The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-31


 herdess in my waking dreams. have been soothing my thoughts with the delights of pastoral employments, de- spite the discovery that we made of their true nature. shall cease hence- forth"
 T have indulged myself in a moro dangerous fancy" said the Prince. "I have imagined the possibility of a per | feet government by which all wrong should be restrained, all vice reformed | and all the subjects preserved in tran l quility and innocence. I have imagined innumerable schemes of reformation and have dictated useful regulations and edicts. I start now with fright l when l realize that I imagined the deaths of my father and my brothers without the least compunction or anguish"
 Such are the results of visionary | schemes" said Imlac. We know them to be absurd at first, but gradually they seem quite sane and practical" They were walking along the banks ' of the Nile while they spoke The | moon shone on the water and the shore and in it's beams they saw a very old man whom Rasselas often had heard in the assemblies of sages.
 Let us ask him what are his feel ings," said Easselas. T would know if the latter psart of life still strug- gles with vexatfoIfAs
 Sir said the PIi2ncess to the old man. "a man like yoursself must have pleasures which ignorance and youth can hardly conceive"
 Lady" answered he, "let the viz orous expect pleasure. It Is e-pough that age can obtain ease. My ia. me Is empty, for I have outlived the rel atives and friends who would have been pleased by it. My mind is burdened with no heavy sin and therefore I re- pose myself to tranquility; but my retrospect brings to my view many opportunities for good neglected, much time squandered on trifles and more lost in idleness. I leave many de- signs unattempted and many great attempts unfinished There is little left for me to do save to abstract my tn oughts from hopes and cares that reason knows now to be vain to ex- pect with serene humility the hour of my change and to hope to possess In a better state that happiness which here I cannot find and that achieve- ment which here I have not attained.H
 Smiling sadly, and yet not without cheer he arose and departed. Rasselas, Neka- yah and Pekuah were disturbed and de- pressed; but they tried to comfort them selves by agreeing: first, that age never had been considered the season of hap piness; second, that age was querulous and malignant and looked with envy on its heirs; and third, that the man was older than he appeared and was in his dotage.
 Imlac smiled at the comforts which they thus procured for themselves so readily, and remembered that at the same age he was equally confident of unmingled pros- perity and equally fertile of consolatory beliefs
 They resolved to set about the cure of the astronomer, arguing justly that his fantastic fancy might flee before the dis traction of society. In this they were cor rect, for after the astronomer had been in their company for some weeks he con fessed to Imlac that he found the convic- tion of his authority over the skies fade gradually from his mind.
 One day Rasselas spoke again of the monks whom the party had seen in the monastery of St. Anthony, .'The happy valley" said he, "disgusted me by the mere recurrence of its luxuries, which be- came monotonous. I could but reproach myself when l saw the monks support without complaint a life not of monoton- ous delight, but of montonous hardship.p
 They are less wretched In their silent convent" said Imlac, than the Abyssin- ian princes in their prison of pleasure. What the monks do is melted by an ade- quate motive."
 Do you think, then" saked Nekayah who was leaning more and more toward retirement from the world. 'that the mo- nastic rule Is more holy and less inn perfect state than any other?"
 That question:" said Imlac, "has long divided the wise and perplexed the good dare not decide. He that lives well in the world is better than he that lives well in a/monastery. But perhaps if one is not able to conquer the temptations of the world he may properly retreat. These retreats have something congenial to the mind of man that there is scarcely one who does not dream at some time of his life of ending 1t in calm withdrawal from the world"
 That has been my wish often of late," said Pekuah. "and the Princess declares that she will not willingly die in crowd"
 They continued this conversation when they visited the catacombs a few days afterward. Those that lie here stretched before us," said Imlac, as they walked wonderingly through the underground labyrinth where the bodies were laid in rows on either side. these who were the wise and powerful of. ancient times warn us to remember the shortness of our pres ent state. They were, perhaps, snatched away while they were busy. like us, in making the choice of life"
 ITO me-" said the Princess, "the choice of life has become less important. I hope to think hereafter on the choice of eter- nty."
 There now came on the inundatfon of the Nile and they were confined to their house. They thought deeply over all they had seen in the years since they had left the happy valley. Comparisons were made between the different forms of life which they had observed. and they occupied themselves with discussing the schemes of happiness which each had formed
 Pekuah was charmed with the Convent of St. Anthony, and wished nothing so much as to fill similar place with pious girls, whose prioress she could be. She was weary of expectation and longed for a fixed, unvarying state.
 The Princess thought that the best of desired first to learn all that was to be learned of all science, to grasp all knowl edge, and then to found a college of learned women, in which she would pre- side. Tn her vision she saw the insttu- ton dividing It's time between the quistion and the communication of knowl- edge. thus raising up for the next ago models of wisdom and ability.
 The Prince desired a little kingdom in which he might administer justice in his ewn person and see all parts of govern ment with his own eyes. But he could not fix the limits of his domain, for his plans demanded that he enlarge it con- stantly and that he add as constantly to the number of his subjects thus defeat ing the whole of his design by its neces- sary parts.
 Of all these wishes that they had formed they well knew by that time that none could be attained in this world So they deiberated a while longer what should