Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-12-22

| toward the light and, TO your mind, Is
| rushing to misfortune; ! ask you to
suppress the will to live that trembles
through the immensltIes of space, to
suppress, in short, the source of life.
| Can you do it, No. Then leave us in
peace Since no one can hold life In
| check Is II not better to respect 1t
and use 1t than to go about making
other people dlsgusted with TT When
one knows that certain food Is danger
Gus to health he does not eat 1t, and
when certain fashion of thinking
robs US OF confidence, cheerfulness and
strength we should reject that, certain
not only that 1t is nutrlment noxious to
the mind, but also that 1t Is false. There
IS no truth for man but IN thoughts
that are human, and pesslmlsm Is in
human. Besides, 1t wants as much In
modesty as In logic. TO permit one
self to count as evil this prodigious
thing that we call life one needs have
seen It's very foundation, almost TO
have made 1t. What strange atti-
tude IL that OF certain great thinkers
OF our times! They act as If they had
created the world very long ago, In
their youth, but decidedly 1t was mis-
take, and they had well repented It,
Let us nourish ourselves from other
meat, strengthen our souls with cheer
ing thoughts. What is truest for man
is what best fortlnes him.
II mankind lives by confidence, 1t
lives also by hope-that form of conn
dencc which turns toward the future.
All life IL II result and an aspiration;
NIL that exists supposes an origin ana
tends toward an end. Life IL progress
sion; progression Is aspiration. me
progress OF the future Is an infinitude
OF hope. Hope IL at the root OF things
and must be reflected in the heart OF
man; no hope, no life. The same pow
or which brought us into being urges
III to go up higher. What Is the mean
ing of this persistent instinct which
pushes us on2 The true meaning Is
that something IL to result from Ire,
that out of 1t Is being wrought good
greater than itself, toward which 1t
slowly moves, and Tint this painful
sowcr called man needs, Ike every
sower, to count on the morrow. The
history of humanity Is the history of
indomltable hope; otherwise everything
would have been over long ago. 10
press forward under his burdens, TO
guide himself In the night, to retrieve
his falls and his failures, to escape de-
spair even in death man has need of
hoplng always, and sometimes against
all hope. Here IL the cordial That sus-
tains him. Had we only logic we
should have long ago drawn the con
cluslon, Death has everywhere the last
word, and we should be dead OF the
fdea. hut we have hope, and that Is
why we live and believe In life.
Suso, the great monk and mystic,
one OF the simplest and best men that
ever lived, had touching custom.
Whenever he encountered woman,
were she the poorest and Oldest he
stepped respectfully aside, though his
bare feet must tread among thorns or
in the gutter. al do that" he said, ITO
render homage to our holy lady the
Virgin Mary" Let us offer to hope Il
like reverence. II we meet II In the
shape of blade of wheat piercing the
furrow, bird broodinE on Its nest,
poor wounded beast, recovering Itself.
rising and continuing It's way; peas
ant blowing and sowing field that
has been ravaged by flood or hail,
nation slowly repairing It's losses and
healing Its wounds under whatever
gulsc of humanity or suffering 1t mp
pears to MS, let us salute It, When we
encounter 1t In legends, In untutored
songs, In simple creeds, let us still sa-
lutte It. for II is always the same, indie
structible, the immortal daughter OF
God.
We do not dare hope enough. The
men of our day have developed strange
tlmlditlcs. The apprehension that the
sky will fall That ncme of nbsurdlty
among tho fears of our Gallo forefa-
theirs has entered our own hearts.
Docs the raindrop doubt the ocean,
the ray mistrust the sum- Our senile
wisdom has arrived Mt this prodigy. Ii
resembles those leSty oh pcuhhoSucS
whose chief office Is to rail ut the mer-
ry prnnks or the youthful cnthusiasms
of their pupils. 1t Is time to become
| little children once more, to learn
again TO stand with clnsped hands and
wide eyes before the mystery around
us; to remember that, In spite of our
| knowledge, what we know Is but n
trinc, and that the world Is greater
than our mind. which Is WELL for, be-
Ing 40 prodigious. II must hold In re-
serve untold resources, and we may
allow II some credit without accusing
ourselves of improvidcuce. Let us not
treat II MS creditors do an insolvent
debtor; we should fire its courage, re-
light the sacred flame of hope, Since
the sun still rises, since earth puts
forth her blossoms anew, since the bird
builds Its nest and the mother smiles
ut her child, let us have the courage to
be men and commit the rest to him
who has numbered the stars. For my
part | would | might find glowing