The Elbert County tribune., 1900-07-12
What Are We Here For {?

| Eh~ We ilSTG FOF
EDITOR Whether or
no life is worth living is said TO
depend largely upon the liver and
that organ is too often out of
harmony with the bright side of life
and its owner only sees the dull
prosaic in either nature OF man
Of course "to make a living
Is proper and necessary program
for all born of woman, but TO
make that the sole purpose of
lie, to measure every phase of ex-
istence by the dollar mark of
commerce, to see good in nothing
save as 1t adds to our bank ac-
count, is very narrow and one
sided view of the question, "what
are we here forl
An old epitaph has many grains
of truth. II is this, "what |
spent | had, what | kept | lost,
what | gave | have Enlarging
upon this thought one of our
American poets wrote under the
title "Treasure in Haaven', nc
follows:
Every coin Of earthly treasure
We have layished upon earth,
For our simple worldly pleasure
May be reckoned something worth;
Foi the spending was not losing
Though the purchase were but small;
II has perlshed in the using;
We have had it-that lie ALL
All the gold we leave behind us
When we turn to dust again,
CThough our nvariee may blind us),
We have gathered quite In vain;
Since neither can direct IT,
BY the winds Of fortune tossed.
Nor In other worlds expect It;
What We boarded we have lost
But each mercifnl oblation-
(Seed OF pity wisely sown,D
What we gave in self negation
We may ssfely call our own;
For the treasure freely given
Is the treasure that we hoard,
Since the angels keep in Heaven
What is lent unto the Lord.
We are, however, led TO believe
that the narrow, selfish view of
life, which we outlined at the
of this article, this
of being, now taken by
many, self centered as Cam ex-
pressed il in cam / my brothers
keeper, and which was in some
an after thought with
Deity is not from the Creator save
a., t.a....i..r Fs.-.--- is...s.,.l '---- L..
he sweat of your face shalt thou
Eat bread' came with banish-
ment from Eden aud was not of
he original creative fats. 1t is
1ot the purpose Of this article to
Iecry thrift, industry, forethought
these develop character. For
sven when, as Il punishment, God
cursed the earth and caused it to
bring forth thorns and brambles
His purpose properly understood
was development rather than re-
,traint. As another writer phases
t e'Does he, who driven to labor
,y the threatening weeds, and
orced to give his acres light and
lir, and traps for dew and reser-
yoirs for rain till in the smoky
ight of harvest tine the ragged
lusks reveal the golden corn,
isk truths credentials of the
weeds. One purpose is to deny
hat these are the ends rather
han the means, to deny that
a living is the sole or
wen the primary aim of existence.
That we are hero to dress and
Keep our garden of three score
,ears and ten in such a manner
hat when God shall come wqlking
herein, s.in the cool of the day" I
We shall not suddenly discover
hat we are naked in His sight
md run and hide ourselves from
he self condemnation of the hid
len monitor we call conscience. {
But rather when the summons
.omes, sssustained and soothed by
IN unfaltering trust that comes {
rom the belief that the world is {
he better for our having lived in {
t, we can approach our grave as
me who lays the drapery of his
ouch about him and lies down to {
pleasant dreams. Read the op-
ming chapter of the work of the I
,rea, Master Builder and see if