the crown of thorns-第5节

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duction；　but　by　leaps；　who　never　calculate　the　difficulties；　but　only　see　the　thing　complete　and　rounded　in　imagination；　men　with　plenty　of　poetry；　and　no　arithmetic；　whose　theories　work　miracles；　but　whose　attempts　are　failures。　　It　is　pleasant；　sometimes；　to　meet　with　people　like　these；　who；　clothed　in　the　scantiest　garments；　and　with　only　a　crust　upon　their　tables；　at　the　least　touch　of　suggestion；　mount　into　a　region　of　splendor。　Their　poverty　all　fades　away；　　the　bare　walls；　the　tokens　of　stern　want；　the　dusty　world；　are　all　transfigured　with　infinite　possibilities。　　Achievement　is　only　a　word；　and　fortune　comes　in　at　a　stride。　　The　palace　of　beauty　rises；　fruits　bloom　in　waste　places；　gold　drops　from　the　rocks；　and　the　entire　movement　of　life　becomes　a　march　of　jubilee。　　And　they　are　so　certain　this　time；　the　plan　they　now　have　is　so　sure　to　succeed！　　I　repeat；　it　is　pleasant；　sometimes；　to　have　intercourse　with　such　men；　who　throw　bloom　and　marvelousness　upon　the　actualities　of　the　world；　from　the　reservoirs　of　their　sanguine　invention。　　At　least；　it　is　pleasant　to　think　how　this　faculty　of　unfailing　enthusiasm　enables　them　to　bear　defeat；　and　to　look　away　from　the　cold　face　of　necessity；　　to　think　that；　while　so　many　are　trudging　after　the　sounding　wheels　and　the　monotonous　jar　of　life；　and　lying　down　by　the　way　to　die；　these　men　are　marching　buoyantly　to　a　tune　inside。　　And　yet　this　is　pleasant　only　from　a　hasty　point　of　view。　　These　people　meet　with　disappointment；　of　course；　and　it　is　sad　to　think　how　many　lives　have　come　to　absolutely　nothing；　and　are　all　strewn　over；　from　boyhood　to　the　grave；　with　the　fragments　of　splendid　schemes。　　It　is　sad　to　think　how　all　their　visionary　Balbecs　and　Palmyras　have　been　reared　in　a　real　desert；　　the　desert　of　an　existence　producing　no　substantial　thing。　　And　among　these　vanishing　dreams；　and　on　that　melancholy　waste；　they　learn；　at　last；　the　meaning　of　their　disappointment。　　And。　from　their　experience；　we　too　may　learn；　that　we　are　placed　here　to　be　not　merely　ideal　artists；　but　actual　toilers；　not　cadets　of　hope；　but　soldiers　of　endeavor。

But　there　are　disappointments　in　life　that　succeed　reasonable　expectation；　and　these　are　the　hardest　of　all　to　bear。　　I　say　the　expectation　is　reasonable；　and　yet；　very　possibly；　the　bitterness　of　the　disappointment　comes　from　neglecting　to　consider　the　infirmity　of　all　earthly　things。　　It　is　hard　when；　not　dreaming；　but　trying　our　best；　we　fail。　　It　is　hard　to　bear　the　burden　and　heat　of　the　day；　through　all　life's　prime；　and　yet；　with　all　our　toil；　to　earn　no　repose　for　its　evening　hours。　　It　is　hard　to　accumulate　a　little　gain；　baptizing　every　dollar　with　our　honest　sweat；　and　then　have　it　stricken　from　our　grasp　by　the　band　of　calamity　or　of　fraud。　　It　is　hard；　when　we　have　placed　our　confidence　in　man's　honor；　or　his　friendship；　to　find　that　we　are　fools；　and　that　we　have　been　led　in　among　rocks　and　serpents。　　And　hard　indeed　is　it　to　see　those　who　were　worthy　our　love　and　our　faith　drop　by　our　side；　and　leave　us　alone。　　This　dear　child；　the　blossom　of　so　many　hopes；　　hard　is　it　to　see　him　die　　to　fold　all　our　expectation　in　his　little　shroud；　and　lay　it　away　forever。　　We　thought　it　had　been　he　who　should　have　comforted　and　blessed　us；　in　whose　life　we　could　have　retraced　the　cycle　of　our　own　happiest　experience；　whose　unfolding　faculties　would　have　been　a　renewal　of　our　knowledge；　and　his　manhood　not　merely　the　prop　but　the　refreshing　of　our　age。　　This　companion　of　our　lot；　　this　wedded　wife　of　our　heart；　…　why　taken　away　now？　　She　has　shared　our　early　struggles；　and　tempered　our　anxiety　with　cheerful　assurance。　　She　has　tasted　the　bitterness；　we　thought　she　would　have　been　a　partner　of　the　joy。　　She　has　borne　our　fretfulness；　and　helped　our　perplexity；　and　shed　a　serene　light　into　our　gloom；　We　thought　she　would　have　been　with　us　when　we　could　pay　the　debt　of　faithfulness；　when　the　cares　of　business　did　not　press　and　disturb　us　so。　　We　thought　it　was　she　whose　voice；　sweet　with　the　music　of　old；　deep　memories；　would　have　consoled　us　far　along；　and　that；　in　some　calm　evening　of　life；　when　all　the　tumult　of　the　world　was　still；　and　we　were　ready　to　go；　we　should　go　　not　far　apart　　gently　to　our　graves。

Such　are　the　plans　that　we　lay　out；　saying　of　this　thing　and　of　that　thing；　〃We　trusted　that　it　would　have　been　so。〃　But　the　answer　has　been　disappointment。　　The　old；　ay；　perhaps　the　most　common　lesson　of　life；　is　disappointment。

And　now　I　ask；　is　it　not　an　intended　lesson？　　Evidently　it　comes　in　as　an　element　in　the　Providential　plan　in　which　we　are　involved。　　For　we　see　its　disciplinary　nature；　its　wise　and　beneficial　results　in　harmony　with　that　Plan。　　Consider　whether　it　is　not　the　fact；　that　the　entire　discipline　of　life　grows　out　of　a　succession　of　disappointments。　　That　youthful　dream；　in　which　life　has　stretched　out　like　a　sunny　landscape　with　purple　mountain…chains　is　it　not　well　that　it　is　broken　up；　and　we　strike　upon　rugged　realities？　　Does　not　all　the　strength　of　manhood；　and　the　power　of　achievement；　and　the　glory　of　existence；　depend　upon　these　things　which　are　not　included　in　the　young　boy's　vision　of　a　happy　world。　　Welcome；　O！　disappointment　of　our　hope　that　life　would　prove　a　perpetual　holiday。　　Welcome　experience　of　the　fact　that　blessing　comes　not　from　pleasure；　but　from　labor！　　For　in　that　experience　alone　was　there　ever　anything　truly　great　or　good　accomplished。　　We　can　conceive　no　possible　way　by　which　one　can　be　made　personally　strong　without　his　own　effort；　no　possible　way　by　which　the　mind　can　be　enriched　and　strengthened　where　it　is　lifted　up；　instead　of　climbing　for　itself；　no　way；　therefore；　in　which　life　could　be　at　all　a　worthy　achievement；　if　it　were　merely　a　plain　of　ease；　instead　of　holding　every　ward　of　knowledge　and　of　power　under　the　guard　of　difficulty　and　the　requisition　of　endeavor。

And　it　is　equally　true　that　the　greatest　successes　grow　out　of　great　failures。　　In　numerous　instances　the　result　is　better　that　comes　after　a　series　of　abortive　experiences　than　it　would　have　been　if　it　had　come　at　once。　　For　all　these　successive　failures　induce　a　skill；　which　is　so　much　additional　power　working　into　the　final　achievement。　　Nobody　passes　at　once　to　the　mastery；　in　any　branch　of　science　or　of　industry；　and　when　he　does　become　a　master　in　his　work　it　is　evident；　not　only　in　the　positive　excellence　of　his　performance；　but　in　the　sureness　with　which　he　avoids　defects；　and　these　defects　he　has　learned　by　experimental　failures。　　The　hand　that　evokes　such　perfect　music　from　the　instrument　has　often　failed　in　its　touch；　and　bungled　among　the　keys。　　And　if　a　man　derives　skill　from　his　own　failures；　so　does　he　from　the　failures　of　other　men。　　Every　unsuccessful　attempt　is；　for　him；　so　much　work　done；　for　he　will　not　go　over　that　ground　again；　but　seek　some　new　way。　Every　disappointed　effort　fences　in　and　indicates　the　only　possible　path　of　success；　and　makes　it　easier　to　find。　　We　should　thank　past　ages　and　other　men；　not　only　for　what　they　have　left　us　of　great　things　done；　but　for　the　heritage　of　their　failures。　　Every　baffled　effort　for　freedom　contributes　skill　for　the　next　attempt；　and　ensures　the　day　of　victory。　Nations　stripped　and　bound；　and　waiting　for　liberty　under　the　shadow　of　thrones；　cherish　in　memory　not　only　the　achievements　of　their　heroes；　but　the　defeats　of　their　martyrs；　and　when　the　trumpet…voice　shall　summon　them　once　more；　as　surely　it　will；　when　they　shall　draw　for　the　venture　of　freedom；　and　unroll　its　glittering　standard　to　the　winds；　　they　will　avoid　the　stumbling　blocks　which　have　sacrificed　the　brave；　and　the　errors　which　have　postponed　former　hopes。　　In　public　and　in　private　action；　it　is　true　that　disappointment　is　the　school　of　achievement；　and　the　balked　efforts　are　the　very　agents　that　help　us　to　our　purpose。

And；　if　life　itself　life　as　a　whole　seems　to　us　but　a　series　of　disappointments；　is　not　this　the　very　conviction　we　need　to　work　out　from　it；　through　our　own　experience？　　Do　we　not　need　to　learn　that　this　life　itself　is　not　sufficient；　and　holds　no　blessing　that　will　fill　us　completely；　and　with　which　we　may　forever　rest？　　The　baffled　hopes　of　our　mortal　state；　what　are　they　but　vain　strivings　of　the　human　soul；　out　of　the　path　of　its　highest　good？　　The　wandering　bird；　driven　against　the　branches；　and　beaten　by　the　storm；　flutters　at　last　to　the　clear　opening；　by　which　it　mounts　above　the　cloud；　and　finds　its　way　to　its　home。　　This　life　is　not　ordained　in　vain；　it　is　constituted　for　a　grand　purpose；　if　through　its　lessons　of　experience　we　become　convinced　that　this　life　is　not　all。　　In　the　outset　of　our　existence　here；　and　merely　from　the　teaching　of　others；　we　cannot　comprehend　the　great　realities　of　existence。

How　the　things　that　have　grown　familiar　to　our　eyes；　and　the　lessons　that　have　sounded　trite　upon　our　ears；　become　fresh　and　wonderful；　as　life　turns　into　experience！　　How　this　very　lesson　of　disappointment　lets　us　in　to　the　deep　meanings　of　Scripture；　for　instance！　　The　Christ　of　our　youth；　　a　personage　standing　mild　and　beautiful　upon　the　Gospel…page；　…　…　a　being　to　admire　and　love；　how　be　develops　to　our　later　thought！　how　solemnly　tender；　how　greatly　real；　h