The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-04-16
AN ADDRESS

AN ADDRESS
DELIVERED BEFORE THE
Young MEMS Christian Association,
OF UPPER sANDUsKY, OHIO,
On Friday Evening, April Sd,
BY COL. CYRUS SEARS.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN What
/ shall say to you to night will be
addressed more particularly to my
young friends present, who have
just commenced, or, who are about
to commence padding their own
canoes, as it is termed.
My chief object will be to do what
/ can to counteract what / regard
as the evil influences of some we'll
meant, but dangerous precepts,
which almost all classes of our ed
ucators are now in the constant hab-
it of drilling into the minds Of our
youths, almost to the exclusion of
everything practical, from the ear
liest period at which their ambi-
ton is thought capable of being ex
cited--possibly to the benefit of
a few, but, it seems to me, to the
destruction of quite as many, and
the lasting injury Of far more.
Every man is the a1biter Of his
own destiny. Resolve 10 be some
body, and you can be whatever you
resolve to be. In the bright calen-
der of youth there is no such word
as fail. Lives of great men all
around US, we may make our lives
sublime, and departing, leave be-
hind us, Footprints on the sands Of
time. Set your mark high; calm at
the sun and you will shoot higher
than if you aim at the moon" &c,
almost to infinity, are the glittering
but generally, indigestible and i'm
practicable generalities, upon which
our common school teachers. and
lecturers, and essayists, and minis
ters, and parents, in short, almost
all who have occasion to, or even
opportunity of addressing the young,
almost constantly and exclusively
feed their minds.
Now, that man born without
eyes cannot see, or one witho hout feet
OF legs cannot walk, or that a con-
frmed cripple cannot. become q
gymnast of celebrity, by all the
high aims, and resolves, and efforts
they can possibly make, is a fact
fully comprehendedr and admitted
by all it is equally a fact, though
there seems to be far less disposi-
ton or ability to comprehend it,
that ninny, or Ounce or mediocre
cannot achieve what is usually term
ed greatness, by setting his mark
upon the sun, OF even upon the most
remote fixed star. -.4.
Whether the youth who aims at
the sun, will shoot higher than he
who aims only at the moon, de
pends entirely on the question
whether the sun is up and the moon
down, or the reverse, at the partic.
ular time the shots, are made. But
this is clearly side issue, for in my
opinion either sun or moon will
prove very poor game for the great
majority OF our young sportsmer
to shoot at, SO much so, that they
will be far less likely to go to bed
without a supper of wild meat il
they aim at partridges or snipes
upon the ground, than if they waste
their ammunition upon either
of these celestial luminaries. IT'S
the substance Of an old maxim
that "He who keeps his eyes on The
sun will miss the fine gold at his
feet.' ..-.--
/ once, saw boy clear thre,
rail fence at bound, without bruise
? scratch OF strain, while his compan
ion, with no more activity than he
but thinking three rails entirely too
low for his high aim and ambition
laid three more upon the top, an(
F then in attempting to jump the six
stubbed his toes against the top
fell upon his nose, and strained hi.
: ankle so that he was unable t.
walk again in a month.
The difference in result was be
cause the first of these boys was
willing to commence low where h,
; had a sure thing Of it, while The
second, scorning all ordinar,
achievements, undertook doubt
full enterprise far above his capaci
ty. Even the very strongest are
obliged to perfect their strength b,
Z. tedious and severe training. r..
: Winship had to practice lons
2 upon light weights, before be coule
carry ton at a load.
But wherein is the inculcation O
such maxims as I have quoted-il
5 the manner in which they are usual
. ly inculcated-unproftable and eve
' dangerous answer, it is in this
> that it frequently prevents youn,
men and young women, with ca
pacity and fitness for much nobl
1 work which they would do if the
!. could only be induced to cemmenc
!, and proceed Alright, from doing o
:, undertaking anything good at all
! because they have thus been led t.
entertain false notions-unintentio
e ally of coui'se-concerning the wor
. God has left here for mortal men
do; in short, because they hav
thus been taught to believe any an
I. all work for which they have pres
e ent capacity, and in which they hav
+ opportunity of engaging, beneat
their high aim, and degrading.
I Thousands OF youths of mediur
e capacity, or less, are thus daily il
: duced to adopt the always FOOLS
!, and dangerous maxim Caesar Q
e nobody" with this even more foo
= ish and dangerous addition, can
y nothing at all until I am Cesar" an
therefore, because in the nature c
b thinos they cannot be Caesars