The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-07-23
THE IDEAL LIFE.
BY Rey. Joseph SiIvermar

| And he said, Go forth and stand
upon the mountain before the Lord
l. King xix, IL.
There are times when we who have
lived constantly in the valleys become
dissatisfied with our surroundings,
with the commonplace scenery, the
narrow horizon and contracted vision,
and look with envious eyes to the few
who have succeeded in climbing to the
mountain top. Then, under some sud
den spell, we summon up courage,
gather our feeble strength, and at
tempt to climb the steep and rugged
ascent. And when at last after many
trials and failures, we reach the sum-
NIT we are fully rewarded for our ex-
ertions by the glorious sight before us
and by the exhilaration of the upper
air.
Those in the valley can see only
small part Of the worlds wonders
here field, a garden there cavern.
a river. or lake. Upon the mountain
top the sublime and awe inspiring
prospect Of the worlds wonderful de-
sign, beauty, majesty, and power
bursts full upon the eye. From be-
low we saw only a few peaks; from
above hundreds Of peaks come into
view. hundreds of smaller mountains,
separated by undulations Of green for
ests or by silver threads of limpid wa
tiers. From below we had a limited
outlook. saw only our own confined
surroundings-a few peasants, vilag-
ers, or conceited tOwnspeople; beheid
only petty affairs of mundane life,
which seemed Of such paramount I'M
portance to the denizens Of the valley.
From the heights we have, compare
lively speaking. an almost unlimited
horizon and can see at glance many
cities and villages, and in the distance
hills and valleys, rivers and lakes, and
beyond the mighty ocean embracing
all things. From above all great cities
seem but as toy village men and
women as tiny miniatures, and our
seemingly vast enterprises as the block
houses of children at play. Standing
there ON the mountain. top, In the very
presence Of the Lord, as 1t were, upon
the throne of creation, we seem to
realize q sense of our greater selves
and our larger possibilities, and to
feel that the people and the things
we have left below are but the chrysa-
lis from which we have escaped that
the world in the valley is but the step
ping stone to the higher world above.
There are luminous hours in our
lives when the soul yearns to eman-
cipate itself from the limitations I'M
der which it was born and has con-
tinued to exist, and seeks to rise to
some higher estate of manhood or
womanhood. We have at times Wis
ions of men and women who have
risen to spiritual heights which we
aspire to reach. They seem to live on
the mountain tops of life and enjoy
greater and broader view of human
affairs. They are men of unusual wis
dom, profound reason, of uncompro-
missing convictions; men who stand on
the vantage ground of truth. who love
righteousness, execute justice, and
walk humbly before their God; broad
gauge men, full of sympathy and love
for humanity; wholesouled men and
women who can smile benignly and
speak graciously, yet wisely; philan-
thropists, lovers Of mankind, who tenn
per justice with mercy. judgment with
charity, and who, like divinity, are pa
tient, long suffering, and abundant in
kindness and mercy
In our better moments we seek to
stand upon such lofty plane. Our
ordinary lives seem commonplace,
'stale, fiat, and Improbable" We go
constantly through the same routine
of eating and drinking. sleeping and
waking The great masses seem like
thousands and millions and myriads Of
molecules and organized cells that
contribute to the mechanism of the
universe. We seem often to be only
as the small teeth on the cog wheels
of human and cosmic life, rotating
upon one another TO move some other
set of wheels, and thus transmit pow
er, vitality, and growth to an infinite
number Of revolving wheels. Now and
then some of us rebel against a cruel
at least an undesirable, fate or destiny.
We aspire 10 some higher existence
than that Of the beast: we want to be
something more than merely a part
of a cog wheel; we have an ambition
to be a power that moves the wheel,
to be a conscious and active directing
force, not mere passive piece of
mechanism. We wish to be not the
clay that is nodded but the potter who
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