Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-09-16
The Seven Ages.
.Publshed hy courlesy of the w oman's Cl


'Al the worlds a stage,
And all the men and womea merely players.
They have their exits aud their entrances;
And one man m his time plays many parts,
Ills acts being seven ages
In the church of Stratford-on- Avon,
of interest TO all Shakespeare lovers as
the burial place Of the great poet, Is a
memorial window, Americas tribute of
affection and admiration. The window
represents by scripture illustrations the
melancholy Jacques familiar soliloquy
upon the Seven Ages" in "As You
! Like It," The child Moses, found in
the bulrushes, illustrates infancy; the
dedication of Samuel in the Temple,
Childhood the meeting of Jacob with
Rachel at the We'll Youth; Joshua,
armed and equipped for battle, Early
Manhood solomon on his throne ludg-
| ing between the contending mothers,
Later Manhood Abraham entertaining
angels unawares in his tent, Old Age;
Isaac deceived by Jacob, Second Child
hood.
The artist locks at the window from
the aesthetic standpoi nj, and has his own
thoughts about it. The poet and the
poet worshiper see in il representation
of the myriad minded Shakespeare him
self who penetrated into the mystery OF
human life rs few have the power TO do.
The mOralist sees on the painted glass
an allegory, not of his own life's history
alone, but of that of all who have gone
before him. or who shall come after.
He, too, has his thoughts, and if be is ii
preacher he gives them TO the congre-
cation in the form of a series of inspir-
ing sermons, as Lyman Abbott has
lately done. If his path in life is a
more obscure one, that of semi
siOnal newspaper correspondent for
instance, he yet has his thoughts and
gives them 60 thOse-WhO may desire
them.
First upon the stage comes babyhood
with its regal diguities, and holding in
Is hand loves powerful cepter. What
infinite capacities are in that little brain
Eighty in word and deed j. he learned
n all the wisdom of the Egyptians; a
lawgiger, before whose commands all
bow alike. including mother, sister, and
The princess; ii deliyerer OF mis- p5ople
from the oppression OF "A selfish, sOrdid,
unlOying life.
Such is babyhood, aud when it de-
veloped into childhood, as it does in an
incredibly short time, and the infant
Moses becomes the child Samuel our
interests deepcns as the possibilities for
good and evil in the young mind and
heart take more definite shape, and we
realize that what was but yesterday an
infiuitesimal bit of humanity. is learn
ing Someth ng of the secret of life. How
important thai mental and spiritual
culture 90 side by side About two
years ago, "A remarkable book was pub
lished in France. Its author is mem
Der of the Courts of Appeals, Pro
testant. and man OF liberal spirit. His
book, entitled Crime and the School
was based upon "a careful study of the
statistics of child-crime during the ten
years or more since education Was taken
out Of the hands of the priests. The
statistics showed such an alarming IN
crease in child-crime and especially in
child suicide, that the author cOulo
reach only one conclusion; that no
mental training. no teaching of practi-
cal morality even, however carefully
applied to the child's needs, can take
he place in the development of his
character that is taken by spiritual
things In no country, it has been said,
is the art of cOnmou school education
carried 20 higher point than in France.
The French school-child is q very highly
trained little being, SO far as his mind
goes, and his morals are by no means
neglected; but, rs the author OF Crime
and the School" truly observes, the
education Of the mind ard morals is one
thing, that of the spirit another We
have had illustrations enough in liter
AIRY history 10 give ground for the as
sertiOn, that the natural result Of high
culture Is pesslmiSm. 1t Is easy 10 see
how this tendency would be increased
by leaving the spiritual nature untrain
ed. Think of the profound Iessimism
of the little child who, at the age of
nine or twelve, seeks relief from the
troubles OF life in suicide. \ happy,
innocent childhood has great influence
upon character but this not all II be-
comes food 20 the ,oul in after years,
and its pure simple joys become wells to
draw from on the dusty highway of life.
This process Of Renaissance enters more
largely into the adult life than we are
apt 20 suppose, and it grows upon US
with the years.
But suddenly, so suddenly sometimes
that there seems no transition period
the child becomes a youth Jacob meets
Rachel at the well, and life is changed
forevermorc. Rachel sees in Jacob the
hero of her imagination, and Jacob sees
in Rachel the perfect woman, nObly
planned" for whom he Is willing 20
serve twice seven years. Who can tell
what share this love had in the trans
formation of a naturally grasping ma.
ture that could drive a hard bargain
with n brother and deceive dying
father
Both the artist and the poet agree in
taking the soldier as a type of early
manhood. Ii we ask what characters.
tic of the soldier recommends him as Il
fitting illustration, the answer must be
Courage :" not rashnoss, but courage
born of sublime faith. 1t has been
said by a recent writer that the latent
possibility of heroism which seems 10 be
shared by the race, is one of the most
inspiring facts about humanity and in
great crises selishness and frivolity are
cast aside like masks in show, andthe
man stands forth The experience
through which our nation has just pass
ed, has afforded opportunity that has
been utilized for brilliant heroic deeds,