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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1876)
Editors Chuir. 21 our Held for drawing correct conclusions continually broadens. One wlio travels among the mountains often slops in a gulch and supposes Unit , if ho could g.iiu the' summit of the near est hill, lie would then obtain a final pros pect of the surrounding countiy. He loiU on up the sleep mountain for hours and dually reaches the top, but is greatly disappointed, lie looks down into the depth, from which he has arisen, but it does not seem .so far at it did befoie. By u slight movement of the foot he pushes olF a. stone that soon reach js the place, from .which he started. But he feels some what disgusted as he Ionics a little farther on and sees a hill still higher, that he must ascend before he can get a satisfac tory view, lie rises to the lop of this and looks down into the little gulch from H'hich he Jirst started. It seems but just u span. The hills still rise before him. During this time his horizon has insensi bly receded, so insensibly that it does not seem to repay the labor, yet he Is pleased with his prospect, lie finally concludes, that, reach whatever bight he may. there will still be uills beyond. Such is our expirience throi gh life. Such will undoubtedly be our experience hereafter Each new relation broadens the view of our horizon. It is truly in an insensible degree and often we feel disap pointed with our own acquirements. We finally wisely conclude that reach what ever bight we ma, there will still be knowledge beyond. But what is the aim of all knowledge-v Is it not this, to ascer tain the relations existing between us and our Creator and to investigate the condi tiot s of our creation 1 Then toward thi by each successive step, wo irrcsislably tend. But as we ascend the mountain we are more and more impressed with the vaslness and inconceivable infinity of space, as we are more and moie convinced of our own insignificance, so as we ascend the bights of knowledge, we become more and more sensible of the immeasurable distance between us and Ilim toward whom we are tending, and more and more arc we enabled thus to measure our own being as better and better we learn of the Absolute, which, though we learn forever, will still be uucomprchended. What then ? I there anything to strive for.? Is self correction an object? h'ttle, indeed, except to those who are immortal. Tims the golden gates of heaven aie lost siixhlof as we rejoice in the perfect Purity Freedom and Knowledge, which we may have gained in signal victories over Cor-, ruption, Servitude and Ignorance, for which hell mu.sl give up its fires. So eternity is a state, not a place. A state, however, where there are alwavs means of correction or degredation, either of which becomes the more impossible the longer we pursue its opposite. LIT2BAUY PREJUDICE. Prejudice in any form whatever is only remnant, a fag-end, of barLarism. The world needs selfishness and ca'inol do without it at our present development. But prejudice ever retards our progress. True, it grows out of selfishness, but it is only an irregularity of its most malignant species. If there is anything wo despise and abhor, it is to see a pert and tow-head CMslinir weak slurs upon some production which ho himself knows to be good and genuine, for.it is only the goodness and the genuineness that forces out of his nar row breast tlio-o overflowings of impteca lions, because he knows that it is better than he himself can produce. The time will come when everything shall be received for just its value. Such is not the case at present. There arc soreheads of every class. But far more despicable than the political is the literary sorehead, because he is the means of trampling down true and original merit. Genius, as one has said, is a thing that must be fostered. But do you think that one fosters his own genus while ho clips the head of auoth et'sV Most assuredly he perverts it and renders it depraved. He makes a murder