else it would
not have been sent, and that purpose must have been fully accomplished,
else it would not have died.

To my mind this is an exceedingly cheering view of things, for it
encourages the belief that however poor or feeble may have been our
efforts to live a good life, these efforts cannot have been made in
vain, even although they may fall very far short of the "best." And
there is also this very hopeful consideration to comfort us, that the
race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, that
wisdom sometimes proceeds out of the mouths of babes, and that "we
little know what great things from little things may rise."

To be sure, that cuts both ways, for, what sometimes are called "little
sins" may result in tremendous evil, but, equally, efforts that seem
insignificant may be the cause of great and unexpected blessing.

If, then, as I sincerely believe, every living being has a special work
to do--or, rather, has a variety of appropriate paths in any one of
which he may walk with more or less advantage to himself and his
fellow-men--it behoves every young man to find out what path is the best
one for him, and to walk in it vigorously. Fatalism is folly. No one
believes in it. At least no one in this country acts upon it. When I
say that every being has a special work to do, I don't mean that it has
been decreed _exactly_ what each man has to do. Were this so, he would
have to do it, _nolens volens_, and there would be no such thing as
responsibility--for it would be gross injustice to hold a man
responsible for that which he could by no means prevent or accomplish.
That which has really been decreed is that man shall have free-will and
be allowed to exercise that free-will in the conduct of his affairs. It
is a most mysterious gift, but there it is--an unquestionable fact--and
it must be taken into account in all our reasoning. There is a
confusion here into which men are sometimes liable to fall. Man's will
is absolutely free, but his action is not so. He may will just as he
pleases, but all experience tells us that he may not do just as he
pleases. Whether his intentions be good or bad, they are frequently and
effectively interfered with, but his will--never.

Seeing, then, that there is a best way for every one, and that there are
sundry common sense methods by which the path may be discovered, it may
be well to consider for a moment whether there are not some obstacles
whic