| The Secrets of a Beautiful Life |
Chapter 17 |
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But youth is not the only stage of life which has perils; each period has its own. A great many men break down at mid-life. Many whose youth and early manhood gave brightest promise fail utterly in some crisis when at their very prime. Not all the wrecks of life occur in the early days. A majestic tree fell at its prime — fell on a calm evening, when there was scarcely a breath of air stirring. It had withstood a century of storms, and now was broken off by a zephyr. The secret was disclosed in its falling. A boy’s hatchet had been struck into it when it was a sapling. The wound had been grown over and hidden away under exuberant life, but it had never healed. There at the heart of the tree it stayed, a spot of decay, ever eating out a little farther into the trunk, until at last the tree was eaten through, and fell of its own weight, when it seemed to be at its best. So many lives fall when they seem to be at their strongest, because some sin or fault of youth has left its wounding and its consequent weakness. For many years it is hidden, and life goes on in strength. At last, however, its sad work is done, and at its prime the man falls.
One might suppose, however, that good old age, at least, is safe from moral danger. It has weathered the storms of many long years. It has passed through the experimental stages. The passions of youth have been brought under masterful control. Life is sobered, quiet, steady, strong, with ripened character, tried and secure principles, and with rich experience. So we congratulate the old man on having gotten well through life, where he can at last enjoy the blessings of restful years.
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