The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1909-12-11
By BILL cox.

zen. | saw a young captain of the
American navy rescue a young and
beautiful white girl from the harem
Of an Egyptian khedive at Cairo,
was reminded of the exclamation OF
the poet, Lives there man with a
soul so dead that to himself he hath
not said this is my own. my native
land" 1t always seems to me that
get better lessons in morals, a higher
opinion Of the nobility of the impul-
ses of the human heart, finer exam
pies Of moral and physical courage
and am prompted to higher ideals of
love of home and country when |
witness a play or read a novel. l am
aware that the play or novel is not
so much a representation of real life
but picture of what life ought to
be and that is enough for me.
do not believe there is a higher
or nobler sentiment Of the mind and
heart of man than that which gives
birth to that breast-heaying emotion
which follows intense thought of
wife, children, home and native land.
| think heaven made a mistake in
demanding of the sorrOwing peri an
other trip to earth after it had
brought to its portals the mothers
love and the last drop Of the blood
of the patriot who had offered his
life on his country's altar The tear
of the penitent is good so far as it
goes but it is an easy matter to cry
and the shedding of tears is rather
soothing than heart rending, but
when a man offers and forfeits his
life in defense Of his country or to
rescue a fellow mortal from the
CALLING bonds of slavery he initiates
more the example of the Nazarine
who gave up his life upon cavalry's
hill, not as some believe, because he
claimed to be the son of God but be-
cause he asocailed corruption in high
places and raised his voice in defense
of the poor and oppressed, When l
begin to discuss high ideals, love and
patriotism it seems that | find my
self unwittingly and involuntarily
drifting into thoughts of this great
and good man and | believe if some
of you fellows who stand on the
street corners and so fluently quote
Paul would go home sit down and
quietly study the life and character
of Christ for about a week you would
come out with a new song in your
mouth and with the conviction that
compared with the Nazarine, Paul
"was small potatoes and few in the
hill. ! realize that | am rambling,
but | delight in rambles. | am glad
this planet is not all land, all water,
all mountain or all plain. | am glad
man is so endowed that he can have
the simple thoughts of innocent,
trusting childhood and the sages'
philosophy which almost aspires to
an analysis of deity. l am thankful
for straightforwardness of prose and
am glad poets write under the influ-
ence of the muse. | am glad there is
dark nights and try to welcome with
a smile the first blush of day. | am
glad ] am permitted to see and think
when awake and some of my happiest
moments are the visions that come
to me when inhabit Sunderland
am glad all fowls are not turkeys,
chickens, geese or ducks and while of
flowers the rose is queen. | am glad
the rose is not the only flower to be
seen | am glad the trees of the for
est are not all oaks and that fishes
are not all cat or eel. 1t is said va
riety is the spice of life and am
sure tbs true. | only wish nature
had the good with the elimination of
the bad Man, the highest type of
creation, is the worst out of harmony
with the divine plan and when ignor-
ance and selfishness are eradicated
from his makeup he will be as good
as the rest.
But to get back to the beginning
When | witness such play as | saw
last night | am inspired with patriot
ism and feel more than ever the re-
sponsibility of citizenship. | am inn
pressed with the thought that the
way to keep our country on that ped
estal of national purity which char
acterized it in the beginning it be-
hooves each individual not only to
be pure and good but to thoroughly
inform himself concerning all public
men and measures and to never fail
to cast vote not for party traditions
but for what he conscientiously be-
lieves 10 be for the benefit of the
/ find men who never regis
ter their choice at the ballot box,
men who are not natural born fools
but whose ambition or interest new
er go beyond the few acres from
which they obtain sustenance. Their
stock of information is the condition
ba nrian IF