The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-09-29
HUMAN LIFE.
The Subject Of a Beautiful Pen Picture
by IngersoIi.

One OF the most remarkable pro
ducts Of Inger-oll's pen was hi-
essay on Life, a piece Of prose
poetry, il which he follows human
life from the cradle TO the grave.
Ii i "a follows:
"Born OF love and hope, of &c
stacy and pain. Of agony and fear,
OF tears and iOys-dowered with
the wealth OF two united hearts
held in happy arms, with lips upon
lIfe's drifted font. blue yeined and
fair, where perfect peace finds per
feet fOrm-rocked by willing feet
and wooed to shadowy shores OF
sleep by siren mother singing soft
and low-loOking with wonder :
wide and startled eyes II common
things of lite and iay-iaughi bv
want and wish and contact with the
Things that touch the dimpled flesh
OF babes-lured by light and flame
and charmed by color's wondrous
robes-learning the use Of hands
and feet, and BY the love OF mimic
~ beguiled to utter speech-re-
leasing prisoned thoughts from
Grabbed and curious marks on soil
ed and tattered leave~-puzzling
the brain with crooked numbe.s
and their changing tangled worth
and 80 through years of alternat-
ing day and night, until the cap
tive grows familiar with the chain.
and walls and Limitations OF a life.
And time runs on in sun and
shade until one of all the world l.
woced and won. and all the lore Of
love Is taught and learned again.
Again home is built with the fair
chamber wherein faint dreams. like
cool and shaiowy valleys, divide
the billOwed hours Of love. Again
the miracle Of blrih-the pain OF
JOY, the kiss Of welcome and the
cradle song drowning the noisy
prattle of babe.
And then the sense Of obligation
and Of wrong-pity for those that
toll and weep-tears for the inn
prisoned and the despised-loye
for the generous dead, ard in the
heart the rapture of high resolve.
And then ambition, with it, lust
of pelf and place and power, long
ing TO put upon its breast dis,inc-
tions worthless badge. Then
keener thoughts about men, and
eyes that see behind the smiling
mask Of craft-iiatiered no more bv
the obsequious cringe Of gain and
greed-knowing the uselessness OF
boarded gold-of honor bought
from those who charge the usury Of
self respect-of power that only
bends the towards knees and
forces from the lips of fear the lies
of praise. Knowing 1T last the un-
studied gesture Of esteem. the rev
erent eyes made rich with honest
thought, and holding high above
all other things-high "a hopes
great star above the darkness of the
dead-the love of wife and child
and friend.
Then locks Of grey and growing
love Of other days and half re-
membered things-then holding
withered hands Of thos- who first
held his, while over dim and loving
eyes death softly presses down the
lids Of rest.
And so, locking in marriage vows
his children's hands, and crossing
Others on the breasts Of peace, with
babes upon his knees.
the white hair mingling with gold.
he journeys on from day t. day to
that horizon where the dusk j. wait
ing for the night. AT last. sitting
by the holy hearth Of home as even
ing's embers change from red 10
grey, he falls to sleep within the
arms Of her he wor~hipped and
adored. feeling upon hi- pallid lips
loves last and holicst kiss =
"EIenry, why do you sm Ike con-
from morning until nighl?-
at j. the only time | get. |
sleep from night till morning. -