Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-12-19

needs to restore its equipoise. What
then? Shall we despise hereoism, be-
cause it is followed by passivity? |
Shall we wish never to be excited, be-
cause we are sometimes depressed
never to have our hearts trimming
over with love and sympathy, because
later on they may be less full-or !
our spirits lifted into the heights of |
| joy, because afterwards they will oc
cupy a lower plane? On the con |
trary, we should prize these great |
moments of life as treasures of ines
Unable value We shall live higher, !
better and happier lives for their in
fuence. Lowell says
1.-THE thing we long for, that we are
For one transcendent moment.
And we can never quite go back to
where we were before. The eager
reformer who in his enthusiasm
goes to extremes which are imprac-
teal, produces reaction in the pub
lie mind against his cause and a loss
of respect for him. Yet the cause,
if it be a worthy one, will eventually
triumph, though in a different way
from what he expected. Slowly the
community will accept the higher
standard, gradually plans and meth
DDS will be adjusted to it; what
seemed at first impossible will be
achieved, and life will be better
| Mouth Btipy than . uac hoforo
Just so with the exceptional glad
ness which lifts our spirits up today;
it cannot continue uninterruptedly in
its fulness; it may even be followed
by a season of depression but 1t will
never be entirely lost; the rest of
life will be all the richer for our
present enjoyment. provided only that
it be pure and innocent in its nature
and uplifting in its influence. II
we bear this thought in mind 1t will
tide us through many a season of
apparent discouragement Most OF
us have times of exaltation when hope
is buoyant and life is rose colored.
1t seems easy at such times to be en-
ergetic or resolute or heroic, to make
sacrifices to live up to our ideals.
We think we shall always be upon
these heights and scorn the thought
of any downfall. Sometimes it is
one of life's prominent events which
has thus lifted us. In youth it may
be the beginning of n college course
or the entrance into business, or ii
may be new friendship. marriage,
great success in life, or 1t may be
some grand new thought that has
taken hold of us, or some fervent
emotion that sways us. or some ear
nest hope which wells up within us
After a time the new event grows
old. the extraordinary becomes com
monplace, the rose color fades. the
hopes when fulfilled have not quite
the radiance we expected; or perhaps
they are not fulfilled, disappointment
comes, plans fail, friends grow cold.
enthusiasm flags, our powers are in
adequate In any event. however,
the excitement is over, and we look
back and wonder how we could have
been so full of hope or love or Joy or
purpose when now it is all tame. fiat
and depressing. Perhaps we even
wish we had never been upon these
heights. We think they were only
visionary and delusive. and that our
bright hopes and joys were some
thing now to be regretted as foolish
and vain. Let us forever Danish such
thoughts. Nothing that raises the
tide OF life within us can ever be in
vain. No bright vision will entirely
fade away, no pure thoughts or high
resolves or brilliant hopes or glad
some hours will utterly forsake us.
We shall be stronger and richer and
happier because we have had them,
even IL they seem to have disap-
peared.
If we carry this thought with us
it will enable us to perform the or
binary duties of everyday life more
perfectly and more easily. We shall
tread the valleys of life with a firmer
step for the bracing air which we in
hailed when on the mountain-top. As
Matthew Arnold has said
THE tasks in hours of insight willed
Can be through hours of gloom full
- filed"
t. Let us then freely rejoice in this
e our Christmas Day. Let us join
/ heartily in all its festivities and re
&c unions in the glee of the children and
n the good cheer of the poor, in the hap
4 piness that may come to us and in
ir that which we may be able to be-
stow upon others; above all, let us
not regard it as a day of mere ephem.
eral pleasure, but rather as a glowing
page in our book of life, which we
:, shall, indeed, turn over but whose
:, memory will be enshrined within our
y hearts and whose spirit will be an up
10 lifting influence in our lives