Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-12-28
MICAH CLARKE
) ) By A. Conan Doyle. > y

VIII ever peep through Now this car
pehter and seaman show themselves no
doubt for what they are. a man might
Know my friends of the court for life
| time, and never come upon their real
serves, nor would it perhaps repay the
search when You had come across it,
Sink me, but | wax philosophical, which
Is the old refuge Of the ruined man.
Give me tub and shall set up in the
piazza of COvent Garden. and be the
! Diogenes of London. l would not be
old Tilt?
Our money shall never indite us
Or drag us to Goldsmith Hall
No pirates or wrecks can alright US.
We that have no estates
Fear no plumber or rates.
Nor care to lock gates.
He that lies on the ground cannot fan.
That last would make a good motto for
| an almshoIlse."
You viii have Sir Stephen up" said
| l, warningly, for he was caroling away
at the pitch of his lungs
Never fear! He and his prcntices
We're all at the broadswOrd exercise in
the hall as | came by. 1t is worth some
| thing to see the old fellow stamp. and
swing his sword, and cry 'Ha" on the
down-cut. Mistress Ruth and friend
| Lockarby are i'll the tapestried room. she
spinning and he reading aloud one of
would have me read. Methinks she hath
taken his conversion in hand, which may
end IN his converting her from a maid
! Inte wife. And so you go to the Duke
Iof Beaufort. Well, l would that | could
| travel with you. but Saxon will not hear
of 1t, and my musketeers must he my
hrSt care. God send you safe back!
| Where is my jasmine powder and the
patchboX! Read me your letters if there
be aught in them of interest. | have
! been splitting a flask with our gallant
colonel at his inn. and he hath told me
enough Of your home At Havant to make
me wish to know more
This one is somewhat grave" said |.
Nay, l am in the h&.hor for grave
things. have at il if it contain the whole
Platonic philosophy"
" lis from the venerable carpenter who
hath for many years been my adviser and
! friend. He is one who is religious with
| out being sectarian, philosophic without
being partisan, and loving without be-
ing weak"
"A paragon. truly" exclaimed Sir Ger
! vas, who was busy with his eyebrow
| brush.
This is what he saith" | continued.
| and proceeded to read the very letter
which | now read to you.
Having heard from your father my
| dear lad, that there was some chance of
L (
written this, and am now sending it I'M
| der the charge of the worthy John Pack
| lngham Of Chichester. who is bound for
| the west L trust that you are now safe
| with MOnmouth's army and that you
Will find among your comrades some who
are extreme sectarieS and others who are
| sc0fferS and disbelievers. Be advised by
me- friend, and avoid both the one and
the other. For the Zealot is Il man who
not only defends his own right of wor-
ship wherein he hath justice, but wishes
TO impose upon the consciences of 9TH
efs, by which he falls into the very err
ror against which he fights. The mere
brainless seoffer is, on the other hand,
lower than the beast of the field, since he
| lacks the ANIMALS self-respect and hum
bic resignation
MY faith cried the baronet The
Old gentleman hath rough side to his
tongue
:" Let us take religion upon its broad
est base, for the truth may be broader
than aught which we can conceive The
presence of a table doth prove the exist
ence of a carpenter, and so the presence
of universe proves the existence of a
universe maker, call Him by what name
YOU will. So far the ground is very firm
beneath us, without either inspiration,
teaching, or any aid whatever. Since.
then, there must be a world-maker. let
us judge of His nature by His work
We cannot observe the glories of the
ornament its infinite extent, its beauty
and the divine skill wherewth every
plant and animal hath its wants cared
for, without seeing that He is full of
wisdom, intelligence and power. We are
still, you will perceive, lOon solid ground
without having to call to our aid aught
save pure reason.
Having got so far, let us inquire to
what end the universe was made. and
we put upon it. The teaching of all
nature shows that it must be to the end
of improvement and upward growth. the
increase in real virtue, in knowledge, and
in wisdom. Nature is a silent preacher
which holds forth upon weekdays as on
Sabbaths. We see the acorn grow into
the oak. the egg into the bird, the mag
got into the butterfly. Shall we doubt.
then, that the human soul, the most
precious of all things, is also upon the
upward path? And how can the soul
progress save through cultivation of
virtue and Self-mastery? What other
way is there? There is none. We may
say with confidence, then. that we are
placed here to increase in knowledge and
virtue.
"'This is the core of all religion, and
this much needs no faith in the accept
ance. 1t is as true and as capable OF
proof as one Of those exercises Of Euclid
this common ground men have raised
many different buildings. Christianity,
the creed of Mohammed, the creed of the
Easterns. have all the same essence. |
The difference lies in the forms and the
details. Let US hold to our own Chris |
tian creed. the beautiful Often-professcG
and seIdom-practiccd doctrine of love. |
but let US not despise our fellowmen, for
we are all branches from the common
root of truth.
MAN comes out of darkness into |
light. He tarries a while and then passes |
into darkness again. Micah. lad, the |
days are passing, mine as we'll as thine. |
Let them not he wasted. They are few |
in number. What says Petrarch? ITO |
him that enters, life seems infinite; TO
him that departs, nothing" Let every
day, every hour, be spent in furthering
the Creators end-in getting out what |
ever power for good there is in you. |
What is pain. or work. or trouble? The |
cloud that passes over the sun. But the |
result Of work well done is everything. |
II is eternal. Ii lives and wakes strong |
er through the centuries. Pause not for