But the waves of philanthropy which they set in motion now encircle the globe. The harsh and cruel treatment of the unfortunate classes has been swept away, and Christian nations are learning the lessons of pity and kindness. Let us cease to call the dreamer impractical. Milton, Tennyson, Longfellow and Whittier were dreamers and seers, but who shall say that they were not practical, or that their fair visions. have not brought comfort, joy and inspiration to every lover of English verse? Gutenberg, Columbus, Newton and Franklin were visionaries, and so also were Watt and Fulton and Morse and Faraday, but what would our modern life be without their discoveries and inventions? And let us be thankful for the recognition of the ideal which has come in our day. Half a century ago "works of fiction" were condemned as dangerous to the moral health of the community. They created an imaginary world, it was said, peopled with unreal men and women, whose experiences were not those of real life. But before the prejudice against such books had passed away, Uncle Tom's Cabin appeared, and was read by millions on both sides of the Atlantic. In every intelligent home in England and America, Uncle Tom's scarred and furrowed face was familiar, and had carried an ideal of wrong, of suffering and of patience which had touched the heart of the world. From that hour slavery was condemned and must cease. In like manner the stories of Dickens, Kingsley and many other authors have swept away great evils, or fired the imagination of youth to desire and to do great things. We are told, in the sacred story, that the Lord appeared to Solomon one night in a dream, and said, “Ask what I shall give thee." Men have read this passage for ages, carelessly or wonderingly, and have said it was a miracle. But is not the miracle repeated in the history of every youth? Does not God thus reveal himself now in the secret wish, and tell us each to ask what we will? Does not each become the arbiter of his own fortune? We also read that God was pleased with Solomon because he suppressed vain and selfish wishes, and asked for broad-minded wisdom and the ability to make his life count for the benefit of his people. And so our lesson would be incomplete if we failed to note how much. depends upon the moral character of our dreams. Out of the heart are the issues of life. If our imaginings are low, our longings unclean, we will assuredly grow in likeness to the ideals and aims which we cherish. And the student whose enthusiasm kindles for true excellence, for keener intellect, for better work, will no less certainly find his de sires realized. Day by day he will, in a sense, answer his own prayers. He will gain the desired excellence, and, if he really seeks it, the highest type of manhood and integrity. The dream which he loves to cherish will be fulfilled. Only let him choose wisely, for he will inherit the kingdom of which he is the rightful heir. |