The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-09-17
THE MURMUR
OF THE WORLD

Men who live by themselves and for
themselves do not grow in the graces of
life. Their souls shrivel. They become
hardened, narrow, ungenerous, conceited-
"wretehes concentered all in self" They see
not the sunbeams 1eck the flowers; see not
the flowers at all except as useless weeds
that cumber the earth. Bird notes are no
more to them than the cali of cats. The
unspeakable sweetness of dawn's soft
rustic means for them but another
day to be lived through; the fall of
dusk but the approach of another
night wherein selfish dreams or
death may come They perceive not the
golden light of the one nor the starlit way
of the other. To them 1t is day, 1t is night,
each meaningless of beauty. Other men
are to be avoided, and If not avoidable,
merely tolerated. Women are Stunned.
The laughter OF little children is riotous
discord. All love- save love of themselves.
is abominable and fruitful of unrest to con-
sciences that are not clean. Music Is intol-
cradle and charity an outcast. Hope is a
lie and faith is folly. The place of such
men in the divine plan of salvation is left
for the owls and bats of selishness and
greed. They elect to walk outside the pale
of human affection and sympathy, and
reckon as dross all that ennobles the lives
of men and women, and carpets with daffo-
dis the way of childhood They are law,
religion and creed unto themselves, the
men who live by themselves and for them
selvs.
The intermingling of men and women in
generous social communion Is essential to
the maintenance of civilization, and the pre-
servation of the human race from sayag-
cry and ultimate cannibalism. Boaz must
needs know Ruth and Ruth Boaz; Damon
shall know Pythias and Pythias shall know
Damon. Hail and good morrow must echo
In every street; good-morning and good
night in every home. Fathers and mothers
shape the destlnies of our race; the church
is the inspiration of our purer thoughts
We laugh in the playhouse and dance in
the ballroom. Introspection discovers us to
ourselves; fellowship enables us to know
others. Companionship cheats sorrow of
its sting, banishes melancholy, and bright
ems all the world of our vision and our
dreams Hand by hand friends walk the
appointed way with shout and song, I'M
weary and unafraid, living protests against
the man wrapped in the unlighted solitude
of self. Amongst the shadows that fall
upon mankind the shadow of self is the one
which is endured with least grace, with tho
smallest degree of forbearance 1t is such
a contemplate thing, is selfshness; SO far
removed from the nobler impulses that
make for better things in world in which
there iS of bo oct c.
sin Is selfshness that in the earliest teacn-
ings of childhood innocence is trained to
avoid 1t unrighteous and all good wom-
en-, and men, seek to inculcate the truth
beginning with the boy who sickens on a
cake not shared with his mates, and end
ing with the purse-proud oppressor who
would deprive labor of it's daily bread; he
who would revel in riches while human
beings around him starved.
The better side of human character Is
an expanding quality, praise all goodness!
Nhen rich man dies nowadays the first
question asked as to the disposition of his
wealth is for information regarding his
charitable requests. The public desires to
Know II he founded an asylum, endowed a
ward in charity hospital, or made other
~ tHc helpless poor. We read
ABOUT ana discuss his palaces and other.
maternal evidences of earthly riches for
when there is no room in the tomb But
that Tor which we thirst is the knowledge
thde ne lett something to feed the hungry
clolne the naked, house the homeless, sue
Col COZ the suHerlng, soothe some of the null
tituoe VINO people the vast Empire of Pain.
mere man mas been laid to sleep there
may rise a mountain of flowers, but the
tear or charity Is needed to make them
beautiful Cooper, Montefore, Hirsch-
Two or them Jews, by all that is merciful
ana blessed! These are the illustrious he
roes of the worlds emancipation from SOL
hshness and greed. They wrought for
charity lived for charity and when thew
passed to the Unseen charity was chief
mourner.
-
All real charity springs from forqotf,1-
ness of self in remembering others rha
man who withdraws himself from nboio
some contact with his physical Eira 80
gets his duties to society et large or 20
Numbering remembers TO hate H. ra,,ae
from the domain of ioy. and nnon bis IittIo