Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/334

 s long  as

courage pulsates  in  the  heart  it  matters  not  the  outer conditions or  success,  the  man  hves  and  nothingr  can quench liis  energies. The strokes  fall  regularly  and to the  purpose. Better to  sow  and  never  reap  than not to  sow,  for  in  sowing  lies  the  spirit  of  increase more than  in  reaping. He who  can  always  work,  I care  not  for  the  result,  is  no  failure. Work itself  is life,  progress,  success. But alas! when courage  casts off the  man,  and  coward  fear  enters  in  and  saps  activ- ity, unstrings the  nerves  and  weakens  the  mind  and body, uncaging  hope  and  relaxing  the  tendons  that grapple diffigulties,  the  poor  wretch,  though  he  live and eat  and  sleep  happily  as  ever,  is  dead  already. Work, work  I  say;  never  mind  what  comes  of  it, work.

For of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  earth  and  heaven. For so  are  we  made. Like the  Wandering  Jew,  we cannot  stop. Ever and  onward  we  must  march,  march, march. There is  no  rest  but  the  rest  of  rotting,  and even in  this  there  is  evermore  work,  work. Hence, a man  havino;  lost  his  hold  and  become  workless,  is  neither of this  world  nor  of  the  next,  but  floats  in  a  purga- torial abeyance worse  than  death.

Weep, my  good  friend,  if  you  will,  there  is  nothing unmanly in  tears. Despair not  of  him  from  whose sensitive or  passionate  nature  adversity  wrings  tears: especially if  they  be  tinctured  by  wrath  or  bitterness; but despair  rather  of  him  who  with  pointless  languish- ment lives  usque  ad  nauseam. Well directed  eftbrt cannot always  fail ;  but  if  it  so  appears,  still  let  an- ticipation wipe the  brow  of  labor  and  triumphal  visions sweeten healthful  sleep.

Among many  both  of  city  and  country  there  was no fixed  standard  of  morality. Each had  been  edu- cated in a  different  school,  that  is  to  say,  those  of  them who had  been  taught  morality  at  all ;  each  held  a  diff- erent tradition, or  no  tradition;  religion  was  a  father's rod  or  a  mother's  tears,  and  law  and  justice  were  in their  own  right  arm,  so    that,  as  with  the  S