OCR Text |
Show OUR. LITERARY TABLE ""'' THE STUDENT'S VISION. (An imitation of No. CLIX of the Spectator.) Tired out. after a long day's work at school, and still more fatigued hy the study necessary to prepare pre-pare the morrow's lessons, I sat among my books and papers', on which there seemed to aance a mocking imp of failure and discouragement. Turning. to the picture of the waning day framed in my window. I rested my eyes on the spirit of the quiet scene without. with-out. The sleeping garden invited to dreamland; the bees sighed drowsily as the soft-footed airs stole gently through the leafy chambers, and the lullaby of the crickets just hovered on the borderland of the senses. "What is the use cf all this hard work? Why must I be forever studying, when there are so many lovely things to enjoy in this beautiful world?" But my complaint was suddenly broken oft by a stirring in the vines that covered the garden wall. Now they are parted as by invisible hands, forming "a sort of niche through which there glides a figure made of softest lights and shades. "I heard thy mur-murings, mur-murings, dear child," she said; and her voice, like a strain of sweet music, 'soothed the heart that had been sore within me. As I gazed at her in astonished admiration, I knew her at once for a friend; for in her deep blue eyes an angel sat the Angel of Kindness. Kind-ness. ' With a graceful movement of her hands she directed direct-ed my gaze to the mountains. "Know you that height before you?" she inquired. "There is something familiar fa-miliar about it," I answered. It was like a dream, that I had been there sometime without fully realizing realiz-ing it. ."Yes," she continued, "that is the mountain you are daily trying to climb." "But what are all those rocks in the path?" I asked. "Those are the obstacles," she replied, "which must be encountered by all who fare that way. Some are hard and some arc rough, others smooth and inviting, and they are scattered all along the- way." "What are tiiy o:j n-'1 ? "Oh. -wel!. you know thm tinder the n.-nn-s r.f .j,,,,. , nesF. inattention, idleness. fai:it-hcarfci-'"-s?. i, tienio and rowardkc Don't you s" th;it it tk. :, s-trong and noble soul to surmount thos.- .lira uit;. ? N--v.- look awhile at the climbers." Th n I saw a multitude of children ihn.nui.w laK' of thf mountain ami setting their t't ,). upward path. .Many tripped lightly and sm iy , ,r stones, against whieh others stumbled, tfom. MI, many of these pi-t- in tears: but there w-r ki;iiiV guides afong the way who helped them up and .1,. . ..; them on, although I could see that even this , agement was ill-rep: id l.y many an ungrut-t'ui buff. Farther up the sid- ot the mount;. in wr-r- ; cf larger growth. ii'ie. too. niany were lra . , .-toiling .-toiling on. while their i-oir.panions loitered on th- v.--. or were hired entirely from th-ir course by the , .., ;. paries of Pleasure and Hlen"ss. Here I could more plainly the difference between the strong- l: the weaker classes. The former displayed power ability; their movements wor- marked by a ceit.,; grace and agility 'that must h ive )Pt. the result . their persevering efforts. Ambition to reach t.v heights beyond inspired their upward course, and evidently evi-dently they found pleasure in th r mountain climbing. climb-ing. On the other hand, the backward class elicited my pity, so unable did they seem to cope with the difficulties besetting their way. Their advancerr.pi;-was advancerr.pi;-was slow and some moved along by holding on m their stronger companions. Most of them seemed i-,. different about their goal, for their eyes were ever-turning ever-turning wistfully towards a quarter whence came th sound of revelry. Looking in that direction I sa .-beautiful .-beautiful trees hanging low with luscious frui'..-. "Are those apples?" I asked. "Yes. the apples pleasure, which have a very sweet flavor, but whi; delighting the palate, they poison the brain." At th..-point th..-point I heaved a deep sigh. "Alas! that knowb d; ; must bo won at so dear a cost." Then the voice at my side bade ir.e look no h--; in that direction for my melancholy was verging to. 'wards helplessness. Turning my eyes accorditm',;. , I beheld most enchanting prospect. It was a le;( .. tiful garden, where Nature seemed lavish of atl hr I loveliness and grandeur. Trees of every descri;t i.. waved their leafy branches in the bright sunlit, and caught their verdant reflection in the crystal waters wa-ters of the lakes which they encircled. I'leasa:.; pathways threaded the shady groveland and flowers gemmed the greenswards between; song of bird and hum of bte mingled with the gurgling of the water-that water-that fell here and there over some gentle descent. Yes, there were people, too, homing in this pleasane, and oh! what a happiness beamed upon their face?: They enjoyed one another's company so much that I thought I must be looking on one of those Blesse-i Isles that poets tell about. Some were playing on musical instruments wKh consummate skill, other? were singing most beautiful melodies. Here happy groups listened to some eloquent speaker whose discourse dis-course held them spellbound. A certain grace and dignity of bearing lent a charm to all their movements; move-ments; in a word, I could find nothing to mar the exquisite ex-quisite perfection of the scene. "Oh, how I should like to be there!" I cried our. "Ah!" my friends replied, "that is good; but. my dear, there is only one entrance to that happy land, and that is at the end of the rugged path leading up the Hill of Knowledge. That place you wish for is the Garden of Ideals, attained only by those who persevere in the noble aim of the true scholar. Is it not. dear child, a goal worth striving for? Dops study appear irksome that leads to such an abode? Nay, follow in the path of learning, exert thy powers to overcome its obstacles, labor and pray, and thou shalt conquer even as those whom thou enviest; thou Shalt dwell with them one day in the Promised Land the Garden of Wisdom and Knowledge." I turned to give my thanks for those goodly words, but the speaker had vanished, and instead of the . vision I had been contemplating, darkness had corns Q upon the scene without. Before me still lay my pa- V tient books and papers, which I now took up in more hopeful mood. LOLA GUTHRIE, Class of 'Oo, St. Mary's Academy. i. |