Evening journal., 1912-03-09
THOUGHTS
BY John 5. Hamilton.

Reader did you ever consider the
whence, the whittier and the power Of
a thought? While alone some time and
in a reflective mood has a thought or
an idea ever come to you from the
somewhere and after staying and con-
versing with you a while went away
as quietly as it came into the same
somewhere, and did you ever ask
where it came from. where it went
and what it was doing all the time
afterward. when It might perhaps oc-
cur to you again, did you ever ask
yourself where it had been and what
It had been doing while it was away?
Thoughts are unquestionably the
greatest things in the world. It was
the thought that preceded every great
accomplishment and institution, and
! it is the thought on which was and
is built every great life But where do
! these great things come from and
where do they go? Are they a part OF
! the clay from which we are made and
only manifest themselves merely as a
result of the shifting combinations of
| atoms or are they lying about in the
air in some unknown way looking or
/ feeling for a favorable location or
condition in which to deposit the seed
where the latter will root and fructify
In the desert of Sahara there is 4
! little plant which bears its seed in
! the center of its leaf. When the plant
reaches maturity the leaf dries up and
| forms into tiny hollow ball with the
seed always on the inside AT the
proper time this ball separates from
| the parent stem and falls to the
ground where the wind blows it
where it will Away the ball goes
across the burning sands the lear
| holding the seed safe within where 1t
! is protected from the heat of the sand
and the sun. 1t rolls on passing
weary caravans and over the bones of
men who died for the want of the
water for which itself it is searching.
On and on Il goes, sometimes when
the wind ceases il halts, but the mer-
est zephyr sends it on again ever
looking for water, ever feeling for a
moist place, finding which, the leaf
opens out and deposits the seed
where they can germinate and grow
other leaves that will carry other
seeds to find other moist places on
the thirsty plains Countless millions
have perished in the search, but al
WAYS some found the desirable mois-
ture. Considering such things Will
say as many different things to as
many different persons, but the writer
has often asked himself if thought
were not somehow similar TO this
interesting plant and II all around III
the desert Of human ignorance and IN
efficiency the proper seed was not be-
ing waited here and waited there feel
ing. yearnmg. longing, ever striving
to fill the mission for which 1t was
created and sent on. always sent on by
that incomprehensible divinity that at
best can only be guessed at, but which
can be seen dimly as through glass
darkly by an elected and favored few
The plant spoken Of is insignificant
as the limited powers of mon sec
things. but the lesson It teaches sug-
pests the horizon Of human powers OF
comprehension. There is nothing in
significant to the wise in the economy
Of the universe and no man can say
whether this humble plant is neces-
sary or not but surelu il can make a
man think if it can do nothing else
st. Pierre said in his opinion that the
destruction of the insects in single
small district in France would i'm al
probability bring about world wide
famine and he showed plausibly how
this would possibly be so. If, there
fore, the little things of this earth
can reveal when examined, the con
summate wisdom of the Creator wha'
shall VIC say of a thought which We
are compelled TO admit is immeasure
ably the paramount consideration II
human comprehension. To dwell OF
this thought at the same time Will h'
revelation of the greatness and IN
significance Of man. II suggests tina
he is possessed of attributes that ma!
raise him up to Heaven and thes'
same attributes perverted will lowe
him down to hell Il is encouraging L
him who believes in and seeks tn
good. while it is prophetic of the dc
struction OF those who go in the othe
direction. Il reveals how silly ar
, those who measure their importanc
, hy their possessions and are willin
to destroy themselves and those 70
whom they should live by their owl
, foolish cupidity.