The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-11-03
Blessings Of
Imperfection
By HENRY F. COPE

IeAI--N2 are saved DIV lODe.-ROman1
s:24
To every man life is either an In
Fiction or an inspiration. 1t all de-
ponds on how you take it, as a dose
or as spur. 1t is easy to become SO
conscious Of calamities possible,
troubles impending, and difficulties
present as to be oppressed with a
sense Of the universe as warning
against you, or you can see it all as a
glorious struggle in which it is a joy
to have part
Life is not all a joyous way of
pleasure. No person of sensibilities
can ignore altogether its pain and
need, or ever be free from the sense
of personal incompleteness, and of IN
realized adjustment to the universe.
But this tncompleteness, restlessness.
and dissatisfaction, may be the cause
of our profoundest JOY and largest
hopes
man is greater than an angel,
though he may not be better, and may
be worse. In an important sense i'm
perfection is better and greater than
perfection. That which is perfect has
found its limits, has reached its full
ness. Man sees no limit about him
and goes on forever without the sense
of completeness. That is the mark
of living, that the more YOU live the
larger life stretches before you.
But for our imperfections there
would be no growth; the future would
lie like a blank without the hope OF
larger things. This it is that makes
the new days welcome, no matter
what freight OF woe they may bring
to us-that they stretch before they
promise onward steps. new yistas, the
chance to be more, feel more, know
more. Perfection might mean peace.
but it would be the peace of death.
If ever We are inclined 10 complain
OF the shocks OF fortune, the buffets
and smarts Of living, We ought to turn
and look on them all with gratitude.
They shake us out of dull content;
they testify to our incompleteness and
call on us to learn lifes lessons. to
gain new strength to withstand their
Oncoming attacks. The fact that we
81 = d-tIt4 dD4G -l-IhtS us ullludltlF
victorious
Now, it matters not how religious a
man may profess TO be. how freely
he may handle pious phraseology, if
he spends his breath in complaining
about the sorrows OF this existence
and in signing about another world
where he will be free from the pres
into the lite Of perfection, the life
that has attained and knows no fur
Their desire, his religion is menace
to this world and to him as a dweller
here
Our present business is with the
life that is fun OF prophecy of larger
being, that reminds us by our present
failures and friction of the greatness
of our shortcomings our business is
TO take this life of pain and need and
use all its prOvocations, its troubles,
difficulties. problems as the curricu-
lum of larger life. We ought to be
grateful, as they who take life wise
~ certainly will be. for all that moves
US on though it may seem to lay US
low at me lllle Oh LLe dow.
True religion is that which places
the night of aspiration before a mans
eyes and sets in his heart the vision
OF a life which knows no limit Reli-
gion interprets the universe in terms
of a reasonable plan of life, with a
hope in life which does not mock US.
Religion is the spirit that enables one
to trust the ultimate wisdom OF the
plan of our present imperlec;ion.
The present struggle is the finest
thing that we have. Not that we need
to add to its intensity or increase its
complications. But We ought not to
try TO dodge its demands nor ought we
to be blind to its splendid promise. For
imperfection is ever the prophecy of
development, and he who bravely,
hopefully struggles on. bears endures,
aspires, not only finds the way through
the clouds to the stars, but in the
struggle finds the high and divine in
himself
Here faith plays her part, aiding us
to cling to our visions of the larger
life and greater universe, giving us
confidence even in darkest nights that
We do not walk In a maze. TO come out
where We went in. hearing the mock
ing laughter Of idiot gods. We believe
better things Of our world, and that
means taking our world in a nobler
way and trusting that love rules
through it all That means finding
our way out through imperfections and