The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-12-15
CHAPTER XVIII.

bMAfIEh ANllls
You have read Of the delicate pol
ishlng necessary in making the lens
Of an astronomical telescope. A slight,
variation OF the surface from the
curve required renders the lens use
iesa
A perfect lens Is a work of art, like
the smile Of Mona Lisa or a rose. Such
a work OF art IL Tom West. His equi-
llbrium Is perfect. AS a soap-bubble,
when II leaves the pipe, by a divine
law OF nature, becomes a lovely
sphere, some natures by a secret in
stlnct curve perfectly into maturity
like a crowded midnight or a Gala
lily. II seems accidental-this bios
s0ming into perfection, but very many
thousand different choices have been
rightly made to produce this poised
health. this serene balance. The life
that throbs In his veins without a
pause, through woman and man, goes
back to the beginning of conscious
ness on this green planet. and he is
one OF the flowers on the tree Of life
unfoIded from the tallest and most
central limb nourished by the best
sap Of the organism.
Look--eavesdrop with mel Stand
ing there is a girl and over the gate
her lover pleads in the twilight; her
eyes are lifted to the star of love in
the daffodil sky and her spirit, ex-
quisitively sensitive to the prompt
ings OF the goddess who guides the
choice OF women, her sensitive spirit
listening to his impassioned suit, per-
ceives a flaw In the character of the
suItor-this 500 years ago-and she
chooses a different husband and Sc
Iects a different ancestor and high
er character for Tom West. A divin-
fly has presided over his nativity and
over the nativity of his forefathers,
and as the roots of a century plant
go into the soil, the tap-root of this
young prince of human beings goes
into the nebula from which our solar
system and sustenance is drawn by
him from it.
Without fear that his mission would
fail he might be sent as ambassador
TO Olympus and face to face he
would plead his cause 10 Zeus, man
10 man, and the high goddesses, see
ing him walk away. would feel pass
ing melancholy that he has plighted
troth 10 another woman and when he
Is gone Apollo, inspired. will touch
his harp, singing to God that the
ages under Gods sunshine bear fruit
like West The curve of his soul is
as perfect as that of some wide lens
which pours the glow of a new plan
ct in the ken Of gazer at the stars.
His nature is as rich as a benediction
service I'm Rome when the Sovereign
Pontlff turns the uplifted ostentorium
above the hushed and kneeling con-
gregation. He is warm-hearted. hon.
orable. truthful, able. manly, noble,
charming. Like a pine-tree, unbruis-
ed by the hack. he runs a hundred
feet into the blue unscarred. prepar-
ed for every hurricane that struggles
with the human soul. Here, youth,
who quickly passes up the mountain
road, give you my sprig of lilac.
Doubt not, but persist. Fastened
around your neck on a chain of gold,
you carry in its golden case the heart
of Bruce and the unseen powers CT
Justice and honor guard you against
the precipice and the slipping ice and
snow. Trust yourself! Principalities
and powers of good, like an army
clearing a road for Napoleon, make
a way for you to your valley of the
Pc, and no reverses will meet you
SO long as you remain true to your
present self.
AS the light of tallow candle dis
appears in the light of an arc lamp,
and as the moon revolves around the
earth and as Halley's comet revolves
around the sun, prefer to stay away
from Tom West; when he is around,
i feel cheap and paltry and trifing.
II l happened to be talking to lady
out in the hall of the capitol and
West Joined the party, and said c. H.
Ii. Floyd disappeared to all intents
and purposes and the eyes of the lady
were all for West Ii is an argument
In favor of the belief that the same
spirit that created us, created the
universe in which we live, that We
ind our habits of mind illustrated so
perfectly in the habits of matter. The
glorious correspondence OF natural
things with our mental life. enriches
ms. Did you think that the value Of
the discovery of the Pacific ocean
ceased when II is used as a highway
OF commerce? Why. that inspiring