The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-13

clarett an cvll.5 Life has been too often
!, wrongly estimated In this century. Is 1t
|surprlsing that the tree wthers when
you water the roots with corrosive sub.
stances? There IL, however, n very sim.
ple reflection that might be made In
!! face OF all this philosophy Of nothing.
i ness; you declare lie evil. Very well.
/ What remedy are you going to offer
against IT. Can you combat It, or sup
4 press Il? I do not nsk you to suppress
i your own lIfc--to commit suicide. OF
what advantage would that be to US 7--but
TO suppress lfe. not only human NC But
It's ohscura and inferior base or origin,
all that growth Of existence that reacles
Z toward tho light, and, according TO you,
rolls toward misfortune: ! ask you to
suppress the Will TO live that auivers
/ through immensely; to suppress, In short,
i the source of life. Can YOU dosit? No.
| Then leave rs In peace, Since no one
can hold life In check, Is It not better
| to learn to- cstimntc It and 10 employ II
than TO try to disgust others with II?
/ When ono knows that q certain food Is
! dangerous TO health, one docs not cat II.
| And, when q certain fashion OF thinking
takes away our confidence, our joy anu
our strength. We should reject 1t, certain
| that not only 1t Ia n detestaDe food FOR
tho mind. but that II is false. There la
no truth for man but In 5human.znS
!, thoughts. and pessimlsm ia inlu ma NJ He
! sides, II lacks rnodesty as well as logic
1 10 dare ITO find that prcdjglous thinS
called lifc evil. ono must have seen ths
very foundation-almost 10 have made 1t.
} What a strange attitude Is that Of GER
/, tain great thinkers OF the times. In
/ truth, they net MS II they had created tho
world In their. youth q very long time
! ago, but now they are convinced that II A
( was a decided mistake aH'ss y b4s dlsi,li
L Let us nourlah ourselves from other
meat. fortify orr souls ny com forting
| thoughts For man that which IS trnest
!. .' what st.enst hens him tho most
II humanity lives by confidence. It lives
also by hope. Hope Is that form OF con-.
1 fidence which turns toward the future.
AllSlifei is a result and an aspiration All
that Is supposes a point OF depa rture and
| tends toward a point OF arrival. To live
ID to become: 10 become Is to aspire. The
immense Become ts Infinite hope There
Is hope Mt the root5of all things, and
! that hope Is reflected in the heart OF
man. Without hope. no life. The Same 7
power which madc Us TO be tncites US TO
mount still higher! What Is the sense
of that tenacious Instinct that drives VS.
to progress The true meaning Is that
there should result something from life
that it elahorates for Itself. a good
create than itself. toward which It
moves slowly and that this dolorous
soweT who Is called man needs, like all
sowers, to count on the morrow The
history OF humanity Is ono OF invincible
hope. Otherwise It you'd have been
ended long since. To walk Under his hur-
dens, to guide himself in the night to rtsa
again from his falls and his RUNE. not
to abandon himself to'death even. human
lty needec. to hope ever and sometime.
even against all hope That Is the cor !.
dial that sustains Ills. II No had had but
logic we should long since have drawn s
this conclus!pn: the last word IS every
where TO death. and welwonld have died
Of that thought. But we have hope, and
it Is for that that We I've q I'D belieye ~
Ne. II y Us, d, sI,'.
slso. the great monk ana mystic onsss
Of the simplest and best men that ever
lived, had a touching habit. Every time
that no met a. woman, tho oldest and the
poorest, he stepped respectfully aside.
though 70 do that he must set his bare
! feet among the thorns or IN the muddyt
gutter II do that he said. TO render
homage TO our holy lady. the Virgin
( AIary!'.s Let Jus randcr to hope like
reverence. II we fmeetait under tho form,
of n spear OF wheat which 4plerces the
furrow, the bird which hroods. and feeds
her nestlings. OF n poor wounded animal
which gathers itself together rises and
continues its way, Of a peasa mt who I
flabors and sows n fold rayagcd by fnun- &
3dauon, or ha.l.sof n nation which slowly q
repairs Its losses and heals Its wounds
under no matter what humble and suffer-
Ing exterior, salute It. When we en-
counter It In the legends. the Jun tutored
songs in the simple beliefs, salute it
again For 1t Is the same always, the 2
immortal. 1.-The indestructib:c anshter OF
God! 81 Tss
z We do not dare hope enough. This man !, 8
Of these days has become strangely tim!d
This fear that heisey may fall, that acme
tof absurdlty Of fear. believed in by our <
5Gnllic ancestors has entered into our
own hearts Does the drop. Of water
doubt the ocean, the ray. rnlstrust INC 4
SIN? Our senile wisdom has realized TIM.
prodigy. 1t resembles those cross Ola
ipelagoeues whose principal ONCE CON
sisted In railing at the playful n1lschls!.
OF the Juvenile enthusiasms Of their youi!s
scholars. IT Is time to become ilt.le
children once more. TO relearn to JOIN IHe
hands. and open wide eyes before t.ir
mystery which wraps Jus around, 70 re-
member that In spite OF our knowleage 3
we know but little: that the world Us
larger than our brains, and that that -
fortunate. for It Is 81 prodigous IT mus lNs
hold unknown resources and We can w
cord II ZONE credit without accusing our,
selves Of i,nprovldence. Let Sus OF urea y
1t as creditors do an insolvcrt' ~ dcplor.. 4
Wa should rean!mateits courage 9ndt 70:
light the holy flame OF hone! since TINS
sun rises STILL since the aarth puts forth
new blossoms. since the bird builds ~
nest, since the mother smiles at iler ehlru ".
let us hava courage to be men. and leave
the rest to Him who numbers the stars.
Az TO me. wish ] could find words oI 4
fame 10 say to whoever feels bis heart
bowed down In these times OF d'sliiuslon,
lit your courage, hope again; ne Is sure
to deceive himself least who has the
audaclty % hope the most, "a ].
Tho most Ingenious hope Is nearer 70
the truth than the most rational despa '.
Another source Of light on the path Of
humanity is goodness I am not OF those
who believe In the natural perfection OF s3s
man, and teach that society corrupn
him, CT all the forms Of evil 1t IS, on
the contrary, the hereditary form Wnlcm
dlsn,ays ME most But, sometimes ask
myself how IT is that this old virus, EN-,
poisoned as it lsfwith vile instincts. Vices
inooulated In the very blood oil tlas K