The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-02-23
Continued from last week, /

toward the light and, 10 your mind. is
rushing to misfortune; I ask you L.
suppress the Will to live that trembles
through the Universities OF space. to
4 suppress, in short, the source of life.
Can you do it? No. Then leave as in
peace. Since 10 one can hold life in
check is it not better to respect it
and use IL than to 90 about making
other people Disguised with it? When
one kno"s that certain food is Iunger-
Gus to health he does not caJ it, and
when "a certain fashion of thinking
robs us of confidence, cheerfDlness and
strength we should reject that. certain
not cGly tha it is a nutrimeDt uoXious to
the mind. but also that it is fnlse. There
is no truth for man but in thoughts
that are human and pessimism is in
human. Besides, it wants as much in
modesty as in logic 10 permit one
self to count as evil this prOdigious
thing that we call life one needs have
seen its very foundation, almost to
have made it, What Il strange atti-
tude is that of certain great thinkers
of our timeSl They act as if they had
\ created the world very long ago, in
their youth, but decidedly it was mis-
take, and they had well repcntcd it.
Let us nOurish ourselves from other
meat, strengthen or souls with cheer
ing thoughts. What is trucSt for man
lis what best fortides him.
If mankind lives by confidence, It
lives also by hopc-that form Of conf
,,-bf ri 4,r+-r
All life is a result and an aspiration;
all that exists Supposes an origin and
tends toward an end. Life is progress
sion; progression is aspiration. The
progress of the future is an inhnitude
of hope. Hope is at the root of things
and must be reflected in the heart Of
man; no hope, no life The same pow
er which brought us into being urges
us to go up higher What is the mean
ing of this persistent instinct which
pushes us on2 The true meaning is
that something is to result from life,
that out Of it IS being wrought a good
greater than itself, toward which 1t
cf9wly moves, and that this painful
yer called man needs, like every
err, to count on the morrow. The
history OF humanity is the history of
indomitable hope; otherwise everything
would have been over long ago. To
press forward under his burdens. 10
guide himself in the night, to retrieve
his falls and his failures, to escape de-
spair even in death, man has need of
hoping always, and sometimes against
all hope Here,i is the cordial that sus-
tains him. Had we only logic we
should have long ago drawn the can
.clusion, Death has everywhere the last
word, and we should be dead of the
idea But we have hope, and thar is
why we live and believe in life
Suso, the great monk ana mysC1c,
one OF the simplest and best men that
ever lived, had a touching custom.
Whenever he encountered woman,
We're she the poorest and oldest, he
stepped respectfully aside, though his
bare feet must tread among thorns or
Z in the gutter. Il do that" he said, ito
render homage to our holy lady the
Virgin Mary" Let us offer to hope a
like reverence. If we meet it in the
shape Of blade of wheat piercing the
-rr0w, bird brooding on its nest, 6
poor wounded beast, recovering itself,
rising and continuing it's way; peas
ant blowing and sowing a field that
has been ravaged by food or hail, a
nation slowly repairing its losses and
aling it's wounds - under whatever
lise Of humanity or suffering it ap-
ears to US, let us salute it. When we
encounter it in legends, in untutored
songs, in simple creeds, let US still sa-
lutte it, for it 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
fimidities. The apprehension that the
sky will fall-that acme Of absurdity
ong the fears of our Gallic forefa-
ers-has entered our own hearts.
oes the raindrop doubt the ocean,
ne ray mistrust the sun? Orr senle
visdom has arrived at this prodigy. 1t
sye1ables those testy old pedngOgues
hose chief Office is to rail Mt the mer.
FRANKS or the youthful enthusiasms
their pupils. 1t is time to become
tie children once more, to learn
a TO stand with clasped hands and
e eyes before the mystery around
to remember that ia spite of Our
,owledge, what we know is but
7e, and that the world is greater
our mind, which is well, for, be-
o prodigious, it must hold in re
untold resources, and we may
illow it some credit without accusing
ourselves of improvidence. Let us not
reat it as 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
'orth her blossoms anew, since the bird
builds Its nest and the mother smiles
at her child. let us have the courage to
e men and commit the rest to him
ho has numbered the stars. For my
)art | would [ might find glowing
words to say to whomsoever has lost
heart in these times of dislllusion:
Rouse your courage; hope on. He is
sure of being leagt deluded who has the
daring to do that. The most ingenious