Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-08-26

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Una world woud he n place llled with
lhlAprahlo hllempia NJ lapnirA, be.
Hlh ia tllnk Tint II II brtIor for eneh
generation 10 have only QUO chance,
nnn thon for them 10 para on ana
rive hnolhcr generation chance. lie.
hldos That, " we we're permitted 10 live
llfo over again " would bo n stale aud
atnpld experience, The grat aud spur
ana enthusiasm Of llru come from tho
Tact thpt we have never been nlonn
VIVA rohd before, and everything Ia
new, and we are alert for what mny np.
pear ht tho n0NL turn ~ the rond Sup.
pohc YOU, n mnn OF middle or old age,
were, with your present feelings aud
largo attnInmonts, put bect into the
thlrlIcs, OF In the twcntlcs, or In the
teens, what u nuisance you would bo
To the others. aud what nn unhnppincss
To YOURSELF Your contrmpornries
would not want you, and you would
not want them, Things that In your
previous journey OF lie stirred
your beautiful ambition, or gave
you plcnsurnblc surprise, on led you
into happy interrogation, would only
call forth from you n disgustcd 80,
pshnwV You would bc blnac at 40,
aud misnnthrope ut 10, and uncn-
durable NJ 80. The most inane and
stupid thing imaginable would be II
second journey OF life, II is amusing
to hcnr people say: 81 would like TO
live my life over again, II could take
my present experience aud knowledge
OF things back with me and begin I'M
der those improved auspices" Why,
what an uninterestng boy you would
be with your present attainments in u
child's mind. Noone would want such
boy around the housc-a philosopher
at 20, n scientist ut 10, M Archaeological
at 10, and domestic nuisance all the
time. An oak crowded into an acorn.
A Rocky mountain eagle thrust back
into the egg-shcll from which il was
| hatchcd.
Besides that if you took life over
again You would have to take its deep
sadnesses over again. Would YOU want
to try again the griefs and the heart
breaks and the bereavements through
which You have gone? What n mercy
that we shall never he 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 We're permitted to stop at the
siXticth milestone, or the iiftieth mile
stone, or the fortieth Wholesome, and re-
trace your steps to the twentieth, your
experience would be something
like mine, one Novem Der day
in Italy. | walked through a
great city with friend and two
guides, q ID there were in all the city
only foui 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 mos,
exquisite mosaic on the floor In the
streets were the decp-worn ruts OF
wagons, but not Il 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 petrfied and in the museum
ut the gates. OF the $1,000 people who
once lived in those homes and wor
SHIPPED in those temples and clappe6
in those thcaters, not one left! Fol
/ $3.50 years that city OF Pompeii haC
been buried before modern exploration
scooped out of it the lava of Vesuvius
Well, he who should be permitted t.
return on the pathway Of his earthly
life and live it over again would find a.
lonely and sad pilgrimage. 1t would
be an exploration of the dead past
The old schoolhouse, the old church
the old home, the old playground
either gone or occupied by others, anC
for you more depressing than was oul
Pompeiian visit that November day.
Besides that, would you want to risl
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 unfortunat,
and uncoDsecrated, you have got on s,
far tolerably we'll, If nothing NOR
than tolerable As for myself, thougl
my life has been far from being a.
consecratcd to God as | would like Il
have had it, | would not want TO try i
over again, lest next time | would d,
worse.
Why, just look at the temptation
we have all passed through. and jus
. look at the multitudes who have gon
, completely under! Just call over tn
roll of your schoolmates and college
mates, the clerks who were with yol
i. in the same store or bank, or the opera
tivcs in the same factory, with just u
good prospects as you, who have com
to complete mshap. Some young maj
that told you he was going TO be II mil
, lionaire, and own the fastest trotter
on the turnpike, and retire by the tim
he was 81 years of age, you do not hea
, from for many years, and know moth
, ing about him until some day he come
into your store and asks for five cent
to get mug of beer.
You, the good mother of household
and all your children rising up to cal
p you blessed, can remember when yo
a were quite jealous of the belle of tn
0 village, who was so transccndentl
Q fair and popular. But while you hav
0 these two honorable and queenl
t names Of wife and mother, she becam
t a poor waif of the street, and wen
into the blackness of darkness fol
0 ever Live life over again? Why,
+ many Of those who are respectabl
D were permi ted to experiment, TIL
next journey would be demol