San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-05-02
SUNDAY, MAY ?, 1897.
LIFE LINES.

the life-saving stations on the sea-
coasts where at particularly danger
Gus points 'Life-saving stations" are
established, provided with all applian-
ces for saving shipwrecked persons.
Life boats, life buoys, life lines are
among these appliances. The latter
attached to a solid shot are fired out
of a mortar over the vessel that is
wrecked, or over those struggling in
the sea, and communication is thus
established with those on shore who
are engaged in the work of rescue
The latest invention is in the way of
an illuminated line, that emits a phos-
phorscent light which makes it visible
in the darkness, thus enabling those,
to whom a minutes time may mean
salvation, to instantly see the life line.
The humanitarianism of the world is
no less marked in the Efforts to rescue
those who are in danger of intellectual
or physical, or moral shlpwreck, and
here the life line is also needed. Or
CARNATIONS for the rescue of the unfor-
Inmates are multiplying on every hand,
but many of these are more noted for
their failures than their successes. The
reason for this lies in the fact that the
effort at rescue is too often brought
into unwelcome notoriety by their sa-
viors, and thus every movement for
lettering their condition is frustrated.
Very little failure in the work of res
cue is recorded among those who do
not let their right hand know what
their left hand does.
Another reason for that failure is
that the victims of this world are nat
urally suspicious of every effort to
help them. They have so long borne
the injustice of the earth; have been
the victims of it's greed or passion so
consciously; are so bitter against the
world; have such a distrUst of promis-
es that they have found made like pie
crust, only to be broken; are so arm
ed against the approaches of others
at all points, that it is hard to make
them see that the effort for their re-
lief is really made. You cannot
fling a life line to one of these as you
would bone to hungry dog, certain
that it will be seized. You may find
that it is hard if not impossible to
convince these unfortunates that there
is any need of a life line at all.
Leaving such to the afterward that
comes by experience and turning
thought to those who recognize the real
need of rescue, the Importance Of an
illuminated life line grows more and
more imperative. Few Inen or women
are better than others. It is not char
acters but conditions that vary. What
the man or woman you would rescue
is, you would be if the circumstances
of the case were reversed. AS John
Wesley once said of drunkard, There
goes John Wesley, save for the grace
of God" Put grace of circumstances
instead and you have it all. Human
nature is alike the world over. HUI
man conditions alone vary the actions
of individuals. Were the conditions
changed you would be in the deep sea
and the other fellow would throw the
life line.
This fact duly considered makes mer
and women charitable, helpful, con,
siderate, cautious how they attemp
the aid that is so needed. A self
righteous person never aided another
TO BITTERNESS, unless by singing then
into active exertion by contempt. Tn,
men and women who know how skill
fully to handle life line are scarce
They are at a premium. Those whc
know how to save human life are no
numerous. Those who know how t
save character, reputation, self respect
these are more than scarce, they ar
exceedingly frequent. Beloved! TIL
man who has swum with a life line t
a wrecked ship, or even fred a morta
that carries a life line so that by it
ship's crew are saved, may we'll con
graduated himself ever after on hi
deed
With equal if not with greater rea
son may the person who has saved
soul from ruin, life from despair,
character from infamy, a reputatio
from scandal congratulate himself c
herself on that rescue. The man a
the mortar who fires his life line neve
thinks of his personal appearance j
the case. how the spectators will vie
his attitude, what kind If a pose h
takes. He is only intent upon so fiji
ing his mortar that his line will dro
directly over the ship whose crew h
is anxious to save. The man or won
an who saves a human character frOI
death, must be as earnest and as ur
thinking of self as the one who save
a human body from the sea. TIL
trouble with the character savers {
| the world is that they want the wOrl
\ to look on and applaud.
The bees when they make honey wi
..ruSlst do il in a hive that exposes thel
the light of public observation. The
aster their glass-sided hives an
'cllen having darkened them go to wor
Il Nature is secret in all her processes
The natural saviOrs are as secret
theirs. Those who save others becaus
Is the right and natural thing, d
ID naturally and make no parade owe
ia They sense the shrinking Of thos
whom they rescue from observatio
and respect it. The person who woul
FIRE himself into observation Of effor