Gilpin observer., 1910-11-10
MANS POSSIBILITIES.

thus:
Perhaps in this neglected spot is lad
Some heart once pregnant with ce-
lestial fire;
Hands, that the rod Of Empire
may have sway'd.
Or wak'd to ecstacy the living Tyre.
It is sad to think that such con-
dition prevails under the blue vault
OF heaven, but we must admit the
truth of the statement.
Many and varied are the reasons
we give for failing to follow the
course for which we were fitted by
nature.
Up to certain point in the evolu-
ton of the human family, they were
not responsible as the conscience, had
not awakened and they had no ideal
in view.
But when man began to realize that
he was the elimination OF the animal
kingdom and that he must develop
mentally and spiritually, then he
adopted the power to triumph over
environment, and succeed in spite Of
fate. In organic evolution the bodily
form and structure must charge in
order to suit the environment. which
is ever changing ! but Tn human evolu-
ton on the contrary. as civilization
advances man changes, the environ
ment so as to bring it into harmony
with him GOLF and ohvfofoa tho paoao.
sity of change in bodily structure, or
the making CT new species of man.
This is accomplished not through
modification Of form, but by mo1ifi-
cation of spirit, evolving higher char
acter. There is an ideal among those
who have given little or no thought
to the study Of evolution that the
monkey or dog may yet develop into
man. This is a mistaken idea and
is impossible in the nature of things.
The process Is very nicely illustrat-
ed by the branching tree whose trunk
is deeply buried In the lowest strata
and whose branches represent the
lower animal forms diverging from
tAC cA--uiItut Sttm
throughout the clustering branches
10 the terminal shoot-Man.
All other forms of animal life have
diverged from the parent stem, or
the trunk. They are off the track
and it is impossible to get back. No
living form of animal is on its way
manward, or can by any possibility
develop into man. They are all gone
out of the way. There is none going
right, no. not one. The course of evo-
lution from lowest man to the ideal.
the divine man, is a very straight
and narrow way. and few there be
that find it. But though 1t is not
possible in the physical sense to re-
trace our steps. In a mental line 1t
is. by mans knowledge and his con-
troll of conditions.
Man of all the animal kingdom is
the only one who is not bound or
enslaved by his enviornmnet, as he
has the power to adjust his envoirn-
ment to salt his conditions. Hence
there is little excuse for making a
failure CT life.
II we admit the power of circum.
stances, we make man a machine ana
he is not responsible.
Some advance the argument that
they were born under an unlucky
star. but Shakespeare gave the cor
rect idea when he makes Cassius to
say:
Men at some time are masters OF
their fates: The fault, dear Brutus,
is not in our stars, but in ourselves,
that we are underlings"
Others say: II was born In OBJ
scurity and without the necessary
coloring In the blood. to take a com.
manding position in the world" Alb
raham Lincoln might have taken
refuge behind just such barricade,
and never have issued his emancipa.
ton proclamation.
Joan OF Arc would not have listen
ed to the beautiful voices. telling her
to leave her sheep and lead nation,
IL she had remembered she was but
woman.
Others say have not the financial
means to undertake the difficult, but
Burns would remind them In these
words:
What tho on homely fare we dine,
Wear hodden-gray and a that,
Gle fools their silks, and knaves their
wine.
A mans a man for a that.
Some lack the moral stamina, and
go through life in an apologetic atti-
tude. They lack courage to take a
stand with men through conscious.
ness of their inequality; and as Ham