Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1913-02-06
/. /. DO YOUR LEVEL BEST. :.
BY e. F.. Lewis. Sioux ci.y. Ia.

by Il. F.. Lewis Sioux City, Ia.
Shakespeare says:
We are such stuff as dreams are
made Of"
The prophet Joel with wider view
says. Your old men shall dream
dreams, and your young men shall see
Visions
Old men live largely in the past, so
1ar az this life goes at all events. They
cream of days gone bN-dream per
haps indeed often--of splendid posi-
bilities neglected--of hopes and prom
ls's llnfulfilled-of resolutions broken
nothing but leaves where they should
nave planted that which would blossom
In their manhood and bear fruit when
they grew old bitterly adding:
% what a different record
The angel might have kept
Had ! watched instead of waited,
Had worked instead of rlept.
But the vision splendid is gone, and
there is neither time nor strength to
conjure it up again.
la youth the great panorama of life
spreads out before the mind Often in
our waking moments. still more often
as Job puts it: I'm dream i'm a vision
OF the night when deep sleep falleth
upon men, in slumbering upon the bed:
then He openeth the ears of men, and
sealeth their instruction" Blessed is
the man who has the moral courage and
determination to stand fast by the ideal
presented in such visions.
BunNan's great vision came while he
lay In Bedford's gaol: Paul's when on
his way with Il troop of soldiers going
to Damascus: Lincolns when he saw
slaves sold al a New orleans auction
~ ever get a chance to hit that
thing, III hit il hard" And he abided
by his vision until the day came to Is
sue the emancipation proclamation
The young man is prone ia think the
ideal life presented in his vision is
something far above that coming To
most. Sometimes IT is. but usually Your
next door neighbor4-your chum, your
room mate has practically the same.
though he is as chary of talking about
1t as YOU are.
Why then. If the young generally
have more or less of these mental pre-
sensations. do not more accomplish
great things? Chiefly because OF our
fears When a boy lived by the canal.
Other boys went swimming. and the
ambition of my life was to swim. One
night dreamed that | was swimming
so fast that the boys running along the
towpath could not keep up with me.
But I'm the morning my old dread of
the water came back and never
learned the art
SO we take counsel of our fears
danger. of failure. and a thousand other
| lions i'm the way. largely conjured up
| by the imagination. and thus
Enterprises of great pith and moment
| With this regard their currents turn
| awry
| And lose the name of action
| Michael Angelo walking with a friend
| i'm the suburbs struck his foot against
something. Down he went ON his knees
| and began tn scoop away he dirt With
1 his fingers. What do YOU see i'm that
| stonc?' asked the friend laughing at
| his "arnestness. Il see an angel in it.
1 he replied. and despite the ridicue h.
4 had tho stone exhumed and taken In
| his studio. After some months of
| steady. patient toll toward his ideal he
\ called in the friend In the stone. =
There stood the angel. Speak" cried
| the friend TO the embodied vision.
| Speak for know ycu can.
| hundred young men may start with
\ their banners as portrayed i'm Long :
| fellows Excelsior" and under the
| Establishments of society. the calls al
| pleasure the whispered fear of So
| called friends. and sneer and ridicuie
| OF others. present comfort and mate
| upon the mountain top and hearing
the voice from heaven calling lex :
| ccISior,
\ AS a general rule II mans vision will
partake of the character of his mind
AS a man tllinketh I'm his heart so is
| he
If he thinks midnight he will dream
| midnight and If he thinks of climbing
the great heights of truth and virtue
and taking his place Among the en-
4 throncd gods on salntcd seats. his
| vision will accord with those thoughts
| and will inspire him with wisdom To
\ attain his end.
| SO we need cherish the vision--watcf
| our thoughts for by them we make Oh
mar our destiny.
A little girl once came running IL
her mother with much delight. Moth
err she cried. II know now that there
is no he'll. They can't get birthstone
enough to make one. ALI. said the
mother. people make their own brini-
stone and take 1T with them.