Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1911-01-06
TIE PASSING xeAAs.

coyable fact. 1t will do us good to
bear in mind not only the wide differ
ence which the passing years inevi-
tably brings but as we'll and at the
same time remember the essential
truths and purposes which bind a CO..
mon humanity together regardless of
age or epoch.
Perhaps there is nothing more path
etc in all the world than the wide
areas OF life reflected between the
prattling infant on one hand and the
faltering form of old age on =, the
other. The. old man may even help,
the little fellow to take his first step
They may belong to the same home,
sheltered by the same roof. 'They
may even become chnmsvsuch chnh
as extreme youth and old age, the,
one unconscious of the burdens and
responsibilities of the'wOrld, the 9TH
er weary of them, can 0otllt be. But
when the baby is grown his ideas, his
theories. his way of looking at the
world is going to be vastly different
from that of his grandfather, . reared
though they mayehave been by the
same fireside.e % 20
1t might wound the feelings of the
venerable old man to know chat his
own kin had not cherished and enter
tanned the same views, even though
changing conditions omust be taken
into, consideration. His politics. his
religion, his ideas have all become
clearly fixed eand determined years
ago.. = They are intsrwoSep into the
very fibre Of his being and Othey fol-
low him to his grave. oHe Is proud Of
them. They have cost min many a
wrestling. and having gained them
through hard earned Experiences they
5have become 'his Companions, his
friends, and they command his en-
thusiastic loyalty as long as life shall
last. The growing boy viii revere
him and prize his memory all the
more for his otenacious convictions,
but he Will mot with the expanding
and unfolding of his own mentality,
either follow them into or accept
them as his dOwno solutions of alife'S
problems. 60 g..
The world is ever moving forward
with an irresistible pace and a hun
9dred years omaRes a vast difference
Othe interpretations put upon events.
No POLITICAL party Sands for the same
things st!the end of that length of
time that it dido at the beginning.
Live ISSUES die and are forgotten and
in their place spring up new prob
lens whicR have 70 be strenuously
confronted. Styles change, customs
change, ways of living change, and
the currents of nationso life are
transformed: 0 20
{. H0S differently each generation ha
to meet othe worlds conflicts. The
boy who musto take the world as he
finds it may have inherited the ten
deacy o, hB father, who LIVED. a quiet
life admidst great fields-a life that
was full of industry obut fgee from
turmoil TheOchangsd conditions com
pei the boy, whether he would or no
20 adjust himself to the strenuous.
He finds thatoin a commercial age,
when corhpeHtiorf for fortunes favor
is so keen, hoSaever reluctant he mao
be I'd. estimate values fromo such a
standpoint, ifohe ito be given any
standing room, he must by the very
conditions that face him, figure very
largelyofrom dollaS-ans scent basis.
Again, there are not only Changes
in abe business tone Of the age but
every lifetime is apt to- be a part Of
some crisis in the 9ation's history
The old man ooP today. probably
fought dn the civil war. It Was,the
one event Of his life that Stamped it.
self strong on hiS impressions. Those
four unusual5years ohave madeo the
othego commonplace ones pale into
insignificance. In times of omusing,
he fingers the button on the APE. of
his coat. Anything beSrihg on that
great struggle ohas brought out all
Lis enthusiasm. 8oe
The boy, that is coming on feels all
this vaSusdlv FOR the nttls fiolds lonp
since have beer overSrown With flol
ers. Theotwo must see Fall of life
differently, though of the sane flesh
and blood, Traditions will finger, it
is true, but a story heard is never
like a story lived. lois the way of
the world that each generation should
be different. - 90
While all this is tree It's benificente
accrues to the progress of the world.
Each man and each generation has a
specific and unique work to do. His
toy accomplished is an, inspiration
to history in the making. Our bur.
dens and our problems would grow
too heavy for us oftentimes if it we're
not for the knowledge we have of
the struggles our fathers and a long
line Of generations past have endur.
ed and the heroic conflicts they met,
an the splendid triumphs they have
achieved.
It is for the men who are in the
thick of life's battles today not only
to face bravely the trials andproblen |
which mees them 9ut % remember
that they are here to transmit their
own splendid heritage increased by
their own humble but noble lives to
succeeding ages to give them slim
ulus and courage to withstand the
storms which beat upon them.
1t is glorious thing to live8 Not
only for the JOY and happiness which
AwH