The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-06-01

| knowledge of other mems histories and
achievements, but life is an expert
| ence. Each must get it for himself.
| He saw that human knowledge has its
| limitations. The further one travels
| the road of learning the more he sees
| stretching out before him. Man at
| his best is but as Wayfarer picking
| up few shells on the sea shore,
whilst the ocean of the unknown rolls
away from his feet.
The bard Of Avon tells us: at
| thirty man suspects himself A fool
at forty knows it, at nifty resolves to
change, at sixty re-resolVes, at seventy
dies the same"
In plain words. no one man can
learn enough to do him. The accu-
mulated learning of the ages is need
ed, and that is not sufficient to guide
a single soul infallibly. 1T is not
within man to direct his steps"
knowledge therefore makes humble.
"A little learning is a dangerous
thing" once thought everybody
ought to 80 to college, but I have seen
so many fools come out of college, I
have changed my mind. Not every
one can learn deep, high things. The
sages of the world have been reYerent
and meek. Jesus was meek and lowly,
There are things in heaven and earth
not dreamed of in your philosophers.
BE still and know" You have seen
many a. sweet girl and many a clean
little college.
Nations living solely by this law Of
learning have been and where are
they? EEgypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome?
Wheretare the proud temples Of pagan
wisdom Where are the AIeXandrian
tones Of ancient learning
Instead therefore of graduates being
Finished they are truly just begin
ming You learn how to learn. You
learn the use Of books. Read only
the best books and YOU viii never
finish. You need some fixed principles,
some right ideals, to begin with Find
ing knowledge vanity the wise man
turned away from It to the pursuit of
pleasure, even as YOU and l.
IT will prove thee with mirth: there
fore enjoy pleasure: behold this also
was vanity" (ECC.)
His was no common, reckless de-
bauchery. He planned for a good time.
He built great places, filled them with
men singers and women singers. his
table groaned under the choicest Of the
stalls and the latest of the land, his
touches We're ma de of ivory from In
dia, overlatd with the softest down
perfumed with the best essences OF
Arabia, his harem was filed with
beauties of his own and tributary peo-
pies his ships brought gold from
Ophir, his Camels were laden with
spices from the East. Surely he was
no novice, and no Turkish Sultan ever
-
he deliberately pronounced failure,
and exhorts man to live by his labor
with the wife Of his youth, for that is
his portion
His experience was a common one.
Men finding early in life the truth Of
Shakespeare remark. give up setting
the world on fire, and proceed to set
themselves on fire! Disasters and fail
ures and suicides and early graves re-
suit without number. The chief end
of life is not amusement
Make Most of Youth.
You must learn that youth is no
time for wildcat sowing. What YOU
SOW then must he reaped in middle
life or old age. To waste energies on
folies is to unfit YOU for the sub
stantial feast of later life. God wants |
YOU to be happy. and your happiness
to last. The one who gives rein to |
Indulgence Will not come into the |
worlds work or rewards at all, but |
cigarette smoking. wine and vice viii |
make yOu fall like worm eaten apples
before they are ripe
Those who have shaken the world |
were not sewers of wildcats, nor
youths of folly Alexander conquered
the world at thirty-three Don John
of Austria was only twenty-five when
he won the battle Of Lepanto. Ma
rOleon was emperor at thirtY-thrce. |
Cortez made a conquest Of Mexico at
thirty Luther was thirty-tVe when
was only a very young man when he
detied the world and won the battle
for the Trinity. Shallespeare's famous
women were girls in their teens-Des-
demOna, Miranda Portia. Ruth, Mi
riam, Esther of Bible fame were mere
girls Youth is a period Of laying
foundations. and better far folly IN old
age than now, when character is be
ing formed.
How many Of the ugly lives about
YOU are due to such folly and neglect.
One has to swim to go up stream,
it is easy to drift down. The play
faculty is C1od-given but needs to be
God-directed. The prodigal wasted not
only his money but his opportunities, |
found himself penniless and without
ability to do anything, and so drifted
to the swine trough. Sing this over
and over again:
Yield not to temptation for Welding
is sin,
Each victory will help you some other
to win.
Fight manfully onward, dark passions
suhdue
Look ever to Jesus, He'll carry you
thru.
The road to ruin is a wide and easy