The Washington herald., 1907-12-31

sighed ThacEeray, in one Of his essays,
and in recognizing that
There's divinity that shapes our ends.
kOugh-hey them bow will
He was IN accord with the best minds
and the noblest souls that have graeed
the ages. A belief n destiny is one thing;
fear Of il is quite another Epictetus
facing the problem brayely. cried: Lead
me, o Destiny, whithersoever ye have
appointed me to go, and may I follow
fearlessly. But II. IN an evil mind, I be
unwilling. stiI must I follow" Marcus
Aurelius had much the same thought Of
the matter. Said ne: Every mans fate
is suitable, since il is suited 10 him Put
yourself frankly into the hands Of fate,
and let her spin you out what fortune
she pleases."
So far. these philosophers went, but TO
20 no farther than tins would be 10 shake
of all feeling OF individual responsibility;
to fall, as il were. into the web Of duh
fatalism; 70 ignore the teachings Of the
Christian world and 70 drop back 70
the intellectual and spiritual level Of No
hammedanism.
1t viii never do. II we are 10 live life
hopefully and bravely. to search out the
end OF the road, 10 listen too cUrfOusly
IN the hope OF hearing the whir OF the
distan that is being spun by the Fates
where sits those three old blind women
spinning the world" For. very largely
what we hope TO be, shall be: what we
hope to believe. We shall have faith in.
and what We strain our ears TO hear, we
shall hear. and
Al the hooi-beats Of fate with sad forebodings Of
evil
shrinks and closes the heart ere the stroke Of doom
has attained H.
As LongfellOw says. II is probably quite
true that no man can ever escape his
destiny but even il this IS so, It is
not 10 say that a man has TO submit in
eowardiy patience 10 the irks OF fate.
says Amiei, in that remarkable Journal
OF his:
Destiny has two ways Of crushing us-by refusing
orr wishes and b fulfilling them But he who only
allls what God wills escapes both catas:rovhes
Al things Work together for good" Peace IS only
u be found IN reconciliation with despuy. when
destiny seems. IN the religious sense q the word
good; THAI IS when nan feels himself directly in
The presence q God.
II Is an enormous part, which the un-
foTeseen and the unforeseeable play in
our lives, but this IL not al cruel, sure
y. If II were not for this. we should
all be on equal terms, educated and IN
educated alike; We should all know just
what 70 do at just the right moment;
just what 10 avoid, and seeing the re-
ward for each Of our actions long before
those actions we're performed. We should
reach state OF perfection that would
be rather intOle7able, because every one
OF "a would be alike, perfect.
= III no right-thinkinE man can resolve
10 leave the end OF things with that
Destiny, which seems preordained, with
out taking God into consideration. Il
mans heart deviseth his way. but the
Lord directeth his steps" says the Scrip
lures, and Orosius wrote: 1T is God
who sways all the destinies Of the uni
verse. and OF human life"
The man who would walk the path OF
life IN virtue. bravely. and without shrink
ing from whatever fate befall viii. rather
than succumb 70 the thought OF an Un-
conquerable destiny resolve 10 make his
own. He will say. with Disraeh. that
Destiny bears Us 70 our lot and destiny
is. perhaps. our own will" and he viii
remember, with Tennyson:
o web FOR him whose VIII is strong
he s1tters. but be WI not suffer lcDg:
he su1e-S, bet ne cannot suffer wgcnF-
For Inn nor moves the loud worlds rzndon mock
Nor al calamity's hugest waves c5ufcund.
Who seems a rrUmCnfOry q rock.
The cry must not be that we are in
the hands Of Destiny. and that the cur
rent is too strong 10 stem; rather must
We close our ears TO the singing OF the
Fates. and set bravely about our work.
resolved TO do il as well as we can. know
ing that that much depends on ourselves
alone. After all, We are but the tools
which God uses; the end Of our endeavors
is IN His hand What it is given Us tc
do. that let Us DO in singleness OF pUr-
pose and honesty Of heart, neither being
puffed up az our success, or umOrousiy
afraid OF defeat II the heights OF viz
tue are beyond Us 10 attain, We can. al
least, with reverenG spirit, pray, Lead
Us not into temptations" II Il be not given
Us 20 lead armies into battle. We may. al
least. shoulder a musket and follow the
sQualing fife and the sOmber drum,
You cannot avoid Destiny; you turn
down one road TO escape it. and 10, she Is
waiting at the corner. but you need
not stop your work. or your march foT
all that Better. indeed. by far. 20 put
on an air of bold defiance and 10 say. with
Henley:
Il matters not how St-sit the cate.
How charged with circumstances the S-oIl;
I am the master Of my fate;
I am the captain a my soul