The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-02-05

II would be easy 10 discuss some Of
the current pubic questions now press
ing 50 vigorously upon the attention Of
all intelligent people. They are, per
haps, easy topics. but they command
the attention Of journalists from day 10
day ana necessarily. So / prefer to
continue to enter other fields not so
generally cultivated, seeking To be use
1ul and entertaining. / referred but
recently to the greatest man Of elO-
Gu"ncc Of the Romans. CICERO, ana |
turn to him now not To exploit his high
gifts - orator, but u write of his
most instructive and remarkable opin-
ions. To me he IS Is interesting Il
charactr- as adorns the records of an
tiuuIty, and his views OF questions Of
Interest surprise and tascinate OFTEN
The opinions Of certain Greeks and
Romans concerning this life anu I'M
mortality are of q kind 10 arrest the
attention Of any man who has IN
IeIIIgeuce ana IS Il seeker after
COO Socrates, Plato, cato, C-
cero ana some others mus
a!ways attract the modern Christian
ude confess / am some times
e-tOHished when | read the views 81
-. tain Creeks and Romans as TO the
,uues and principles governing TINS
haze and the life beyond. some OF the
Opinions expressed as to the important
4..pIal duties are well calculated 10 ar
Ir.l an -fllDI anu 10 GOIlIIiiditi ~
ay~ct ANA Endorsement. Socrates, the
AuJBoerd Wisest Of Greeks, speaking OF
the direct ana best road to the pos
session of real influence. said that II
VAS for q man to be tina Whlch ne
Wishes men to take him for" The
Latin coat of arms of the state 81
.,prth Carolina translated, is to be ana
not 10 seem. Tenny5on, in MS great
I.urm Of In Memoriam," that de-
,"lIds to be closely studied read ana
to-read-if you would understand ana
value il properly, wrote thus:
so being less but more than all
1nc gentleness he seemed to be
CICERO held that the good man
keeps his oath though it were to his
own h~indrance." one English writer
contemplating the opinions of certain
ancient philosophers says that pas
sageS from Seneca, from Eplctetus,
from Marcus Aurelius sound even now
like fragments of the nsplred Wit
ings." He gives some samples that are
really astonishing. Take this: Prayer
should be only tor the 5.J4. 4-
should act according to the spirit, anu
not according to the letter of their
laith." "Wouldest thou propitate the
gods? BE good: he has W~orshipped
lhem sufficiently has initiated
thcm." st. Paul quoted this from a
stole poet, Aratus. For we are also
His offspring" The entire passage of
the poet continues, w alone possess a
voice, which is the image of reason
II is said that of all Latin writers the
roblest lines are by Persius. Writing
the common hypocrisy of those
prayers and offsprings to the gods
which were but the service of lips ana
hands'-Which may apply well IN the
twentieth century to tens of thousands
who profess to be Christians whilst
steadfastly neglecting the duties and
responsibilities of their professionals
il comes to us in inadequate tranla-
ton that merely gives the sense but
not the beauty" Persius wrote: NAY,
then, let us offer To the gods that which
the d~ebauched sons of great Messiah
can never bring on broad chargers
- soul wherein the laws of God and
man are blended-a heart pure to its
Utmost depths-a breast ingrained
with a noble sense of honor. Let me
but bring these with me to the altar,
and I care not though my offspring be
a handful of corn" That very Wonder
ful preacher Of the English EStab-
Iished Church, the late Rev. Frederick
w. Robertson, who died, | think, be
fore he was forty years of age, speak
ing of the noblest of the ancients who
taught such great, fundamental prin-
copies, in Il fine passage, said: "1ne
world must bow before such men; for
unconSciously, here was Il form of the
spirit of the CrosS-self-Surrender, I'M
oonquerable fidelity to duty. sacrifice
tor OtherS."
[ wish next to cite some opinions
from Cicero. They must interest re-
1iecting, studious men if not others. OF
old age he wrote with the wisdom of
Il genuine philosopher endowed with
experience and foresight. Flo instance,
this great Roman scholar and thinker,
held that a happy or venerable old age
must o be the old age of the mere
VOluptuary or the de~bauchee." He held
it was "a miserable old age which is
obIippI to annPal to it's gray hairs as
its only claim to the respect of its
juniors" e this profound Roman
Who was so rich in experience and OBJ
~servation: Neither hoary hairs nor
Wrinkles can arrogate reverence as
their right. It is the life whose OPEN
ing years have been h~onorably spent
which rewards of reverence at its
close
Nothing has SO much Interested me
among the opinions and reflections Of
the p~rOfoundest of the ancients as
What they have said about Immortality
The life beyond. In not one of them
have | met with any views SO interest
ing and appealing to me as what
Cicero said OF the future life. l be-
lieye / CAV not long since an extract
or two from him bearing this way 7
can only reproduce a small part of
what he has left behind for the delec-
tation and surprise of the world. Talk
ing 10 two young friends, whose faith
ers had been his own friend in life, he
said to them most touchingly: 81 am
fully persuaded that your two fathers,
my old and dearly-loved friends, are
living now, and living that life which
only is worthy to be so called" In q
very rich. suggestive passage he gives
an ap~OStrophe of striking beauty and
impresSiVeness, from which I can only
take the following: