The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-02-16

impertufDable faith in the stability OF
the universe and its intelligent order
ing sleeps in everything that exists
The flowers, the trees, the beasts of the
field. live in calm strength, in entire Sc
curity. There is confidence in The fall
ing rain. in dawning day, in the brook
running to the sea. Everything thai
is seems to say: Il am, therefore
should be. There are good reasons fol-
this. rest assured"
So, too. mankind lives by confidence.
From the simple fact that he is, mar
has within him the sufficient reason for
his being-a pledge Of assurance. He
reposes in TIE power which has willed
that he should be. To safeguard this
confidence. to see that nothing discon
certs it. to cultivate it, render it more
personal. more evident-toward this
should tend the first effort of om
thought. All that augments confidence
within us is good. for from confidence
is born The life without haste-tranqui
energy. calm action, the love of life
and its fruitful labor. Deep seated con
fdence is the mysterious spring that
sets in motion the energy within us. II
is our nutriment BY it man lives much
more than by the bread he eats. And
so everything that shakes this conf.
dencc is evil-poison, not food.
Dangerous is every system of thought
that attacks the very fact of life, de,
claring it to be an evil Life has beer
too often wrongly estimated in this
century What wonder that the trCa
withers when its roots are watered
with corrosives. And there is an ex-
tremely simple reflection that might
be made in the face of all this mega
ton. You say life is an evil. Well,
what remedy for it do you offer? Can
you combat it, suppress it? 1 do not
ask YOU to suppress your own life, to
commit suicide-of what advantage
would that be to us?-but to suppress
Suso, the great monk ana mystic,
one OF The simplest and best men that
ever lived, had a touching custom.
Whenever he encountered woman,
were she the poorest and oldest, he
stepped respectfully aside, though his
bare feet must tread among thoTns or
in the gutter. i do that" he said, ''to
render homage to our holy lady the
Virgin Mary" Let US offer to hope Il
like reverence II we meet it in the
shape of Il blade of wheat piercing the
furrOw. bird brooding on its nest, Il
poor wounded beast. recovering itself,
rising and continuing its way; Il peas
ant blowing and sowing field that
has been Gayaged by flood or hail, a
nation slowly repairing it's losses and
healing its wounds - under whatever
guise of humanity or suffering it ap-
pears to US. let US salute it. When we
encounter il in legends, in untutored
songs, in simple creeds, let US still sa-
Lutte it, for it is always the same, indie.
structihle the immortal daughter OF
God.
We DO not dare hope enough. The
men Of our day have developed strange
timidities. The apprehension that the
sky will fall-that acme of absurdity
among the fears Of our Gallic forefa
theZs-has entered our own hearts
Does the raindrop doubt the ocean
the ray mistrust the sun? Our senilt
wisdom has arrived at this prodigy. L
resembles those testy old pedagOgue.
whose chief office is to rail at the mer
y FRANKS or the youthful enthusiasts
of their pupils. 1t is time to become
lnuC children once more, to Learn
again to stand with clasped hands an(
wide eyes before the mystery aroun(
us; to remember that, in spite Of OUl
knowledge. what we know is but /
trifie, and that the world is greater
than our mind, which is well, for, be
ing so prodigious, it must hold in re
serve untold resources, and We may
allow it some credit without accusing
ourselves Of imprOvidence. Let us no
treat it rs creditors do an insolven
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 birt
builds its nest and the mother smiles
at her child. let us have the courage t
be men and commit the rest to hin
who has numbered the stars. For my
part l would I might find glowing
words to say to whomsoeyer has los
heart in these times of disillusiOn
Rouse your courage; hope on. He i:
sure of being leagt deluded who has thu
daring to do that. The most ingenious
hope is nearer truth than the most "a
tional despair.
Another source of light on the patti
of human life is goodness. | am not O
those who believe in the natural per
lection of man and teach that societ!
corrupts him. On the contrary, of al
forms of evil the one which most dis
mays me is heredity. But l sometime.
ask myself how it is that this effett
and deadly virus of low instincts, O
vices inoculated in the blood, the who'll
assemblage of disabilities imposed up
on us by the past-how all this ha'
not got the better of us. 1t must b.
because OF something else. This othe
thing is love.
Given the unknown brooding abov
our heads, our limited intelligence tn