Milford chronicle., 1901-12-20

GDIIUS 10 utlJ ALJSE w NJ Itllluiu III LuE
earthly struggle or perhaps to look at the
wondrOus spectacle of a burning planet.
Our First Trip.
But. leaving that theory aside, we are
very sure that we are for the first time
walking the earthly pilgrimage. "Ye
have not passed this way before" Every
minute is a new minute, every hour a
new hour. every century a new century.
Other folks have gone over the same road
we are travelling. but it is our first trip.
New appearances. new temptations, new
sorrows. new joys. That is the reason so
many lose their way. They meet some
one on the road of life and ask for direc-
ton. and wrong direction is given. We
have all been perplexed by instruction
after asking the way to some place we
wished to visit Some one said to US.
Take the first road to the right and,
having gone a mile on that road. take the
first road TO the left, and you will soon
reach your destination" We took the ad
vice. but our infOrmer forgot a turn in
the road or forgot one of the roads lead
ing to the left. aud we took the wrong
road and were lost in the woods. aud
night came on. and we were put to great
irritation and trouble.
The fact is blame no one for making
lifetime mistakes. pity them instead Of
blaming them. There are so many wrong
roads, but only one right one. You can
not in midlife draw upon your youthful
experiences for wisdom. for midlife is so
entirely different from youth You can
not N old age draw upon midlife expert
ences, for the two stages Of existence are
so diverse. What is wisdom for one man
to do would be folly for another to u1der.
take. A man of nerve and pluck is not
qualified to advise 4 man timid and
shrinking An achievement that would be
easy for you might be impossible for me
Human advice is ordinarily of little val.
ne People review their own successes or
failures and then tell us what is best for
US 10 do. not realizing that our circum-
stances are different, our temperament is
different. our physical and mental and
moral capacities different Most Of the
great mistakes thar have been made have
been made under human ADJUSTMENT.
So, also. it may be said to every nation
"Ye have not passed this way before"
Our own republic is going through novel
experiences. Could wispst statesmen
twenty years ago have prophpSied pres
ent conditions? Every president. every
congress. has new crises to meet and new
questions to settle. So prophecies made
about conditions in this country fifty
years from now may turn out as far IN
true as the prophecies made fifty years
ago by the greatest Of American states
men when he declared on yonder Capitol
hill that it was unwise to think Of civili-
cation or prosperity the other side Of the
Rocky mountains, and according to his
belief the Pacific coast would be the per-
petual abode of harbarians and mountain
lions. and we must not think of annexing
those forbidding regions.
The Worlds Advance.
Many prophecies in regard to our ma
ton failed and many prophecies concern
ing its future will fail because it is tray
cling a new road. Every step it takes on
that road is a novelty. The opinion Of a
Monroe or a jefferson in the far past is
not of as much value as the opinion Of
our wisest men now. How could men
know in 1873 what it would be best for
this nation to do in 1901? 1t is belitting