“The tides of the sea advance and recede.  It may be so with nations.  The earth was made habitable by convulsions that rent its crust, the storms that beat upon it, and by the grinding of glaciers; the pressure necessary to create the rocks and coal measures was brought to bear; the continents were upheaved; the seas were beaten back; the world was loaded for a limitless voyage, before the vapors were rolled back, the full dawn was born.

“We cannot see far, but if this life is all there is to us, then, indeed, it is a pitiful failure.  If our thoughts and longings are bounded by this little span of life, then there is no balance-sheet for mortality.  The gift of life is then not worth the expense of supporting it.

“But, if, like the earth, the beatings and upheavals and sorrows are but the preparation for the perfect dawn, with peace in its coming, with the increase of immortal flowers in its air; if there are to be a time and place where there is to be full fruition, then it is different, and we can afford to smile as the frosts of disappointment chill us, as the salt spray of misfortune is dashed in our faces.

“Tom, with such gifts as are given us, we must do the best we can for ourselves and our fellow-men; must do it with faith and courage, do it with gentleness and in truth, and with a purpose so high that we shall never fear anything except to do the wrong.

“And all the rest we may leave to God.”

It was hot and calm all the voyage through the Red Sea, the straits, and Gulf of Aden, till, when rounding the stormy cape of Guardafui and the ship swept out upon the broader ocean, the barometer dropped rapidly and a furious storm came on.  It was really a mighty gale, and the heavily-laden ship labored exceedingly.

At its height, Sedgwick and Jordan stood watching the majesty of the forces exhausting their fury around them, when Jordan said: 

“Jim, I needed this.  Yo’ know how grand ther other ship wur; yo’ know how great and strong this ship are.  Well, watchin’ both, a senseless kind uv pride cum over me, and I sed ter myself over and over, ’This ere ship cud outride any gale whatever blow’d.’  Look now!  It’s only a toy on ther water when God’s wind goes out ter battle with God’s everlastin’ seas.

“Cumin’ over, I stopped and tuk a look at Niagry.  It wur grand, but a dozen Niagrys wouldn’t make one hurrycane out ter sea.  I can’t explain what I wanter, but I mean as how God’s majesty is nowhar else revealed as when his hurrycanes is sent ter paint a picter on ther face of a mad ocean.  Nowhar else did I ever feel thet small as when watchin’, as we is now, all these forces that is makin’ the commotion ’round us.  They all show us what pitiful weak creaters we is, and ther man who ever watched one storm at sea and ever arter dares to hev one feelin’ uv pride or scornfulness, that thar man are weak somewhar and makes a spectacle of hisself.”