The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1916-05-09
LETTERS FROM THE
PEOPLE
An Article on MANS lmmo rts,lty'


IL n soul.
The mlscOnceDtion OF TINS truth ha
been the means OF leading million
nstrny. Tho people OF today are I'D
dicted to a habit which might be term
ed the habit Of tho minimum"
The fashion OF the day Ia TO be,iey,
too little. The evil OF this has nothipl
to do with the growing disposition
OF men at large to unite in character
lbtic unities. and refuse to be separat
cd by Incidental differences. That 1,
all very good. Nor is there sereiou,
danger OF reducing too low the sun
OF doctrines that make a man I'm
mortal--the veriest fundamentals vii
do that
But the harm of believing by mini
NUNS IL the slovcnly carelessnes,
about truth which II involyes--the
feeling that the everlasting fact ol
things IN indifferent--that Il makes
slight difference whether truth IL be
lieycd or let slip.
II. however. the world were Twins
its life largely. II would take In all
the truth II could apprchend. II would
be eager TO lay hold on more and more
OF IT, The more truth. the more con.
tact with reality; the more contact
with reality. the greater fullness Of
living; the greater fullness Of living,
the greater use In the world. This ID
the ladder Of genuine ambition.
The least possible belief may tide
one along But It Ii the greatest DOS.
sible belief. seized on and cluns to,
while moro faith Is striven for, which
gives life the swing Of triumph. The
world needs that.
Life abldes. The city which enter.
prise reared with SO much assiduity
disappears. But the enterprise. un.
builds new and grander
cities.
or the palaces OF the Caesars, only
n few shattered columns remain az
Of the past But Justice
still seeks expression In new forms
Of law. The Cathedral lies In ruins
and the ritual once celebrated In It
Is forgotten. But worship continues
In new forms Of penitence and thanks.
giving. On all the products which
The spirit Of man creates. on all the
which the spirit Of man
uses. decay Is busy at work. But the
spirit Of man does not decay. and
changes only to attack with new life
and new energy. the ever new prob
ems Of his existence.
There is something awful In the
succession Of distinctions which slow.
y or suddenly turn irresistibly to ruin
mans greatest achievements. There
q something sublime In the indestruc.
ible energy. which follows every ap.
parent failure with new and nobler
'ndeavor. and makes each new disas.
er minister TO q larger life Of the
'pirit.
The man of today IL agnostic. He
ioes not attempt to solve the riddle
II the universe. but he does not think.
therefore,. that 1t is insoluble. He can.
lot read the Rosetta Stone, he does
lot therefore conclude that It 10 mean
ngiess. The visible and tangible 10
transient; only the invisible and un.
angible Is eternal. .Onspring Of MA.
rURE. tho spirit comes through the
loor Of birth upon the earth: to
NATURE. after q brief and often
ragic existence. II returns through
he door Of death: its achievements
ast but for an hour: itself endures.
The material structures. the thought
ormularies which men think they are
making. really are making them.
Man Is gregarious and builds great
tiles. but nothing that he builds On.
ures. No sooner does the steeple
rown the cathedral. than frost and
ust begin to disintegrate It. No SOON
r Is the home finished and furnished.
han time begins to gnaw at its foun.
ations, Occasionally tho thin crust
pom which man lives breaks. and the
ity. his monument Of thrift and enter.
rise. falls into shapeless ruin b.
weep the tickings Of q watch.
The slower processes Of time are
OF less destructive. The thought edi.
ces. like the material edincss OF man. |
re also Of short duration-inhnitely |
hort duration. measured by the time.
eats Of eternity.
Only the spirit Is indestructible:
My life Ia immortal. The destruction
I mans works IL the upbuilding OF
IL spirit. The tidal wave and the
mountain are themselves
,aking the City Of rs to Be-" built
undaunted souls. schooled In dis. |
ster