The people's recorder. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1893-1925, 1898-03-19

Itoia the fnot We 10 every thing to prolonR
it. Hence NIL sanitary regulations, nii
study OF hygiene, oil feur Of draughts, ali
watorproofs. oil doctors, nll medicines, oil
struggle IN crisis or accident. An admiral
o; tho British Navy was ourt-martialed
for turning his ship around in time Of dan
ger, and 30 damaging the ship. 1t was
proved against him. But when his time
came to be heard he snid: 'Gcntlemen, I
did turn tho ship around, and admit that 1t
was damaged but do you want to know
board, and wanted to save him, and I did
save lin, aud I consider the life Of one
sailor worth oil the, vessels OF tho British
Navy No wonder no was vindicnted.
Life is indeed very precious, Yea, there
are those h deem life SO precious they
would like to try 1t over again. They would
like to go back from seventy to sixty, from
sixty to fifty, from fifty to forty, from forty
to thirty, aud from thirty to twenty.
feeling man is satisfied with his past iife.
"However successful your. life may have
been, you nre not satisfied With il. Whac
is success? Ask that question Of hundred
different men, and they will give q hun
Success is Il million dollnrs;' another Will
say, Success is worldwide publicity an
other will say, Success Is gaining that
which you started for, But rs It Is u free
country, = give my "wn definition, and
mission upon which you were sent, whether
to write 4 constitution, or invent n now
style OF wheelbarrow, or take care Of n sick
child Do h God calls you to do, and
o are a success, whether you leave n
million dallars ut death or are buried mt
public expense, whether 1t takes fifteen
pages OF m encyclopedia to tell tho Won
derful things you have done, or your name
is never printed but oncc, and that in tho
death column. But whatever your success
has been, you arc not satisfied will, your
lifo. =
but some Of you would hnvo to 20 bacl,
further than to twenty-ono yenrs Of ago to
manage to get all wrong before TINT purlod.
Ycn, in order to get a fair start, some would
have to 60 back to the father and mother
and get them corrected; yea, to tho grand
father and grandmother, ana have their
from bad hereditary Influences which
started n hundred years ngo. We'll, II your
grandfather lived his life over again, and
your father lived his life over again, and
you lived your life over again, whit a clut-
tered-up place this world would ben place
filed with miserable attempts Mt repairs.
I begin to think that 1t Is better for each
generation to hnye only one chance, and
then for thcm to pass off and give another
were permitted to 1.-Two life over ngain, it
would BIZ n stale, and stupid experience.
The zest and spur and enthusiasm OF lilo
como from tho fact that We have mover
been along this road before, and every
thing is new, and we arc abort for what may
appear Mt the next turn Of the road. Sup
pose you Il man OF middle-lifo or old uge,
wore, with your present feelings and large
attainments, put back into tho thirties, or
tha twentie5, or into-the tens, what Il null
sance you would be to others, md what an
u~nhnppiness to yourself! Your eontempor-
aries would not want you, and you would
not want them. Things hat In your pre-
.vicps journey Of life stirred your henlthful
rrHNl - - so,,4 ,,~., ~ 49, - I
sor.l led youinto happy Interrogation, would
only :calI forth from you a dfsgusted .'OG,,
iEshawlfiSSSYou would BIO blase at thirty, and
9 misanthropo at forty, and; uDendnrable &c
HItv.sStNThe most insane and. stupid thing
nnI4tSsble would be- q second journey of
tt.Out yonder Is q man very old nj forty
wears Of age, Mt q time when he ought to IL,
B6oyant rs ths~T.ornfpg Hegotbad habits
on him very early, ahSS those habits Shave
with alcoholism, on fro with III svil hnblts;
out with the world and the world out with
him.: Down, and falling deeper His
swollen hands in his ~threndbare pockets,
and his eyes axed on the ground, he passes
through the streets. and the quick step of
nm innocent child or tho strong step OF a
young man or the roll Of q prosperous cur
riage maddens him, and he curses society
and he curses God, Fallen sick, with no
resources. he Is carried to tho almshouse.
~ AASo IA uhf lOhH
waiting for dissolution, or in the night
rises on his cot and fights .apparitions Of
what he might have been and what no Will
DO. He started life with rs good n pros
poet rs any man on tho American continent.
and thero he is, n hlonted carcass, waiting
fcc the sao"ols o: public charity to, put him
five feet under. Ho has only reaped what
ho sowed. Harvest OF wild oatsl There is
a way that secmeth right. to a man, but tho
end thereof IS DEATH
T others lie is n masquerade ball, and
ns NJ such entertainments gentlemen and
ladies put on tho Curb Of Kings md Queens
or mountebnnks or clowns ind ut the close
put OH tho disguise. so Il grcnt many pass
their Wh0lo lilo i'll Il mask, tnking of the
mask ut death. While the masquerade ball
OF life COOS on, they trip merriIy over the
floor, gemmed hand Is stretched TO gemmed
hand, cleaning brow bends to gIeaiuing
brow. On with the dancei Flush and rus.1
tic and laughter Of immcasurable merry
making. But utter awhile tho lnnguor Of
death comes en- tho limbs and binr5 tho
eyesigllt. Lights lower. Floor hollow
with sepulchral echo. Music saddenod in
to II vail. Lights lower. Now tho mask
ers arc only seen in the dim light. Now the
fragrance OF the flowers is like tho sickcQ-y
Ing odor that comes from garlands that
have lain long In tho vaults of cemeteries
Lights lower. Mists gather in tho room.
Glasses shake MS though quaked by sudden
thunder. Sigh caught In the curtain.
Scarf drops from the shoulder OF beaaty u
shroud. Lights lower. Over the SLIPPERY
boards tn dance Of death glide jealonsies,
envies, rcvenges, LUST, despair and death.
Stencil OF lamp-wicks almost extingItshed.
Torn &arlands will not half scoyer; Tho ul-
cerated feet. Choking dnnps.. fOlilliress.
Feot still. Hands closed. a,YofGe5'I us hed.
Eyes shut. lights out. .SIs
-"Y6nng man, ns yon cannhtI sya,fIsc orcr
again, however you may long .tosEdfo, be
sure to have your one lilo right |2Thera IL
Tin this assembly, I wot not, for VIC are
made up OF nll sections OF this land nnd
from many lands, some young nun who
has Sone away from home nnl, pca',aps
11ndar 1nIno iffla anita A. ox.il -