The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1910-06-10

tDtaNon deiNereu ny Harvey league one {
the class Of Training School graduates at I'll
opera house last Thursday night. Mr.. Teagu
won the orators medal with this address.l
Among the many questions whicl
remain to be solved by the mind 0
man there is one which, in beauty
grandeur and mystery, stands out pre-
eminent above the rest, and that is
What is Human Life?"
This is no great scientific question
but one which is discussed daily in al
Of the walks Of life-from millionaire
to beggar, from king to peasant from
the great theologian to the most ignor
ant and illiterate Of men.
In answer to this question, poets O
past ages have given up their beautiful
lines, learned men have have handed
down their opinions, and yet we Of to-
day are powerless to understand their
teachings, and are constantly asking,
What is Human Life?"
We can never hope to learn much
concerning this wonderful subject in
fact, it was never intended by the Di-
vine Father that we should understand
it. So that we can only, as we some
times, say, wait and see.'
But each one, my friend, has his
opinions of life, both in this world and
in the world to come, and it is my pur-
pose tonight, my friends, to give you
my views, insignificant as they are, and
the history of humanity's progress at
the present day.
Think, my friends, what is life any
way +?
To-day we see little bird singing
gaily among the swaying branches of
yonder oak, calling, perhaps in Ian
guage of its own, to its mate, while
seemingly to all the world it is con-
tented and happy, as it basks in the
beautiful sunlight of new born day.
My friends, they tell us THAT is
life.
But on the morrow something has
happened. The little bird no longer
sings gaily among the swaying
branches Of the old oak, but, instead,
lies cold and stiff at the roots of the
tree, while its mate sits sadly among
the branches. 1t has no song to utter,
for that of its mate is gone we know not
where. But OF this fact we are certain
lit has forever ceased its song in this
world.
My friends, they tell us THAT is
DEATH
Can this be all of life? Can there
be no possible meeting place in the
future where the song of this bird may
be reunited with that of its mate
Surely this is not all surely it cannot
be true that it is all of life to live and
all OF death to die y
If so, then we are confronted with
another question, which naturally
arises, and one which, | dare say is of
more consequence to us than the
question, What is Human Life ?" and
that is, Is Life Worth Lving?"
Yes, if it be true that it is all Of life
to live and all OF death to die, then for
some poor mortals of this world, who
are living under strange and painful
circumstances, l say to you that life is
not Worth the living.
But such is not so, but / would say
to you who declare it to be, or who
even imagine that it might be, and to
those who are in any way inclined to be
skeptical, go forth under the open
dome of heaven, get close to nature,
away from the din and roar of the
busy world try to forget the trials and
disappointment of this life to forget
that, which, to my mind, is the great
est barrier that exists to-day to the
onward march OF Christianity thing
of which there is too much in all of the
institutions of our land, especially the
church thing which is sending more
people to hell each year, by keeping
them away from heaven, than any
curse which exists among us. Yes, try
to forget that popular thing called
Style. Go forth among the things of
nature, and she will speak to you with
nUaberless tongues and tell you that it
is not all of life to live nor all of
death to die. "
My friends, the truth of it is the life
of each individual determines whether
or not his or her life is worth the
living. II it is pure and ministering,
like some modest violet, even in the
vale Of sorrow, it has an unlimited
value
The suffering Of life, if it lift some
other souls to better things, is well