The Daily Texarkanian., 1898-03-31
LIVING FOR A PURPOSE.

If asked what Is the most direct
route 90 a penitentiarY orpoor-
bouse? common sense and expert
ence would compel Us 10 answer:
Leading an aimless, purposeless
life. The nevers satisfied wanderers
roaming from place to place with
out an aim save that Of satisfying
the imperative demands Of appetite
and vile passion form the nuclei,
from which the germs Of moral de-
cay, anarchy and crime are fonent-
ed.
There are a great many plausible
excuses advanced by social agitl-
tors TO account for all the ills that
beset body and soul in this world
but we fail to discover any of these
agitators who are willing to delye
into the full depths Of misery and
bring to the light of reason the or
ipiual, indiyidual cause of moral de-
cay. Why? Their occupation
would be gone; aud the true reason
would not please their auditors hall
as well as do the rhetorical gems
that lay the blame upon the shoul-
ders of somebody else. We all know
how pleasing 1t is to be told that
the oppressive this and that is the
cause of our misfortunes, and We all
love to pat our manly breast in a
. .caressing manner as the mental -
told you sO' convinces US that We
are heroes who have been the vic
Tins of villainous circumstances
But upon sober reflection we are
compelled to give some credence tC
the teaspoonful of modest brair
! that raps on our left ear and says
"My boy, you did it yourself with
your own little hatchet of careless
aimless living"
If man has an honest purpose il
life he will be morally honest anC
honestly happy. He may not have
mansion to live in: he NAV not
have a Moquet carpet on his parlol
| floor nor Havilaid china on his table
but he will have more real happi
ness in his home, respect in his shoI
and rich red corpuscles in his blood
than the bloated speculator who
has brought insomnia upon himsel
by lying awake solving Interest
problems in mental arithmetic.
We all assume that we are living
for the happiness that is to be de
rived from a life of freedom, and VI
conceive that this is a NOBLE anC
the only purpose OF living. Such il
correct in the abstract; but We
must first OF all remember that rea
Happiness Is the result of pur
/ pose in life and not of itself direc'
purpose. The man who starts ou
in life-as many of us have done
with the direct pursuit of pleasure
as his sole aim, is as sure to fall a
is the rubber sphere thrown on
Aaring roof. He may have millions
at his disposal yet ne can never cap
ture happiness by direct pursuit
unless he has some higher purpOs
in life, the dmusements that a
first thrilled him will pail upon hin
as the sight of tempting eatables
nauseates the dyspeptic. And if j
is thus with the rich man how mucl
more so should the moderately cir
cumstanced have an aim in life tina
will act as a sweet leaven to pro
duce the true happiness that is th
result of earnest purpose?
Be something; be somebody; hav
an aim in life if it is nothing NOR
than being a first class hod carrier
shoveler or mechanic as your abilit
will permit; a good railroad Jerry
is of more use in this word, an
. will have more pleasure out of it
than the man who has the garre
under his hat crammed full of i'm
practicable theories of prosperity
worldly conditions, II Pine Blu
Commercial.