The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-07-22


alton chance. Besides that,
If we were permitted to live life
over again, it would be a stale and
stupid experience. The zest and spur
and en- thusiasm of life come from the
fact that we have never been along
this road before, and everything is
new, and we are alert for what may
appear at the next turn of the road.
Suppose you, a man of middle or old
age, were. with your present feelings
and large attachments, put back into
the thirties, or in the twenties, or in
the teens, what a nuisance you would
be to the others, and what an unhap-
piness to YOURSELF Your contempt
raries would not want you, and you
would not want them. Things that
in your previous journey of life stirred
your henlthful ambition, or gave you
pleasurable surprise, or led you into
happy Interrogation, would only call
forth from you a disguised 20, pshawp
You would be blase at 80, and a nissan
thrope at 40, and uncomfortable at so.
The most inane and stupid thing mag
Unable would be a sc cond journey of
life. 1t is amusing to hear people say:
II would like to live my life over
again, II could take my present ex-
perience and knowledge of things
back with me and begin under those
improved auspices" Why, what an
uninteresting boy you would be with
your present attachments in child's
mind. No one would want such boy
around the house--a philosopher at 90,
eosa NteN han 81
ten and a domestic nuisance all the
time. An oak crowded into an acorn.
A Rocky mountain eagle thrust back
into the egg shell from which it was
Matched.
Besides that, IL 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 gomez What mercy
that we shall never be called to suffer
them againl We may have others bad
enough. but those old ones never
again. Would you want to go through
the process of losing your father again,
or your mother again, or your COM
panion in life again, or your child
aRainP
Besides that, would you want to risk
the temptations of life over again?
From the fact that you are here con-
conclude that though in many re-
spects your life may have been unfor-
tunate and unconse Grated, you have
got on so far tolerably well, if nothing
more than tolerable. AS for myself,
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 it over again, lest next time
would do worse.
Why, just look at the temptations
we have all passed through, and just
look at the multitudes who have gone
completely underl Just call over the
roll of your schoolmates and college,
mates, the clerks who were with you
| in the same store or bank, or the oper-
atives in the same factory, with just
as good prospects as you, who have
come to complete mishap. Some young
man that told you he was going to be
a millionaire, and own the fastest trot-
ters on the turnpike, and retire by the
time he was 35 years of age, you do
not hear from for many years, and
know nothing about him until some
day he comes into your store and asks
for FIVE cents to get mug Of beer.
Besides all this, do you know, II you
could have your wish and live life over
again, IL would put you so much
further from reunion with your friends
in Heaven If you are in the noon of
life, or the evening of life, you are not
very far from the golden gate at which
you are to meet your transported and
emparadised loved ones. You are
now, let us say, 20 years, or ten years,
or one year off from celestial conjunc-
tion. Now, suppose you went back in
your earthly life 80 years, or 40 years,
or 80 years, what an awful postpone
ment of the time of reunion! Would
J on like for many years to adjourn
the songs of Heaven, adjourn the
thrones of Heaven, to adjourn the
companionship of Heaven. to adjourn
the rest of Heaven, to adjourn the
presence of Christ in Heaven? No;
the wheel of time turns in the right
direction, and il is well il turns 50
fast. Three hundred and sixty five
revolutions in year and forward,
rather than 1865 revolutions in year
and backward.
But hear We! hear vel while tell you
how you may practically live your life
over again and be all the better for it.
You may put into the remaining years
of your life all you have learned OF
wisdom in your past life. You may
make the coming ten years worth the
preceding 40 or so years. When a man
says he would like to live his life over
again because he would do so much
better, and yet goes right on living as
he has always lived do you not see he
stultifies himself? He proves that il
he could go back he would do almost
the same as he has done.
AS soon as ship captain strikes a
rock in the lake or sea he reports IT,
and buoy is swung over that reef,
and mariners henceforth stand of
from the rock. And all our mistakes
in the past ought to be buoys, warn.
ing us to keep in the right channel