The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1909-08-06

THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH.
Nv Henry EonA

By Henry r. Cape.
Thy youth is renewed"
eiii.. S.
All men feel as the years ON y
them that life has lost something IL
never can find again. True. the days
mean more TO Us ali and yet. some
how, they mean % much less, life Is
richer. yet poorer. Forty finds Us
signing for some lost joys and most
OF all for the power OF seeing things
of vision.
We need 10 know whether this pro-
cess OF hardening, this loss Of the pow
er or the keen enjoyment OF ideals.
this ~slackening in response OF enthusl-
asms IL necessary; whether the heart
and spirit must get old along with
the years. and the love and hope stiff
fen up along with the limbs. Youths
| dreams must fade, but need the spirit
become unresponsive to the better Wis
ions hat age ought to bring?
Al Its heart this passion for reado-
lescence Is simply the longing to find
again the Lost keen enjoyment of life:
we would take IL less as routine and
still less as a bitter dose; we would
feel some spontaneity. some real plea
sure In the days work and In the on
coming years.
The renewal OF youth is a renewal
- 49, 49,. .n ~ GA
ing again the sufficient motives for
living. They come again into youths
keen Joy IN living who take time to
look up nee In a while from their tasks
round Of daily doing in relation to the
great universe In its infinite course.
A man soon becomes only a cog when
he looks only at his own particular
wheel. Somehow we need always to
keep before US some sense OF this
whole workshop OF our humanity In
which each Is doing our part, In which
In some way all the work will fall
short II we fail OF that part. Seeing
life whole. In It's vast relationships.
saves II from the curse OF seeming
trivial.
No life Is trivial. II ma DE set
down In the most narrowing circurA-
stances and yet 1t may reach up to
the stars. It may seem to be In Iowli-
est condition and yet its influence may
go through the ages. The size OF ev-
cry life depends on its ideals. Great
ness always Is a matter of the heart.
You may bury a large soul. but 1t will
only spring into larger living.
The keen JOY OF living that belongs
to youth Is simply the outflow OF spon-
taneous physical powers: there comes
. keen Joy In living to maturer years
which is born Of the consciousness Of
the greatness OF life and OF the vision
OF the reach OF ones influenced the
possibilities OF ones living. A SUM-
cient motive comes when life Is seen
a. the chance to love and serve.
The boy shouts because he must;
the man may not shout. but still the
sparkle may come to his eye and the
blood rush TO his heart and soul with
tn him kindle at the impulse OF q
great passion, with the enthusiasm of
attempting a great task. II you want
to feel the renewal OF youth take on
Z task worthy of your powers.
Il takes a large measure OF faith IN
the universe and In the goodness that
e~ternally reigns through all to keep
u hearts young. Nothing withers
the spirit and congeals ths blood
quicker than the habitual pessimism
born OF looking only on the fabric OF
life from the under side, seeing only
the knots and tangles and knowing
nothing OF the glowing pattern OF the
whole.
Let tho eyes once catch tho vision
Of the wonder Of THE world Of which
even the individual Is an essential
part; let the life but once feel this
sense of belonging to the universe, OF
having a place therein and q part to
play as truly as the stars In their
courses and you have tasted OF the
springs Of eternity: passing a
makes no impressy then. for you see
yourself as part Of the eternal puY.
pose of life.
Each stage In the way Of life has Its
own vision, It's WI inspiration. They
are eternally young who live always
In their day. leaving tho past they
learn the meaning Of the present; they
do its work: they catch the uplifting,
invigorating vision OF the coming
days. To put all the heart into life,
to live and to do greatly and not
meanly. to live for a great world and
. great tomorrow Is to be e~ternally
young.