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STAH9 AND MEN.
Voii. VII
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As Tor the sun, lie euros for no one; no,
not he, for he is a man of business. Holms
the worlds to light anil heat and well dous
ho do his work. With it speed grcator than
even Jehu over dreamed of, ho drives his
chariot over the broad boundless high
ways of heaven.
Older and wiser men even than myself
have noticed this bond of sympathy and
similarity between stars and men and
have created the science of Astrology and
the religion of Astrography.
The stars have a social aspect. There
aro many stars, so are there many men.
Each star has a name, so every man has a
name. Some stars are comparitively near
to us, others are so far distant that their
light is four thousand years old before it
reaches us. Some men aro comparitively
near heaven. They stand upon the
mountain top of holiness almost ready to
enter tho eternal city. Others will bo
older than four thousand eternities before
they catch tho faintest glimpse of that
blissful realm.
Every star occupies a certain position
in tho heavens placed there by God, so
every man tills a certain sphere In life
placed there by the All-ruling Hand.
" One star diflereth from another star
in glory;" so one life diflereth from an
other lite in capabilities, possibilities,
and responsibilities. To one is given ono
talent, to another Ave, to another ten.
And as every star shines with its utmost
power so every lile should live to Us ut
most, should be true to its capabilities,
possibilities, and responsibilities be they
great or small. Truth consists not in
having many talents but in developing
those we have. Ho true, and like those
that turn many to righteousness, "yo shall
shine as the stars forever and ever."
Shakespero says, "Man is his own star."
And this in a certain senso is true, wo
have tho power of being something or
nothing ,of choosing the true or the false.
" iMan is his own star and that soul that
ran render an honest and a perfect man
commands all light, all influence, all fate.
Nothing to him falls too early or too late,
our acts our angels are, or good, or 111, our
fatal shadows that vault by us still."
In tho heavens are beautiful constel
lations Around some greater star gather
numerous stars of lesser magnitude. In
the society of men we find constellations.
A duko or prince, count or king, or somo
other titled descendant from the ape
comes from a foreign shore, and hide
pendent, democratic America comes surg
ing and thronging around him eager to
touch tho hem of his garments, honored
if they can steal a glanco from his piorc
ing eye, a hair from his noble head, or a
kiss from his blooded lips. A Stuart, a
Vanderbilt, or an Astor form tho centers
of mighty constellations, many of whoso
admirers arc but parasites that feed upon
the juices of their money bags.
There are stars that shine with their
own light and stars that do not. There
are men that command respect from their
fellows because they deserve it, because
they possess those intrinsic qualities that
will ever command respect. Others occu
py exalted social positions and possess
social standing, because of tholr wealth,
ami influential friends. Take these away
and they would quickly sink to their
proper level. These arc stars that shine
with borrowed light.
We are told of extinguished stars; of
stars that have been created, and have
shone in the heavens; but having gradu
ally grown dimmer and dimmer until
they now live only in name and scientific
history. Men have been born, have lived,
labored, and died, and they make up the
myriads of stars that have gone out.
Far out of the reach of tho eye, beyond
the reach of the most powerful telescope,
oven whirling witli inconceivable veloc
ity in tho mighty sea of imponderable
other, aro other worlds than ours' stars
that aro unseen. So in the mighty on com
ing tide of timouro generations of men yet
unborn, unknown, and unseen.