system of tortureS for our own minds
and hearts, consciously or unconscious
ly, but for the most part with sublime
Inconsistencies, if not with cone
seriousness that we are doing our best
to be happy.
Strange. is it not, that so many real.
ly bright and intelligent people are
never ready to be happy until they be-
gin to feel miserable. Only then do
they really begin to feel good, to enjoy
being miserable. The world is full of
such self created martyrs, dyspeptic
souls, over-sensitive spirits. The pity
of it all is that these people are the salt
of the earth. Not in this thing, but in
their tenderness of feeling. in their
kindness of action, in their overlooking
sympathy of nature. These very quail.
tiles of mind and heart that should ell
evate them upon a higher plane of
gladness than their less gifted and
sympathetic fellows, are made the oo-
casion of their unhappiness and self
inflicted tortures.
Why people should dream that there
is good in making your fruits into
pickles and evil in making them into
preserves, passes the reach of the ord
mary comprehension. But that such
is a fact is beyond question. The
gloom of past religions and present SUI
perStitions still hovers over and clouds
the brightness of earth. The belief
that suffering is an offering pleasing to
the gods is as. preTalent today as it
was three la6usand years ago when hui
man sacrifices were offered upon the al
tass of devotion. Then it was the
body that was offered. Now it is the
affections, the love, the delight in earth
1 the sense of sweetness, all that is pleas
urable. Better sacrifice the body, If
| thereby the mind can be redeemed
from it's purgatorial pains, for the
mental suffering is the hardest to
| bear.
The Light proclaims the falsity of
all purgatorial ideas. 1t takes its
stand with the old parson and will not
90 to purgatOry; much less will it take
oil Nf tln 81 nj 10 ha11
teaches that pleasure, enjoyment, COM
fort, good, happiness, light-heartedness
are the natural inhertances of men,
women and children. That it is a
crime to be unhappy. That conditions
have little TO do with our real pleas
ures, that native temperament is every
thing That it is within the power of
900 people out of every 1000 to keep
out of purgatOry if they will. That on
Iy those can escape building purgator-
les who believe that they are rot n
good thing. Those who are happy in
being miserable may need purgatOry,
but that theirs is an unnatural cOndi-
ton. crosswise of all natural intent.
The one advice of the Light preacher
this morning is to unlock the doors of
corn for the children, warming the cold
hearts and colder feet of your poor
neighbors and making warm the hearts
where there are no fires. Do this and
let in the free winds of jOyOusness into
your purgatory and soon the fires will
be all dead. Write it down i'll your
home book. and make the letters large
and plain. 1T Is MY FIRST DUTY
TO MYSELF; MY FAMILY; MY
| FRIENDS AND TO ALL OTHERS
TO BE HAPPY" and if l cannot be
happy through and through, then to be
as happy as l can be. Happiness on
the outside will soon push out unhap-
piness on the inside and the happiness
| will be solid all through. You can
build your own purgatorial fires at
will, and quench them at will also.
The great big world has gone on
whining at the door of its self-made
purgatories long enough. 1t is now
time that the doors of these heart pris-
OnS were open, these inQuisitOrial fires