OCR Text |
Show have been entered. It lower the standard of taste and critic ism, and will prevent good artists from exhibiting in the future. However the fair is not to be judged from an artistic standpoint. It alms for a practical demonstration of the resource and products pro-ducts of the territory, and in this it ha in-creased. in-creased. The great concourse ot people -rather there daily to 4,see the sights" must feel convinced that they are not only living in the most healthful climate, but also In one of the richest agricultural and mineral states of the union. Amid such an exhiblf of resource and industry, there is no jncli. nation to dream; new ideas and ambitiont quicken our d?ire to do still better things, and thus we build not only for the present, but for the greatness of future generations. Salt Lake City. October 7. SPRIGS OF THOUGHT. BT H. HOLLA TIBBIT. Between thinking and dreaming is the routine of life. "With tho rising morning morn-ing sun the cares and 'desires of the day arouse the brain to thought, and action is born, bringing weal or woe. What fierce yet bloodless battles the setting sun might reveal! What infamous triumphs and cruel defeats! The sun goes down on a cold, unfeeling un-feeling world, leaving a great void that falls like a frost on the fevered brain; but such is the richness of life that the heart is awakened, silencing all questioning for the practical verities ot existence. Theshadows of twilight creep higher and higher until the last ray of the sun is banished and the cares of the day are lulled to rest by the 'peace of nature that asserts it-self when the hour of meditation has come, that the heart might gather new courage to endure its daily rebuffs and disappointments. Who has not experienced the mingled sensations sen-sations uf sadness and reverence in walking up a street in the deepening dusk, catching glimpses of poople m their abodes b fore the curtains were drawn, before night drops down its deepest shadow to envelop man in the folds of his. own being, away from the bustling activities of his bread and butter necessities; just before a light is lit, when the band rests idly and the head is bowed ia re very? .Who has not passed som '. lonely little window and seen through it aim panes, by a pale flickering light, the blackened face of a poor cobbler, gaz.ng absently past his work, beholding something that was not written on his walls, with his work fallen from his knee and the energy gone from his clumsy hand? And we wonder what swoct or bitter tuoughu are stirring his soul in a quickened flight. Is he following with playful fancy the footprints foot-prints left of those battered and worn shoes standing in a row on the rickety bench or is ha figuring with a financier's cleverness how best he might disburse the trifling income in-come of his obscure fhon? It mav be that his mind is alive with the thought of some great invention, and dreams of future greatness have transformed the low ceiling over his head into a lofty dome, where God and the world smiles on him as a benefactor, who now has no name, no fame, only a great love for mankind ia hie shrunken breast, who cannot even fashion new shoes, but is condemned to patch thai which is ready for the rubbish heap, Perhaps he is following with wistful imagination imagi-nation the shrill whistle of a departing tram, hearing it puff and snort on iis course ovei broad stretches of land and mountain, shrieking fiercely as it enters some slecj laden village; rushing, rolling madlj through the darkness of night, until day light, when from the morning mist there arises a beautiful city by the sea, and he hears the break of the surf and the se gull'i call. Ah. yes! there is joy, there is freedom there is all he has not. Or he may be brewing demons of hate, of envy and revenue; whi knows what sluice of evil he is opening foi himself and fellow-men? Who can decipher the enigma of a soul dreamer, for we too are dreaming the dreams which have no substance, but are only the affirmation of what might have been had not cunning chance played a listless hand. Still it is better to think lhau to dream. Thinking has made our modern welfare, and I civilization is its product, the rights of man its law, and religious liberty its expression of charity. Man has been raised through it to the dignity of an individual and he assumes as-sumes his own moral responsibilities or shirks them to his own loss. His voice and opinion help shape a better world, where all mankind find an equal welcome. The dreamer's dream-er's dream is a bubble in an artificial sunlight, reflecting only a igloi ifled self. The thinker's think-er's energy is the inexhaustible fountain in the development of man. The Utah fair is a wonderful display of active ac-tive thought; what it reared, cultivated and fashioned in the lapse of a few years on barren bar-ren waste land; what industries it has pro-moled pro-moled and what resources it has developed! It speass of thrift that is astounding and a scope of ambition that ia full of rich promise. prom-ise. Ambition and pride give dignity to any calling, however huniDie; and so, the farmer who raises the best potato succeeds in claiming respectful attention to his effort, ef-fort, and is rewarded by the knowledge knowl-edge that he contributes a share of usef ulness ul-ness to the common welfare of the world. It is good to have ambition in all tbings; in the art of making wholesome bread, raising rais-ing line cabbage, churning sweet butter. These make a home inviting, and a good home is the foundation of a strong commonwealth. common-wealth. Great things result from small things, therefore nothing is so unimportant that it does not require the stimulus of pride. The most interesting display at the fair this year is the school exhibit. It is.by far. the best and most complete, showing that the educational system of Utah is making great improvements, and indicating that both public and private schools are receiving receiv-ing the benefit of careful instruction. It is to be deplored that the "fine arts" and "women's work" are not better represented. '1 here is much in both these departments 1 that is unworthy of exhibit and should not |