College of St Marys of the Springs - Yearbook (Columbus, OH)

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xwlc 1 swf 5 :Wi 1 :wat L ,wud 1 swf . mpg V wg 3 QW? I the child will induce others, who in turn will induce still others to sin, until a chain of evil influence is formed, and he who holds the first link is accountable for it all. But fortunately the spirit of Echo is at work in the world, immortalizing the good as well as the evil. A man may perform a good act which he thinks ends, with himself, but a fellow man is looking on and is influenced by it, and in turn influences others, so that little deed, though trifling in its embryonic form, will, in the evolution of time, become mighty: and the doer of that deed, although he may be forgotten, is as truly a power as those for whom the world is now wreathing immortelles. We are told that great reform movements generally have their origin away back in the life of some obscure personage, who sought only to lighten the burden of his own little world, and who, perhaps, died, discouraged be- cause he failed to see the result of his laborg but the good deed was done, and its echo though low at first, kept reverberating, till in the multiplicity of its forms, it brought about the soc- ial regeneration of a whole continent. Behold the tremendous influence of one good deed! Great beyond all others and in striking contrast to Adam's sin and its lasting influences, are the atoning scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary. Here Christ dying, pleads for human weakness, and as Adam's sin hardened, so Christ's sufferings softened man's heart: and if the consequences of Adam's sin lengthen as time goes on, so likewise do the blessed fruits of Christ's death multiply again and again in millions of human hearts. Powerful, indeed, are the echoes of every human being, so powerful that when this life is over, when time merges into eternity, when the great judgment day has come, and God sends forth the Angel of Resurrection to summon man to that final tribunal, our echoes will become loud and insistent, resounding our plea of innocent or guilty at the bar of eternal justice. LILLIAN I-Iicxsv, 'I3. 28

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ww 1 FHM: e guyz more N445 f mmf 4 pupc KXWIQ 1 NWI? Not only to mankind in general, but to each individual in particular, has the echo myth its application, for it is true beyond question that each man gets out of the world of men, the rebound, the increase, the development, of what he brings there. Thus it is that man shapes his own life and his own destiny for good or ill. lncontestably the principle of reaction is applicable to the evil man does, and the evil influence he exerts. The Ishemaelite goes out into the pensive quietude of the woods, and shouts a curse against society, and back from the distant rocks comes the echo of his curse. ln the same way a man wastes his early life in sin and wickedness, and after awhile the prin- ciple of retribution comes into power, latent with anguish and remorse, bringing troubled days and sleepless nights: and although the sinner may conceal his mental torture, nevertheless, it is there, else the God of the universe would be unjust. The law of physics, Action is equal to reaction, and the old fable have their exempli- cation, no less certainly in the good man does. The lives of numbers of holy persons may seemingly contradict this law. Many having spent their early life in deeds of loving charity, are apparently condemned to languish in poverty and wretchedness, but this is only the out- ward semblance: we are not admitted in to the inner courts of the soul, where an untroubled peace holds reign. The mind burdened with such mortal anguish rises above its sordid sur- roundings, and by every reason of its gifts seeks balm in the all-recompensing love of that God who likewise suffered, and whose redemptive love is an ever recurring joy in the midst of heartful sorrow. For just as the God of justice sends remorse in to the heart of the sinner as a power of retribution, so .the God of love comes in his divine essence into the hearts of his trusting, suffering child to comfort it with l-lis own presence. But while engaged in this mortal strife that ends with self, every human being is at work in the world influencing others for good or for evil. and it is this influence that lasts after death. Go forth into God's acre, and there view the corruption and mortality of the grave. All seems indeed ended. All seems buried with the poor handful of dust concealed in the earth. but in the presence nf death and the grave, the moralist speaks of the multiplied life that survives this our single life, that lasts throughout time and perchance throughout eter- nity. It was while dwelling upon man's enduling influence that Tennyson was inspired to write those memorable lines, Our echoes roll from soul to soul and live forever and ever. For iust as the Echo spirit of old could not he materialized, but continues to wander over the earth, so man's spiritual life, his words, his deeds cannot be buried with his body, but continues to exist incarnated in the lives of those who surround and those who follow him. Oh harrowing thought fgf him, who dying transmits a legacy of evil influence to those who come afte,-l would that that man might buildia mausoleum wherein to sepulcher his deeds, his influence, his whole life, when his p0Qr CllSlI1lC8l'alifl8 body is laid to rest! But our evil deeele live after us as a port gf the retribution for sin. Consider the despondency of Adam. when he had wilfully yielded to sin. By his own act he had darkened man's intellect, weakened man's will, and left him prone to evil, by that one act he had set the example to the whole human race, and so faithfully has every human being born into this world emulated that example, that even now after six thousand years, the echo gf Adamis sin is still loud and elamo,-ous having been multiplied in the lives of all who came after him. A reeont Writer Chews the compariggn between a beautiful vase and an innocent child. Scatter chaff, he says, on the vase while vet in latent lieafeanfl COOHDS if is flcfiled, but Place the vase again in the furnace and it COITICS out Pllfllled from the QTOSSCY Pat'llCleS- Speak evil to a child and the deed is irrecoverable, no act of ours, no act of God Himself could restore pristine innocence to that young heart. So in an after thought, let it be said that 27

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ix , Muna 1' ' A ' H Bll or filigree lfelll nature . fWritten without notes or preparation from list of subjects assigned in classroom., fifswikkkw AVE you ever spent a day or half-day with someone whom you X -4 N' W greatly reverenced or admiredg some noted author, some far- famed artist, or some great composerg and do you remember the happiness of that day, and the satisfied feeling with which you now look upon it? Now, it is not everyone who can boast of intimate acquaintance with sage or poet, with earthly poten- Ef3'Z'!7 ' 1555 l -3 lip, W. . .gn 'glib Maker. And for what great tate or kingg yet no one need feel himself debarred from the noblest of associations. Whoever he may be he has a friend, one of the most true and loving and inspiring, in God's great universe, if he only knows where to look. Let such a one turn to Nature, and there, see all that is best and most beautiful, the most perfect creation of our great er bliss could one wish than to be in close communion with Nature, not for a half day, or all day, or even a week, but always? She is perfect in all her various forms and phases. Every flower with its daintily molded stamens and its petals of delicate hue, every leaf with its carefully cut edges, every blade of grass with its scarcely per- ceptible, yet faultless central vein, shows the nicest of workmanship. The towering mountains in their imposing grandeur. the deep valleys with their verdant greenery, the great forests, the open plains, all are perfect in their own way. Nature is always beautiful, yet, in each successive season, she seems more exquisitely lovely than in the one just past. In the morning of a fair spring day, when all outdoors is fresh and teeming with new life and spirit, when the sun is just kissing the tops of the hills, and bathing the dew-laden flowers in his rosy lightg then. everything seems to rejoice in the very fullness of its exist- ence, and to say: It's good to'be alive. The dainty violet bravely rears its fairy blossoms above the parent earth, and the delicate wild rose runs riot over all the other bushes. Dande- lions dot the hillsides, making it seem as if a bright, warm, yellow blanket were thrown over the slopes to give a cheerful glamour to the whole landscape. The daisy-filled meadows re- mind one of a waving sea which glistens and ripples in the sunshine, while from down in that waving sea, the chirping of Robin Redbreast sounds cheerfully through the morning stir. Now, a flash of living fire, darting through the air, betrays the welcome presence of His Eminence, the Kentucky Cardinal, all the more fiery. because of the tender green of his background. Everything feels new life springing up within it, a fresh vigor, and the joyous- ness of youth. Then sweet spring merges into radiant summer and: What is so rare as a day in June? ' Then, if ever, come perfect days, Then, heaven tries earth if it be in tune, And over it softly her warm ear lays. Whether we look or whether we listen. We hear life murmur or see it glisten. 29