Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-07-21


thing imaginable would be II second jour
ncy of life. 1t is amusing to hear people
say, II would like to live my life over
again If could tako my present expert
cncc and knowledge of things back with
me and begin under those improved aus
pieces" Why, what an unintercsting boy
you would be with your present attain
ments in q child's mind No ono would
want such boy around tho housc-a phi
losopher at 90, scientist Mt 10, an archie
ologist at 10 and domestic nuisance all
the time. An oak crowded into an acorn.
A Rocky mountain eagle thrust back into
tho cggshcll from which it was Matched.
Lifc's Sadnesscs.
Besides that, If you took life over again
you would have to take it's deep sadncsscs
over again. Would you want to try again
the gricfs, and tho hoartbreaks, and tho
bcrcavcmcnts through which you have
gomez What a mercy that we shall novcr
be called to suffer them againl We may
have others bad enough, but those old
ones never again. Would you want to go
through tho process of losing your father
again, or your mother again. or your com
panion in life again, or your child again2
If you were permitted to stop ut the six
ticth milestone, or tho flftieth milestone
or tho forticth milestone and retracc your
steps TO the twentieth, your experience
would be something like mine ono No
vcmbcr day in Italy. walked through
great city with frlond and two gnldos,
and there were In all the city only four
persons, and they were those of our own
group. Wo went up and down the streets.
Wo entered tho houses, tho museums, tho
temples, tho thCatcrs. We examined the
wonderful pictures on the walls and the
most exquisite mosaic on the floor. In
tho strcots were tho deep worn ruts of
wagons, but net wagon in tho city On
the front stops of mansions the word wei
come" in Latin, but no human being to
greet us. The only bodies Of any of tho
citizens that we saw wcro petrifled and in
the museum at the gates. or the 35, 900
people who once lived in those homes and
worshipcd in those temples and clapped in
those thcntcrs not ono left For 1900
| years that city of Pompeii had bcon buried
before modern exploration scoopcd out of
| it the lava of Nesuvius. Well, he who
| should be permitted to return on tho path
| way of his earthly life and live it over
| again would find as lonely and sad pill
| grimagc. 1t would be an exploration Of
the dead past. The old schoolhousc, the
old church, tho old home tho old play
ground, either gone or occupied by others,
and for you moro depressing than was our
Pompciian visit that November day.
| Besides that, would you want to risk
tho temptations of lfo over agaipY From
the fact that you are hero l conclude that,
though in many respects your life may
have been unfortunate and unconsccratcd,
you have got on SO far tolerably we'll, II
nothing more than tolerablo. AS for my
self, though my life has been far from be-
ing as consecrated to God as / would like
to have had it, would not want to try 1t
over again, lest next time l would dc
worse.
Why, just look Mt tho temptations we
have oil passed through and Just look ut
the multitudcs who have gone completely
undcrl Just call. over tho roll of your
schoolmateS and college mates, the clerks
who were with you In tho Same store OF
bank or tho operatives in the Same factory
with just as good prospects as you, who
have como to complete mishap. Some
young man that told you that he was go
ing to be millionaire, and own the fast
est trottcrs on tho turHpikc, and retire by
the tIpo he was 35 years Of age, you dc
not hear from for many years and know
nothing about him until some day he
comes into your store and asks for cents
to get mug Of beer.
Another Life Might BE Worse.
You, the good mother of household
and all your children rising up to call yot
blessed, can remember when you were
quito jealous of the belle Of the village
who was SO transccndcntly fair and popu
lar. But while you have these two honor
able and quccnly names of wife and moth
er she became u poor waif of the stree
and went into tho blackness OF darkness
forever, Live life over AGAIN. Why, /
many of those who arc respectable wcr
} permitted to experiment, tho next journc.
would be demolition. You get through
as Job says, by the skin Of your teeth
Next time you might not get through n
all. Satan would say, II know him nov
better than did before and have for s
years been studying his weaknesses, and
will weave n stronger web of circum
stances to catch him next time" An
satan would concentrate his forces on thi
one man, and the last state Of that ma
) would be worse than the first. My friends
, orr faces arc in tho right direction. Bet
T ter go forward than backward, even If W
l had the choice, The greatest disaster
= can think of would be for you to rctur
5 to boyhood in 1898. Oh, If life were
smooth Luzcrnc or Cayuga lake, woul
n like to get into yacht and sail over il
I not once, but twice-yca, n thousan
4 times But life is an uncertain sea, an
o some of the ships crash on the iccbergs {
= cold indifference, and some take fire {
o evil passions, and some loso their bearing
s and run into tho Goodwin sands, and son
!, are never heard Of. Surely on such
t trcachorous sea as that one voyage
!, enough.
o Besides all this, do you know, II yo
" could have your wish and live life oy'
h again it would put you SO much furth,
q from reunion with your friends in HEAVIER
n If you are in the noon of life, or the evel
10 ing Of life, you arc not very far from Il
n golden gate ut which you are to me-
h your transported and unparalleled love
y ones You are now, let us say, 90 years
It ten years or one year off from celcst
10 conjunction. Now, suppose you wei
n back in your earthly life 30 years or
IS years or 80 years, what an awful pos
< ponement of the time of rcunionl 1t wou
70 be as though you were going to san Fra
Ut cisco TO q great banquet, and you got
10 Oakland, four or Ave miles this side OF
|, and then came bnck to Baltimore to get
III better start, as though you were going
England to be crowned, and, having con
in sight of the mountains of Wales, "
TX put back to Sandy Hook in order to ma
a better voyage. Would you like for ma
20 years to adjourn the songs of heaven,
u, adjourn tho thrones of heaven, to adjou
Id the companionship of heaven, to adjou
err the rest of heaven, to adjourn the preser