The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-02-17

X
what is doing the work of the world.
Mightier than monarchs is the quiet
thought of the people, passing from
hamlet to hamlet and growing as it
pass; more enduring than mountains
are the personal and national virtues
that are quietly and silently taught
and lived by unknown men and
women; more persistent than death
are the silent works done generation
after generation by the humble and
unseen-done because they were right
| to be done and not because they were
to be either seen or praised of men.
Humble ones everywhere, 1.-The 81
lent influence and knowledge of it's
grandeur in all history, all progress,
| all morals-makes the humblest of us
humble ones proud to live and eager
for more of the patient plodding to
which we have hitherto been confined.
We are a part of the great human
body, as much as the invisible oxygen
in us is part of us, and like if we are
in our race, no matter how small or in
significant may be our effort towards
wisdom and righteousness of life.
Purpose in life is like the sunshine
that comes over the hills to make the
way clear after night of doubt and
wandering. l am not surprised that
many people find existence altogether
too confusing and give up in despair.
1t is because they get into the maze
of life and lose hold upon the one
thread that will guide them out into
freedom, -that thread is purpose
Like the early alchemists who always
had one thing lacking when they tried
to transmute metal, many of us are
seeking the philosophers stone that
shall turn to fine gold the days and
hours that are allotted to us. Failure
follows failure, failure lives with us,
failure nauseates us because the one
thing lacking is purpose. Good, sin
cere, honest purpose is more to be de-
sired than great riches, and stronger
to sweep difficulty out of the way it is
than muscle. But the possession of
clear purpose does not necessarily
mean that all difficulties will disap-
pear. Such are good for us and test
our purpose as to whether it has the
genuine ring of pure metal about it.
assume that the preceding para
graph will be regarded as applying
most definitely to young men out in
the worlds work. But | do not want
it so applied. That's too narrow a
way of regarding it. 1t applies to us
all, as | shall show.
Weary widow, with heart crush
ed by a strange and terrible affection,
left perhaps with small children to
sustain, none of them able to help
with the family purse, except to help
empty it-look back at the first few
hours of your bereavement and recall
how the almost fierce resolve to bring
them up well in spite of every OBJ
stacle, brought some measure of quiet
orderliness to your brain and has
made the struggle seem worth while
ever since
Aged pilgrim, whose beetling brow
is covered with the SHOWS of life's
winter, lift up your head into the
sunshine, let its glorles linger around
your tempest worn face, that the
young may look up to you as a guide
and an encouragement; that they
may see what it is to have borne the
conflict and resisted the storm, to
stand at the last strongly, quietly,
brightly in the midst of light that
seems to grow more beautiful as you
sink away into the night. Purpose is
still yours to enjoy; the purpose to
guide and encourage others. That
will make the last days as beautiful
for good, as permanently useful as
any that have been before, since you
know not what. undreamed-of hero.
what budding genius you may be
stimulating;or what silent influence"
you may be inaugurating.
Maidens with knowledge of life yet
to be learned; bereaved and smitten
ones in world where there are ever
deeper sorrows than yours; men who
seek to make money for itself alone
and who lose happiness in the max
ing; young men over whose bright
way there is but the one cloud that
arises from abusing life instead of US
ing it; all, all who are weary and
heavy laden, all who are puzzled,
bewildered, lost; cling fast to one pur-
pose-to do all you can for as many
as you can as long as you can,-and
the living out of the golden rule will
make crooked paths straight and
show even the most trifiing duties to
| be worth while"
Bittinger.
Our nice sleighing snow has all dis