St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-08-20

stupid experience The xest and spul
and enthusiasm Of life come from tn,
fact that we have never been alont
this road before, and every thing il
new, and we are alert for what may ap
pear at the next turn Of the road. Sup
pose You, > man of middle or old age
were, with your present feelings and
large attachments, put back into tn,
thirties, or in the twenties, or in tn,
teens, what nuisance you would b,
to the others and what an unhappines!
TO yourself! Your contemporaries.
would not want you, and you woult
not want them. Things that in YOU
previous journey of life stirred
your hcalthful ambition, or gave
you pieasurablc surprise, or led yot
into happy Interrogation, would only
call forth from you Disguised 20
pshaw!' You would be blase ut 80
and a misanthrope at 40. and unen
durable at so. The most inane and
stupid thing imaginable would be g
second journey of life. 1t is amusing
to hear people say: 81 would like II
live my life over again, if l could take
my present experience and knowledge
OF things back with me and begin uu.
der those improved auspices" Why,
what an uninteresting boy you would
be with your present attainments in q
child's mind. Noonc would want such
: boy around the house-a philosopher
at 20. scientist ut Is, an archaeologist
at 10, and a domestic nuisance all the
time. An oak crowded into an acorn.
A Rocky mountain eagle thrust back
into the egg-shell from which it was
| hatched.
Besides that, il you took life over
| again you would have to take its deep
sadncsses over again. Would you want
to try again the gricfs and the heart
breaks and the bcreavements through
ksr.,ich you have gone? What q mercy
that we shall never be called to suffer
them again! we may have others bad
enough, but those old ones never again.
Would you want to go through the
process of loosing your father again,
or your mother again, or your compan-
ion in life again, or your child again?
Ii you were permitted to stop at the
sixtieth milestone, or the fiftieth mile
stone, or the fortieth mile-sone. and re-
trace your steps to the twentieth, your
experience would be something
like mine, one Novem Der day
in Italy. l walked through a
great city with friend and two
guides, and there were in all the city
only four persons, and they were those
of our own group. We went up and
down the streets; we entered the
houses, the museums, the temples, the
theaters. We examined the wonder
full pictures on the walls and the most
exquisite mosaic on the floor. In the
streets were the deep-worn ruts of
wagons, but not a wagon in the city.
On the front steps Of mansions the
word Welcome in Latin. but no hui
man beings to greet us. The only
bodies Of any of the citizens that we
saw were petrified and in the museum
at the gates. OF the s.. 600 people who
once lived in those homes and wor-
SHIPPED in those temples and clapped
in those theaters. not one left! For
1850 years that city OF Pompeii had
been buried before modern exploration
scooped out of it the lava of Vesuvius.
Well, he who should be permitted to
return on the pathway of his earthly
life and live it over again would find as
lonely and sad a pilgrimage. 1t would
be an exploration of the dead past.
The old Schoolhousc, the old church,
the old home. the old playground.
either gone or occupied by others, and
for you more depressing than was our
Pompeiian visit that November day.
Besides that, would you want to risk
the temptations of life over again?
From the fact that you are here / con-
clude that, though in many respects
your life may have been unfortunate
and unconsecrated, you have got on SO
far t0lerably we'll, il nothing more
than tolerable. AS for myself, though
my life has been fur from being as
consccratcd to God rs i would like to
have had it, l would not want to try it
over again. lest next time / would do
worse.
Why, just look ut the temptations
we have all passed through. and just
look at the multitudcs who have gone
completely under! just call over the
roll of your schoolmates and college
mates. the clerks who were with you
in the same store or bank, or the opera
tives in the same factory, with just Us
good prospects as you, who have come
to complete mishap. Some young man
that told von he was going to he a mill
and own the fastest trottcrs
on the turnpike, and retire by the time
he was IS years OF age, you do not hear
from for many years, and know moth
ing about him until some day he comes
into your store and :aslks for Eve cents
to get n mug OF beer.
You, the good mother Of a household,
and all your children rising up to call
you blessed, can remember when You
were quite jealous of the belle of the
village, who was SO transccndently
fair and popular. But while you have
these Two nOnOr1DtC ana Queenly
names of wife and mother, she became
\ poor waif of the street, and went |
into the blackness of darkness for.
ever. Live life over again? Why, il
many of those who are respectable |
were permi ted to experiment, the
next journey would be demoli- |
lion. You got through. as Job says,
by the skin of your teeth. Next time |
you might not get through Mt all.
Satan would say: Il know him now
better than I did before, and have for |
80 years been studying his weaknesses,
and l will weave stronger web of cir
to catch him next time"
And Satan would concentrate his forces
% this one man, and the last state of |
hat man would be worse than the
irst. My friends, our faces are in the
light direction. Better go for
ward than backward, even IL we
lad the choice. The greatest dis
lster can think of would be for you
n return to boyhool in 1898. Oh, if
r Il