The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1904-03-02
THE GOLDEN RULE.

I It was on a Sunday afternoon in the
latter part of May, a bright. sunshiny
afternoon, while walking through the
streets of this city, our native town,
that these thoughts and reflections came
to Us. Now, our thoughts may be some.
what faneiful or broken in their tenor.
yet every one knows that it is just the
natural way in which unbidden thoughts
always come to one.
Mine we're as follows:
Our town is now overrun with new
people, and is bristling with modern i'm.
provements; it is now filed with many
get-rich-quick schemers, whose strenu.
Gus efforts, and modern methods of driv.
ing business, seem to irritate sadly. some
of our older business menn, and disturb
much the ancient mondtony of the pace.
But we suppose that it is all for she
best; that this is the awakening from
the long repose, which, however restful,
Is said 10 be not good business form,
for the development of our mineral re-
sources, and ineNhaustible native wealth.
which We, the natives. in our ignorance
and laziness have kept buried so long
among these hills.
Doubtless there have been hapless peo-
pie, the poor, afflicted, Respondent ones
OF earth, who have been at times,
thoughtful enough TO have asked them
selves the questions: "For what pur.
pose are we here!" What is the real
meaning of lifeY And unfortunately
Are such lives as ours, really, worth
the livingt'
Now, the value of each human life
ii seems TO us. must depend very much
upon its own personal ideals. as regards
The manner Of its living; whether those
ideals are broad enough, and generous
enough. and enlightened enough to EN-.
brace as brothers, ull men of all kinds.
1t least those OF our own race and ma.
tion. But the ultimate design Of the
golden rule" the rule of doing as we
would have others do to US, would seem
to be in its scope. stronger that that
The value OF each human life must
depend upon the fact whether that life
is inspired by high ideals. worthy mo,
tives. mselfish, honest ends; or whether
all the great activities of the modern
times, which are so highly lauded, arc
influenced merely by selfish motives
and that the grip-of.gree controls.
Now, il has not been regarded as a
prosperous, pecuniary rule of modern
business methods-ot least by the mod.
ern promoter-ithat "he should do Ia
others. as he would Fave Others do to
him." But rather the modern hustlcr's
rule of action is: 'Do the other fellow.
md do him first; before ne has chance
to do you up"
Now here is where trouble comes in,
he gap through which enters sin and
wrong. and human miseries and suffer
ings which in their fullness are beyond
human expression, but which the worlds
poor, afflicted. miserable ones not only
see and hear, but alas, too often feel. till
death quiets their means.
Now to divert our attention from
uch thoughts, we climbed over the stile
near the Southern Methodist church AMI
entered the old-time, lisuscd graveyard.
We broke orr way through a tangled
mass of nnderbrush, until we could read
the inscription on tombstone; ii was
that Of m ancient Official. who had serv-
cd our town and county with serupulous
honesty and answering fidelity for
many years, more than two generations
before We are told that the word
Cemetery" means "a sleeping place"
md We doubt not. after lifc's Gtful
fever" that this worthy man, this an.
cient official, who was faithful to every
luty, sleeps we'll" even in this neglect.
ed spot,
But. after all. man is a mere creature
of time. and when his time is gone he
i then as naught, and his bones are
destined to mouldef in neglected graves.
But nature in her own work is over
constant. always progressive and con