The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-10-23
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Paper Read Before the ChautauQua Circle.
The thing we long for, that we are
For one transcendant moment,
Ere the present, poor and bare,
Can make its sneering comment,
Still, through our paltry stir and strife,
CLOVIS down the wished ideal
And longing, molds the clay what Life
CarveS in the marble real.
Lowell
have often thought that when
Lowell wrote these lines he had in
mind just such men as are in our posi-
tion today. Probably without single
exception, every one of us have mo-
ments when the past with all it's shift
ing scenes of light and darkness rises
before us in its reality, and moments,
too, when, in looking forward, we get
a panoramic view of the future and
see ourselves just as we hope to be-
We all have an ideal and, as Lowell
says, are longing for something which
we believe our future life will carve in
the marble real. Our ideals govern us,
and what we think, we are; what we
most think of, we most resemble.
We often ask ourselves the question,
What of the future? It is proper
question, too, for man lives mostly in
the future. The one who is to have a
useful future must have some plans,
he must see visions and things beyond
the range Of the ordinary.
TO the human eye, the future is
wrapt in impenetrable darkness, known
only to Him who created the world
and holds the destiny of man in the
hollow of His hand. But divine knowl-
edge of the future is not necessary to
aid us in ascertaining what might be
the result of our constant longing for
something better. It is said that "com-
ing events cast their headlights before,
for every man carries his own head
light, his own vision which lights the
way ahead" Says the philosopher,
"Health, usefulness and success are
mine. I claim them. Keep ON, think
the thought and these blessings shall
be yours" This is what most of us
are doing and it is probably the mel
lowing influence of this inspiring
thought, together with hope and the
power of imagination, that makes us
feel akin to the world and partly recon-
Giles us to our present life. And how
much better these thoughts than to
sadly and dreamily live over the pasti
To firmly believe in and always look
forward to something better is a good
start towards the realization of our
hopes. 1t is a part of the effort, but
we must still set in motion those forces
of nature that sooner or later will
transform into an actually that which
is now merely vision.
First of all we look forward to liber-
ty, but in our thoughts it should be
that liberty which is regulated by law.
We have learned that the law is abso-
lutte and supreme; mighty monarch
: always dispensing evenhanded justice.
We should think of it as being but,
@The enlightened Interpretation of the
peoples will, something which came in
that transitory period when the world
was emerging from ignorance and vice,
the substitution Of intelligence for
force and now worked out to system
through which the collective wisdom
and intelligence of men rules the indi-
vidual man." We should realize that
those who defy this law, no matter
what may be their station in life, are
outlaws in fact and deserve the uni
versal condemnation of all law-abiding
men.
In building for the future, then, our
first thoughts should be that we will
obey and respect the law; not only the
laws of state, but as well those salutary
customs that incline to curb the greed
and avarice of men. We must first
come into this higher realization and
bring our lives into complete harmony
with the law. We can then commence
search for that which is good and right
to possess; and we will then be great
enough to attract success, which up to
the present time seems to have kept
ahead of us in the race of life.