The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-11-12
gladly eliminate the misdeeds that ne


cessitate it.
Most of us incline to the conviction
that we could lead better life if we
had better income and got it easier.
Easy money has brought many man
to hard labor" We grudge the time
and thought we have to devote to
money getting, or to spreading rather
q thin layer of funds over large area
of expenditure. If we were richer
maybe we would have more time and
inclination to be good. If the margin
between our needs and our receipts
were little wider, we could practice
divers virtues of benevolence. If we
could live under such reasonable con-
ditions as we would choose, and be quit
of sundry trials and annoyances that
assail our tempers and strain our pa
tience, surely we. should make out bet
ter. If we had better time we could
lead better life-thatis what most of us
are prone to think, and we are apt. &C.
cordingly, to try hard to have better
time, and to enlarge our means, if pos
sible, to that end. So long as we make
the end fit the means by legitimate
practices and conscious rectitude of
purpose there will not be the ignOmini-
Gus failure that so many of us are now
experiencing.
We are told that in these days Amer
leans are in greater haste to be rich
than any people. Very likely. And
probably it is partly because we are
such an aspiring people, and because so
many of us long to lead better lives.
The reasoning that armies of us seem to
follow is: "Be rich and you will be hap
py; be happy and you will! be good"
1t is not altogether false reasoning.
The cid saw that used to be in all the
copy-books in school was, "Be virtuous
and you will be happy" Now, it is a
poor saw that won't cut both ways.
We can't lay do wn, "Be happy and you
will be virtuous" as sure rule, but
still it is fair corollary to the other
more important propositions. Certain
ly folk who are happy-truly happy
are more apt to be good, and have less
excuse for not being good, than those
who are wretched. Certainly, too, folk
who have what they consider about
enough to live on are more apt to be
happy than those who have not That
you want to get rich means in these times
hardly more than that you are civilized
and have developed wants; and we
certainly believe that we are warranted
in considering the civilized people in
the world who keep wanting to grow
richer better people than the less civi
lized peoples who have little regard for
money. The general impulse to make
more money is defensible at least, espe-
cially when we consider the cases of
lazy persons who seem not to be doing
their best in that line.
ALI the same, when my fellow peni-
tent longs to lead better life it does
not merely mean that he wants to be
richer. Bread and such things are in
dispensable, but man does not live by
bread only; and it isn't the lack of
bread, nor even of automobiles and
steam-yachts, that you and and our
fellows are conscious of when we have
these yearnings for betterment. They
mean that we are tired of being con-
fessed and conscious sinners day in
and day out, and should like to square
our conduct with higher standards.
We should like to be only ABOUT 50 sell
fish as to save prudent persons the
trouble of taking care of us; only
about so thrifty as to avoid having
sound reasons to regret that we were
not thiftier; only about SO critical OF
our neighbors as is indispensable te
the maintenance of proper standard
] of righteousness; only nice enough al
, to our employments to secure our doing
the sort Of work suited to bring out tht
best we have in us. Perpetual self-seek
ing, and self-coddling, and the avoid
, ance of all avoidable pains and duties
! ought to make us disc0ntented, ant
they do. Part Of our time and strength
! we have need to devote to labor
!, whereof the pay comes not in cash, no
in ordinary pleasures or advantages
! but in satisfsctions which are spiritua
: and benefit our souls. We all know
t that theoretically; but in practice "
are very apt to overlook It. When "