The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1917-12-27
A YULETIDE MEDITATION
The Prodgal-A Triangular View of This Character in
Three-Week Serial Third: His Noble Resolution
By "Optino''
Swine to the right of him;
Swine to the left of him;
Dwelling among the swine
find we the prodigal!
By "Optim,o''

Swine the left of him.
Dwelling the
find we the prodigal!
Ingoous defeat of life Not the prodgal
@ quckenig pulse and of heroic blood the valiant
Light themselves sublime
Bakava Not his the immortal glory
defeat by heroes and traced in
very hfes blood the scroll of fame In Gehsemane of
making he drink alone the bitter brew OF his remo
and wounded Gcgoha of defeat bow his head
upon He who had voned himself ascending
trumphany heights of Success had stoppage
the valley of Disgrace
pictured the prodiga in Rome, amidst whose
great sea humanity gradually but with heartrend
ing certainty the relentless maeom of folly And having in
very his genuhcons the shrine of
paid the Golfers of iniauy stained with the
the farthing of mis- prematue
acquired inheritance ourneyed the only
purus had there Joined himself citizen of that
country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine'
We hear said that task, how humble ever it
be- is honorable faithfully and conscientiouy performed
comforting philosophy hs and which makes endurabe the
often grievous burdens of life
For centuries swine by the
No clearly this other than that the Levitt
defining cleaa and unclean had listed in the
class unclean only given classifying
of hoof they chewed the cud To be
they be clovnfooted umnans That lep
would be- if caused least aggravated. by diet of
wine esh quite prevalent notion in parts OF the
ORIENT but that such really the not with certainty be
of the Jews ignored the law prohibiting
flesh In fact much moo,ed question
ownership of the Gadarene swne indeed
and Mr. Huxley mention only
point degrading could hardly have
been laid Jew.
And there was ann in the land" And hun
cry prodiga he would fain have of the
did Not corn-huks misunder
long, succuent pods of the carob peculiar
bordering the Not only food
animals especially sometimes used food by the
peasantry WELL
hungered the prodgal and unto him"
fe when needs help how
fnd the prodga found that the milk of
curdled Service social other
weighed commercial balance and it, the social market
place. you in kind value there will be
In the city with and free hand
sociaby his but that his substance both of
wealth and character unto either of
aid much cheer and which
ignore.
OF the honor and position that his his fathers
of (misguded) ambition He
spent substance living" Not merely the
represented his patrimony that which
infinitely greater than the wealth he had
dered in the cy forum of folly Lonely and socially hungered
his for bauble pleasure.
And BURST his patrmony gone with
turing memory pleasures be found himself far country
without character In morals rather than miles the distance
far prodga ourneyed The slipping ones
of honor from friends and
desired by interminabe distance
than that which from the farthest heavenly umnar
'And he himself" An overweenng OF his
had the prodgas
the functions of sanity
Obsessed with the idea of achievement his perspective
rghtne of the that
his of the midst of the hungry
herd of swine he o himself"
One has said: Be sins will find OUT Con-
only light the of
boe but half experimenting
meaning the inclined against the charge
prophecy reading Your will
OUT; Your will find surely
that surely will the Nahanian finger of
Davdan iniQuty Thou
In such condition did the prodgal find himself. Only
threshold life he but already hung
hopes In the habitaton Of
incense his
the dark hour his swnehedng he took retrospective
and stock depleted and himself unworthy.
What thought than
with realities of life?
whose painful penalties
be lost in the the