Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1905-04-27

should never en0 We're i 10 Try
to point out to you all that you must
90 to see II you would see all You
would needs make the tour of society
ut large rich and poor, wise and ig-
norant. And certainly you would not
Judge 30 severely then. Paris Is q
world, and here, as In the world In
general. the good hides away while the
evil fiauntB itself. Observing only the
surface, you sometimes ask how there
can possibly be no much riffraff. When,
on the contrary you look into the
depths you are astonished that In this
troubious, obscure and sometimes
frightful life there can be 80 much
virtue"
But why llnger over these things?
Am / not blowing trumpets for those
who hold trumpet blowing In horror2
DO not understand me 30. My aim IL
this: To make men think about I'M
ostentatious goodness-abov all, to
make them love II and practice 1t.
The man who finds his satisfaction In
things which glitter and hold his eyes
Ia lost, first, because he will thus see
evil before all else, then because he
gets accustomed to the sight Of only
such good ns seeks for notice, and there
fore easily succumbs to the temptation
to live himself for appearances. Not
only must one be resigned to obscurity;
he must love 1t II he does not wish to
slip insensibly into the ranks of ngu-
rants, who preserve their parts only
while under the eyes OF tho spectators
and put Off In the wings the restraints
imposed on the stage.
Here we are In the presence Of one
OF tho essential elements OF the moral
life. And this which we say IL true
not only for those who are called hum
BILE and whose lot II Ia to pass unre-
marked; II Is just as true, and more
30, for the chief actors. If you would
not DO brilliant inutility, man of
gold lace and plumes, but empty inside,
pie spirit of the most obscure Of your
coliaborntors. He who IN nothing worth
except on hours of parade IL worth less
than nothing. Have we the perllous
honor OF being always In view, Of
marching In the front ranks2 Let us
take NO much the greater care of the
sanctuary of silent good within III; let
us give to the structure whose facade
Ia seen OF our fellow men wide foun-
dation of simplicity, OF humble idel-
ity, and then, out of sympathy, out of
gratitude, let III stay near our broth
ers who are unknown to fame. We
owe everything to them, do we notf l
COLL to witness every one who has
found In life this encouraging expert
ence-that stones hidden In the soil hold
up the whole cdince, All those who
arrive ut having public and recog-
nized value owe II to some humble
spiritual ancestors, to some forgotten
inspirers. A small number of the good,
among them simple women, peasants,
vanquished heroes, parents as modest
AZ they arc revered, personlfy for us
beautiful and noble living; their exam
pie inspires us and gives us strength.
The remembrance Of them IL forever
inseparnble from that conscience be-
fore which we arraign ourselves. In
our hours OF trial we think Of them.
courageous and serene, and our bur
dens tighten. In clouds they compass
US about, these witnesses Invisible and
beloved who keep us from stumbling
and our feet from falling in the battle
and day by day do they prove to IF
that the treasure OF humanity IL its
hidden goodness,