The Forrest City times., 1900-06-15


Each one is bound TO another by some |
lie as blood, hope, pride or fear, but the |
most character subsists In another when |
we are bound by the tie of Friendship. y
When man Is Indifferent to the warning
influences OF Friendship, mo matter how
high he may be in political or social influ-
cree, he Is to be pitied. for some day he
will feel seeniy his !owly position and
will count "true friends worth more than
the power Of gold.'
Charity is friendship in common, and
friendship is charity inclosed. The Ian
guage OF friendship is as varied as the
wants and weaknesses of humanity. 10
the timid and cautious 1t speaks words of
encouragement; to tina weak 1t is ready to
extend helping hand; to the bold and
venturesome 1t whispers words of caution.
1t is ready TO sympathze with the SORROW
ing one and rejoice with those of good
cheer.
Friendship is not confined to any par
ticular class of society or to any special
geographical locality, nor did it have its
origin in this age. We can scarcely open
any volume of antiquity without being
reminded OF what an excellent and price,
less thing is friendship.
Cicero, Rome's greatest orator, said of
it: "They seem to take away the sun
from the world who withdraw friendship
from life, for we have received nothing
better from the immortal Gods-nothlng
more delightful"
The strength of friendship is proverbial
and In such cases as that of David and
Jonathan II Is described as surprising
the love Of a woman. No surveyed chart.
no natural boundary line, no rugged
mountain or declining vale puts limit to
the growth of friendship.
Wherever it is watered with dews Of
kindness and affection there you will be
sure to find it. Friendship will bloom
only In the soil of noble and
selfsacritioing heart, there it enjoys per-
petual summer, diffusing sweet atmos-
phere of love, peace and job to all around.
There is verse in the bible which
reads thus:
mo man liveth unto himself.o
Consequently no man can go far with
strength and courage If he goes alone
through the weary struggle of life. Oc-
casionaly we find person who, from
singularity of disposition affects to be al
together independent of the notice or re.
gard of his fellow beings, but never yel
has there been constituted human hear
that did not at some time long for the
sympathy OF other hearts. True friend.
ship can only be moulded by the expert
ence of time, for, as some great writer has
| said.
Friendship is no plant of hasty growth
Though rooted in esteems great, deer
soul, the slow.
And gradual (ISTERcoURsE) culture OF
intercourse,
Must bring it to perfection"
The attractive face or winning tongue
is not the permanent test of the unior
of hearts. There have been times In thu
| life of man when he has been willing ts
stake reputation, credit - all, on thu
friendship of someone, but he turns Il
find his idol clay, his gold but dross.
4 To 81
cure in the course of life the Happiness.
and advantage of one efficient, devoted
friend, for
True friends are like diamonds,
Precious, but rare.
While false friends are like autumn leaves
Found every where"
All of the purity and happiness of ou
lives depends on our making a wise choic,
of our friends. 1t is right for us to bs
courteous and considerable of everyon,
with whom we are thrown in contact, but
to choose them as real friends is another
matter. Friendship is for aid and com
fort through all the relations and passages
or life, 1t Is not only mt for serene days
graceful gifts and country rambles, bu
also for rough roads and. hard fare, ship
wreck, poverty and persecution.
Friendship may be compared to a vast
which, when 1t is tlawed by accident OF
violence, may as we'll be broken at once
it can never be trusted afterwards.
The more graceful and ornamental II
was the more clearly do we discern the
hopelessness of restoring it to its former
condition.
Coarse stones, If they are fractured
may be cemented together again-precious
ones never. Adversely is the only tru.
balance in which to weigh friendship
True friendship must withstand tn,
shocks OF adversely before it is entitled /,
the name, since friendship born in adj
versity Is more firm and lasting thar
those formed in happiness, as iron is tn,
more firmly united the fiercer the flame
One never has the least difficulty in find