The Detroit times., 1911-01-03

For what Is your lifey James "a.
An old question, forsooth. James
asks II here. JUST to show how little
the best answer contains in ratio TO
what IL does not. How old art thou
said the king To Jacob. Few and EVIL
was the gist of the pessimlsts reply.
And Yet, this self-same pessimist shows
amazing capacity for optimism under
other circumstances. And jacob seried
seven years for Rachel. and they
seemed unto him but fe wdays, Tor
the love he had to her"
Ana so IL * with the rest or us.
The state OF mind, the tinge OF mel
anCholy, the powers OF 0ppro clatlon,
disappointments sense Of failure. elias
ITCHY or inclasticity of nope. the spur
To the motor centers In the reAewed
craving - act, the sense OF Things YET
To he done, or of things not worth
wilhelm fine disease or health, OF
body or mind.-these determine our re-
ply at various times TO the question,
what Is your lte?" And what Is II,
the something We are, have had win
us since ever we began 10 be as "A
race this should remain riddle?
Here again the optimist rises TO as
sert himself in assuring US that IT Were
better far for US that we've FOUND no
answer to the ridGle. for with the an
swer comes deathly pail To the
minds relish. dizziness TO the edge
of human quest. safety with every
thing.
The view-poin; determines every
thing. Let us now. therefore while
yet we are healthy in body and mind,
propose to ourselves the resolves and
habits, which In turn shall hold us
ever 10 that sanitation or BODY ana
sanitay OF mind which. In turn. shall
estimate all llfe at every perspective.
rs beautifully worth while. In fine, let
MS Tx Rachel. or her emotional.
csthetic and moral equivalent, at the
end of every projected seven years.
Perhaps. ere we are done. we may ind
80 netting greatly beautiful enough 10
make an objective for more than seven
years,--grt at enough to lure ON unfail-
ingly through The endless ages
To the end, therefore, that we may
adjust the balance of our Judgment,
make quick our appropriations, so That
wheE We get u the truth We may
know It as the truth about life, let us
proceed tc Investigate now things APP
pear
Now literature Is simply AN interpre,,
tation OF liIc at one ~ another facet
three spe linens, Of varying quality.
each giving AN estimate of life. one
w may call at heart, pesslmism; the
second, optimism; the third, faith.
The hrst is said 10 have been "A favor
tie with Abraham Lincoln. ana in that
tact We merely note that Lincoln's
singularly melancholy strain of mind
will explain the liking Ii is piece
Of verse by one William Knox, who
struck OF this one With vitality enough
L. IL TO live beyond a most transient
~ istence Now, melancholy mas its
pleas urable stage. IL IL sort Of mar
cotic in this respect These following
lines may find n "agrant seat of dell
cious pain in most of US at certain
moods
ron, why should the spirit of mortal
be proud?
Like ifI-heeting meteor, a fast
living cloud.
A flash Of the lightning. a break of the
wave
Man p -scth from life 10 his rest In
the grave"
Wei, sulc enough, but III To life there
were no progress. and we needed not
to hasten on from stage To stage IN
order to complete our course, then the
awful pace might dpuall Why Ia
ment, Ionder meteor is part Of a vast
system, rest assured should YOU annul
tho law Of rs being. YOU'D destroy
universe, Better burn to gases, any
how. ana bocone IA part OF earths
chemical economy than be hoatlng out