Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1907-06-14

II held, to those who were in the midst
of the sordld round of tasks or the
dull, heavy grind of poverty, of fe-
licitude shat knew neither hunger,
fear, nor pain; it offered heaven for
ever to those who could endure he'll
for short time.
The logical consequence was to make
dying the chnef end of living. Who
cannot remember being told to despise
the present, to consider how brief 1t Is,
like cloud before the dawn Of the
endless day? 1t was compared to the
short waiting outside some door be-
yond which was warmth, cheer, and
unending bliss. So that the pious soul
thought of life only in terms Of wait
ing, watching, enduring. Piety be-
came positive only in prospect, mega
tive in the present.
To say to man, be patient with
will be prospered tomorrow, is to
teach him to compound felony, to
wink at the despoiling of the earth by
the iniquitous for the consideration of
a title to the riches Of heaven. 1t ls
to lose sight of the fact that unless
the life finds itself now 1t never will
find itself that to dwarf soul to-day
Is to dwarf it forever.
The chief end Of life will be found
in life itself, now, present, in this
world. The only way to make the most
of the future Is to make the most of
ourselves in the present. If heaven be
the land Of unlimited happiness only
hearts that have been enlarged, that
have learned TO know things that are
high, to sympathize with things and
thoughts having the breadth of eterni,
ty ever can comprehend its riches.
The menace Of the old theology was
that it postponed everything; 1t was
the philosophy of pracrastination
When 1t postponed the real purpose.
of life 1t put off the realization Of lts
possibilities; 1t postponed the develop
ment Of character.
Then, says the practical man, thii
means that we can ignore the future
we must make the most of the pres
ent; get all you can keep all you get
the whole purpose Of life Is to make ,
good living, to enjoy yourself. This Il
the swing of the pendulum away from
the old thought The ideal Of the pres
ent day is material advantage. Tn
chief end Of man Is to make money
If once he was the slave Of an unjus
order, he now is the slave of an uu
worthy appetite.
Living only for wealth or for wage
is not living at all. Who knows les
of life than the slave of modern CON
mercialism, the man who lifts his eye
no higher than the pay roll, or tn
ticker tape? 1t Is better to be the vi,
tim of delusion that gives some hal
plness, that gives some fortitude, an
to live the simple life Of the poor tina
to be the slave bound to the wheel @
modern social greed and money mad
ness
Life itself is the object Of living; tn
chief end Of man Is to become gloriou
as his ideal of God is glorious, to real
ize the highest that comes to him Il
the song Of poet, the vision of seer, tn
hope of his own heart. The money
the acres the resources are the tool
for the development Of life. Thi
world Is workshop; it has failed ut
teriy if 1t produces nothing but a
array of machines and heap of shaw
ings; it must turn out the finishes
product Of men.
, Are you living thus for life, or ar
you living to do no more than make
living? We need to educate our chi
, dren to set honor, truth, justice, a hig
life, before all things, to prize nobl
) attachments so that they shall not
content with the lesser prizes Of pros
, perity in things, so that whether W
win or lose in the markets of tn
world we shall stand rich and gloriou
in manhood, finding the ends Of life l.
the achievement Of high character an
finding in commerce but the servant O
character.