Arizona silver belt., 1901-02-07
Success and Failure.

IL Corinthians, iy,, IS.
 | It is very necessary to define failure | and success before you attribute the one or the other to yourself. It IS l barely possible that man who has utterly failed may regard his life as a success, or that one may think he has failed when, in point of fact, he has succeeded
 The experiences through which we pass on the way from cradle to heaven arc simply so many opportunities. If we use them and make the best and most of them we achieve our highest mission, while if they slip by us unim- proved we lack the growth, the devel- opment which they were intended to produce. Life in it's earthly aspect, if looked upon from the vantage groand of religion, is the school in which the soul gets acquainted with itself, makes an appraisement of its own powers, discovers its destiny stretching far be- yond the narrow limits of the present and prepares itself for its real career, which begins after the waking from the sleep of death.
 It is duty to search for happiness wherever it may be found, and it is a positive crime to fret and worry be- cause you are not in the environment which you think would be more fitting to your capacity. Happiness, how ever, is simply incidental to an honest purpose, an unfaltering faith, the con sequence of harmony between your | will and Gods commands, while the real end of living is the formation of healthy, large, wholesome and gen erous character, to which every change of circumstances may be made to con ! tribute. The man who has well rounded and we'll balanced character, who is kindly in his attitude, optimis- tic in his outlook, will get all the good out of life which Omnipotence has put into it, and so be as happy as human nature permits; but the happiness is a side issue, and the character which makes it possible is the main point. Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you. ! lt is the kingdom which rises to su- I preme importance, ana "all these | things" are the logical result of it. ! The search for happiness without first searching for righteousness reminds ! one of the traveller who sees the mirage l of an oasis in the desert and thinks to lie on its green grass and drink at it's fountain, when in fact he will die of thirst before he gets there.
 Your life is not failure because you are doomed to hard work aud con stant struggle with adversity Hard work is the normal necessity of spirit ual growth The man who can afford to be indolent may excite your envy, but he ought not to be your ideal. Foil is divine. My father worketh hitherto, and l work" He who goes 10 his daily task with cheerfdlneSs makes hls life prayer and blessing. The carpenter or mason who puts his soul into his labor and forces each day to add to his skill is as truly con. tribuLor to the worlds wealth, to it's dignity, to it's grandeur as the prophet of old who sacrificed his life to the truth and then went to heaven in q chariot Of fire.
 If one lives for himself alone he fails If, on the contrary, he lives in the narrowest possible circle, but IS helpful, warm hearted, kindly, the magnetism of his character fills the very air which his neighbors breathe and snbtle influence goes forth from his srraitened circumstances which is as grateful as the perfume Of flowers | He is like sunshine in dark corner; l he is like the echo of music in a wild waste; he is Gods minister without l the robes of office There is nothing grander than filling small place in q large way, nothing nobler than to live your little life with generous heart and a helping hand.
 Your life is not failure because there is sorrow and trouble in it. The night is needed as well as the day and the storm as well as the blue sky. Many man has lost a dear one and found heaven and peace. Sor- rows rust the chain which binds Us to earth and set the soul free. It is a strange fact that eyes when filled with tears will see more than eyes that brim with laughter. With good fortune only our wings take downward dip, but with bereavement we learn to soar. The grave grows eloquent of immortality and the mufiied heart dreams of reunion. Gods hand is heavy, but His love is never dim.
 Instead, therefore, of finding fault with Providence, put yourself into harmony with Providence. You may not change your surroundings, but you can change yonr attitude toward them. Do your duty wherever you are placed; make your years a temple A s.