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Article REACHING AFTER THE UNATTAINABLE.* Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reaching After The Unattainable.*
REACHING AFTER THE UNATTAINABLE . *
BY VERAX . THOSE of us who have ever studied the Philosophy of human life , the Psychology of individual bemg , must have been struck Avith this one great fact , running like a golden ttaad through , all efforts and all aspirations , namely , the search for the "Unattainable . " It is a peculiar condition , an unchanging condition of humanity , no doubt founded on an innate perception of Truth , that man always is " to be , " and never is " blest . " In earl
y dawn Ave lay out the plans for the coming clay . We exult ancl plan , Ave purpose and we prophesy , Ave look forward without fear , we discount the future at an exorbitant rate of interest , much above the " Bank of England rate . " The present is peculiarl y little or less to us ; on the future Ave fix our anxious gaze — to the future we direct our wandering stepsall elateall sanguineall triumphant . And
, , , rt alas ! that future ^ never comes to us . No , wliile we are planning and purposing , ami anticipating and imag ining- —happy delusion of our race!—Atropos appears on the « ne , snips bi two the thread of life , ancl on the passage over that Stygian river , dark W dismal Avhen conducted b y old Charon , Ave give Mm our " obolus , " and g ladly We « is company . .
Wo have been " reaching after tbe Unattainable , " but all in vain , for neither youth nor strength , nor grace , nor hope , nor bright joys , nor a peaceful home , nor a " placens »«» , " and duteous children , have hindered the advance of the " Pareaj , " or taken from 'is tho greatest of gifts to man , Life . Ancl the same law of human existence governs «| ier matters and other conditions and other actualities here . We start hi life often "than ideal world of ideal men ancl ideal Avomen before us . Ours is hero Avorship , eroinc worshi
• p , of the most approved fashion . We are all for ourselves , so to say—a ittle hving theatre , hi Avhich all the actors move , speak , dress , act , look , to perfection . 0 dimness obscures the vision , no false colouring daubs the scene , no unskilful oioiipnig mars t i le gKu . j 0 lls « tout ensemble . " AU is pleasant to tbe sight , edifying to o mind , and good for moral realisation . Alas , ere Ave haA e gone very far on the iah " ^ ° ^ fe We finc ^ llow icUe llas ^ om ' anticipation , IIOAV deceiving this " baseless '""c of a dream" The actors have their but how badl ! have
. played parts , y They ' attended to the "prompter ; " they have forgotten their very " cues , " ancl the ' * quence has been a grand result as inharmonious as it is depressing ! When the U , ' , / 8 'l ' 6 topped ancl the . paint is gone , IIOAV unreal seem all that mouthing ancl of ' ,, aotlu g > which have ended only in rant , or fustian , or worse ! Whore is the promise ] * w days ' . Where are the links of old affection ? Where are our dreams of the ^> the heroic , the beautiful , the pure , tbe true 1 All gone aAvay to the " silent land , "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reaching After The Unattainable.*
REACHING AFTER THE UNATTAINABLE . *
BY VERAX . THOSE of us who have ever studied the Philosophy of human life , the Psychology of individual bemg , must have been struck Avith this one great fact , running like a golden ttaad through , all efforts and all aspirations , namely , the search for the "Unattainable . " It is a peculiar condition , an unchanging condition of humanity , no doubt founded on an innate perception of Truth , that man always is " to be , " and never is " blest . " In earl
y dawn Ave lay out the plans for the coming clay . We exult ancl plan , Ave purpose and we prophesy , Ave look forward without fear , we discount the future at an exorbitant rate of interest , much above the " Bank of England rate . " The present is peculiarl y little or less to us ; on the future Ave fix our anxious gaze — to the future we direct our wandering stepsall elateall sanguineall triumphant . And
, , , rt alas ! that future ^ never comes to us . No , wliile we are planning and purposing , ami anticipating and imag ining- —happy delusion of our race!—Atropos appears on the « ne , snips bi two the thread of life , ancl on the passage over that Stygian river , dark W dismal Avhen conducted b y old Charon , Ave give Mm our " obolus , " and g ladly We « is company . .
Wo have been " reaching after tbe Unattainable , " but all in vain , for neither youth nor strength , nor grace , nor hope , nor bright joys , nor a peaceful home , nor a " placens »«» , " and duteous children , have hindered the advance of the " Pareaj , " or taken from 'is tho greatest of gifts to man , Life . Ancl the same law of human existence governs «| ier matters and other conditions and other actualities here . We start hi life often "than ideal world of ideal men ancl ideal Avomen before us . Ours is hero Avorship , eroinc worshi
• p , of the most approved fashion . We are all for ourselves , so to say—a ittle hving theatre , hi Avhich all the actors move , speak , dress , act , look , to perfection . 0 dimness obscures the vision , no false colouring daubs the scene , no unskilful oioiipnig mars t i le gKu . j 0 lls « tout ensemble . " AU is pleasant to tbe sight , edifying to o mind , and good for moral realisation . Alas , ere Ave haA e gone very far on the iah " ^ ° ^ fe We finc ^ llow icUe llas ^ om ' anticipation , IIOAV deceiving this " baseless '""c of a dream" The actors have their but how badl ! have
. played parts , y They ' attended to the "prompter ; " they have forgotten their very " cues , " ancl the ' * quence has been a grand result as inharmonious as it is depressing ! When the U , ' , / 8 'l ' 6 topped ancl the . paint is gone , IIOAV unreal seem all that mouthing ancl of ' ,, aotlu g > which have ended only in rant , or fustian , or worse ! Whore is the promise ] * w days ' . Where are the links of old affection ? Where are our dreams of the ^> the heroic , the beautiful , the pure , tbe true 1 All gone aAvay to the " silent land , "