The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-07

@ ROM Russia comes queer story
 about a peasant of Mini Novgorod l. being fined for placing an op- stacle on the railroad track, therepy causing train to stop" It was brought out at the hearing of his case that the obstacle which he put on the track was his own head and that he was trying to commit suicide.
 In this case the engineer saw the heao on the track and stopped the tram m time to save the life of the poor, Snis- guided peasant. Probably the train wasn going fast. If it had been there would have been no need of arresting. trying and fining the peasant.
 The train of progress is rushing on In America and elsewhere. Propaply al no time in the previous history or the world has it made such speed. Tt IS an express train and it thunders along, bear ing with it the latest discoveries ana theories in science and art and economies and government.
 It will not stop for anything, even TOT a head on the track. The engineer IS the spirit of progress; the train ere" are the earnest, hard working men and wom- en who are devoting their time ana strength to making the world better place wherein to live.
 Keep your head off the track!
 Don't think you can delay the train py trying suicide on the rails. You won succeed It will keep on in its speed ana might, leaving you poor, decapitateo corpse by the side of the road. And no one will stop to bewail your fate. for vou will only be condemned as reac- tionary fighting against the inevitable.
 Better to get aboard the train and lend a hand.
 The way to enlist as member of the crew is to keep an ear and an eye open to all the numerous and variable signs of progress about you.
 Let nothing that is stirring escape your mind. Think. consider. keep an open mind, judge for yourself Use the facui- ties with which the Lord has endowed vol, for your own advancement and Tor the greater glory of the earth and man kind.
 On the train of progress the passengers ought to be only the old and feeble. the vo,lng and helpless, who cannot assist in its running. Even they can neip oy not hindering the trainmen in their worA bv cautious criticism and foolish interfer- ence.
 The bell is ringing. Keep off the tracK'
 For it is a. thing very possible that a ,,,ap should be very divine man and yet he altogether unknown. This thou must evar he mindful of, as of this also-that a mans true happiness doth consist in very few things and that, although thou dost 6espair that thou shalt ever be good either logician or naturalist yet thou art never the further off by 1t from being either liberal or modest or charitable or obedient unto God.-Marcus Aurelius.
 Here we have, in the words of a pa gan, philosopher--who was, nevertheless. more Christian in many of his teachings than some of those who accepted the religion which he rejected-another ver- sion of the Biblical "seek ye the king dom of God and all these things shall be added unto you"
 For if living a life of liberality and modesty and charitableness and obedi- ence unto God be not true Christianity. how shall we define it? The Roman em- peror- philosopher had the true vision.
 Here is an exhortation not to forget the higher things of life. He said man shall not be a worse logician or naturalist for following the rules of true morality, but he might as well have said good lawyer or physician or soldier or artificer in stone ors wood
 There is room in an the relations of life for applied ethics.' Indeed. the ethics