The silver star., 1899-04-20

from a mistaken religious view Is
nothing but unwholesome; death is
the order Of things; death has been
the forwarding of our race. How
else would all things be possible to
us, did not the exhausted and the
enfeebled give over into the charge
Of the flesh and the vigorous their
own uncompleted work? Death has
neither victory nor sting; each
Springtime proves it, each upright,
glorious youth proves it. This ac-
ceptance of a great truth produces
no fiaawkish desire to die, but iath-
er a desire to live and to be worthy
of the proud lists of the grand souis
that are gone before. Yet, ifin the
glorious Springtime of our lives, we
quietly reckon upon death as a fact
or of Our careers, we can live all the
better and stronger for it, because
we shall be freed from the fear of
death, which by strange paradox,
takes away the very joy Of living.
s**
So then; you lissom lasses aid
sineway lads, lift your eyes from
the ground and look about you;
turn your feet away from that which
is degrading and walk abroadj open
the windows of your souls to the
gentle air of a glorious universe and
learn. The glory of the trees is
that it is clothed anew in purity and
in freshness, the glory of the grass:
is thdt it fulfills its work in humil-
ity. The glory Of the crops that in
their simplicity and in their tract
ableness there is useful surrender
of themselves to Others; fof others
good.
" " "
But befouling worms do often
strip the tree of its glory, and the
fierce passioh of the sun parehes the
grass beyond redemption aud blight
and riiildew and disease destroy
crops till not only Is there no longer
any giving Of their strength to
others but the strength they have is
not even sufficient for themselves.
1 need not enlarge. The tree, THE
grass, the crops are helpless; they
cannot move away moi take shelter
What comes to them, comes and
cannot be avoided BY any effort OF
theif own, else wodld they put it
forth. It is not SO with you.
Loathsotne vices indeed there are;
scorching passion We all know and
blights have fallen on many house.
holds because those who might have
struggled against theiii, yet would
not, have been supine as trees and
made no effort to move away from
those circumstances that had in
them undoing Of character and des.
truction Of life.
bob
With you, in this tiMe oil your
suprcfhcst energy and grandest pos.
sibiiities, there is the chance to
glofify the past by making the
future yet more glorious; and yet at
the Same time the possibility Of
making the present 50 ighoble that
Il would shame your remotest sav-
age ancestor. Yodf are, It is trae,
made up of countless influences
drawn from numBcrless ancestors
good, bad ard Indifferent. But
though d tnousand shreds and
patches contribute to your make Up
yoh dare not blame wenAntis and
Failure and vice on those who have
Ssons before, You are, ana you sfe
youfSelf, with a power Of .inacper.
dent Judgment and choice, rs 70
tkSt which h right OF wiong., The
very isgt HAT yoA kpow eholsh to
BLAME lhose WHO hate rome bef9te
you u proof thdt yoa know the dif.
ference between right ia wrong,
iAd That YOU can NATE 4 choice.
BOO.
AAil d .xtA tkas arc yo!iAe AHA
tieA and bppoftAAhies IF i tfeneA.
dots ase ME Upon you. censdfy
atfides sancduaiesi 4 ushcting in 4