The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1905-08-25

from your MOIk III L1OuSHl 90
IN deedg' His companion replied:
lone method l will describe by little
story. The other Gay was very busy
one to me, and when l was ready TO go
home | found my mind full OF work.
1 put one million dollars in my pocket,
stepped ON the rear platform of street
car, lighted a good cigar, aud pro
ceedeu to spend the money according
to the m t aods VIII l rope | would,
Q u 10y il | really had u fortune. dld
not awake from my dream until L
stepped across the threshold OF my
home and was greeted by the children.
| had left my work entirely behind
me, ana nau had all the pleasures OF
distributing the million dollars with
out any Of the attendant responslOlll-
ties.
The first speaker asked: do YOU
often indulge in such dreams?
The other replied, mot too often,
but just often enough.
The fist speaker said: Il m glad you
have made that confession. nave
INDUCED in that pAstime myself ne
quently and l began TO fear Tor my
mental condition.
While we are told by one OF the OLD
poets tnat hearts have been broken and
heads have been crushed oy giving
fancy such a free rein, we know that
in the language OF that same poet
there's mony a mighty mon hulldln'
castles i the air" These dreams are
doubtless INDUCED in by men in every
walk of life. With some the dream
never goes higher than fancy, but
with others it is of that order that
entities it to rank as imagination.
Emerson gave us the distinction
when he said: Fancy amuses; lmag-
iuation expands and exhausts. lmagl
nation is the vision OF an INSPIRED
souI. but as the soul is released little
from its passion aud at leisure plays
with the resemblances and types tol
amusement, and not for its moral END,
we call its action fancy.
A man upon whom fortune had not
always smiled purchased on one DC,
casion ticket in lottery. IL nau
beeu the hope of the members OF TINS
man s household to have at some tlme
a horse and carriage, and the KIND
hearted parent returning TO DIS holne
nroudly displayed his lottery ticker,
and calling wife and children AROUND
him told them that the capital pllze
was Sl5 600. He then drew nne
nicture of the carriage which he IN
tended to purchase with his pIlze'
The children were of course delighted
with the prospect and little BECKY
exclaimed I'm going to ride on tne
front seat with papa
But ''Ikey, the older brother, put
in. mo. I'm going to ride on the
front seat ~
The father undertook to pacify
Jkey." but he seemed bent upon nav
ing the front seat; and hnally the
tatber bending down, as it were, from
re heights of his air castle, exclaimed:
Likely, get right down out of the car
riage.
Perhans this is even better lllustra-
ton than that given by our million
dollar philanthropist OF the Klnd OF all
castles the construction of which may
be mere waste of time. But 1t IN these
day dreams we can obtain that rec
reation which many men say they 90
obtain from such fancies, without the
danger of becoming an Idle dreamer
there is little harm in the pastl me.
Indeed it may become beneficial by
Welding to fancy we prepare ourselves
for that imagination which plays not
for amusement but for moral end.
DESTROY this faculty and the condl-
ton of man will become as stationary
as that OF the brutes.
The man who slept and dreamed that
life was beauty awoke and found that
life was duty. His was OF the dreams
that come true. Toiling on unceas-
inely he discovered that men VINO
learn that life is duty, and act accord
jngIv. find in fact that life is beauty.
What would life be without ITS
dreamsY What would humanity 40
without its dreamers? The value OF
our contributions to the world are 10
ne puaged py the character OF our
dreams The man who i,nag ined that
ne had one million dollars and found
pleasure in dreaming that he was
spendiue it for his fellows is not likely
to spoil his own character by his
d,eams OF to injure society by the Gull
tiyatiou of fancies of that order. Inc
man who. having invested in lottery
ticket. found his greatest delight IN
anticipating the pleasure he might give
to mis- wife and little children had In
him the stuff ont of which good
6YeameIs are made. He needed but 10
seuarate himself from the notion that
outside the charm circle of frenzled
finance something can be obtained
for nothing, OF that the parent can
bring happiness to his loved ones with
out an effort. Had that dream been
realized upon through the medium OF
A lottery ticket, it would have been
lika Dead Sea fruit that tempts the eye
b6~oArs to ashes on the lips. IL
wouW have been like victory with
out s%tIuggle, an achievement with
out an effort prize without contest,
token of love without a sacrlhce'
Such victories, achievements, prizes
and tokens are without value.
The best of all dreams are those to
which perhaps, we attach not the
greatest importance. But they are OF
the sort that come true and are true
inst as "tne best portion of good
mans life are 1.-THE little, nameless,.
aforementioned acts Of kindness and OF
love.
The dreams of love, of humanity. OF
.;ob+eousness. come true. they
are, in fact, true in the very dream