The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-03-25

and in the heaven towards which he
is tending, eonspires to urge him on
ward to success. Around him, above
and beneath, he beholds, written in char
acters too plain TO be mistaken, Gods
history of the world from the moment it
was first spoken into existence, through
the long ages of its preparation for the
abode of man, down to the present.
From the summit of the Hottest noun
tain to the lowest depths of the ocean,
success is written upon all. Planned
and executed as everything has been by
Him who is infinite and all-wise, there
can be no failure. Within himself he
discovers powers that are capable of in
finite expansion, so that he may attain a
perfection that is God-like, or by neg
leeting to cultivate them he must sink
to level scarcely above the brute.
Our standards of success vary widely,
and upon them in a great measure de-
pend our attachments in life. One man
drifts ainlessly with the current, taking
upon himself few responsibilities. He
does provide for his physical wants, and
cultivates his moral nature enough to
escape the penalties of the law. This
is his standard of success; of course he
reaches it, but what a useless life is his.
1t is worse than failure.
Another man has n purpose in life,
and to accomplish it, he pushes his way
mp the stream. But his aims are not
noble ones. With him TO become rich
is the one important thing, and all his
powers are made to bend to this one
object. 1t is the custom TO pay great
homage to material prosperity, and if
the man attains this he receives the ap-
plause of the multitude, and is held up
to the gaze of aspiring youth as the sue
cessful man. 1t is true that the acqui-
sition of wealth does constitute part
of mans success in life, but if i'll order
to attain it he ignores his intellect, OF
his soul, his life in the true sense is a
failure.
The prize-fighter cultivates the phys
ical part of his nature, the French phi
losopher his mental faculties; another,
perhaps, cultivates his moral nature and
neglects his physical and mental; and
each thinks his work constitutes sue
cess. But success in one thing is not
success in life. To make our lives SYM
metrical, these three powers should be
combined. No man is successful who
has one-third or two-thirds of his fac
ulties lying dormant. They must all be
brought out and developed to their
greatest extent. In the inner temples
the sacred fires must be kept burning
day and night, and he who permits these
TO go out cannot attain success.
Many persons fail because they do
not occupy their true positions in life.
They have got into the wrong place,
and feel uncomfortable, and consequent
ly are not masters of their situations.
Probably a majority of mankind choose
their occupations not from any sense of
mechanics, lawyers, &C., because their
fathers were, and it is easier to travel
upon well-beaten path than to VEN
ture upon new, untried one or some
times it is because their surroundings
seem to make it necessary for them to
pursue this or that vocation. We can
not always see that when a man is I'M
successful in life, it is because his pow
ers are cramped or bent in the wrong
direction; yet it is often true, and one
man is a lawyer who should have been
an engineer, and another is blacksmith
who was statesman i'll embryo. Few
ever cut the Gordian knot of circum-
stance that binds them to certain path.
The majority struggle on with the vain
hope that, although they are pursuing
the wrong vocation, they shall still at
tain success. As well might they plant
palms and bananas upon our northern
shores, expecting to gather perfect fruit
1t is the work of education to teach
man to know himself, or in other words
to teach him what he can best do in the
world, and to inspire him with courage
to enter upon those duties-to teach him
how to make his five talents ten, his two
talents four, and if he has but one, how
to double that, and not to sluggishly
bury it in the earth. How far il has
failed to do this, is seen in the multi
tudcs of distorted lives, wretched
homes, poor-houses and prisons thai
arc sown broadcast through our coun.
try. Much of the intemperance of oul
land is also due to want of success il
business relations.
How shall spend the working por
ton of my life is question to be de
cided by every young person. If after
mature thought, he decides TO spend i
in that vocation for which he is bes
| fitted by nature, and in which he cal
most benefit himself and others, he ha.
chosen wisely. But before me are wO
men who, perhaps, in order to do this
must overstep the bounds of custom
which has said that she must sew, teach
or do acknowledgements which
are elevating, and in which many wo
men have attained high success ant
others completely failed. The inference
to be drawn from this is that all womer
cannot succeed in the same occupations
| The field for woman's labor must be ex
tended. Until ii ia, her life will be
failure, or, at most, but a partial sue
cess. A woman should choose her oc
cupatiOn with reference to her abilit,
to master it. Ifit falls outside of thos,
which custom has accorded her, shall
she go bravely forward to discharge tn,
duties pertaining to her profession O
cramp or bury the talents VshiehsGoC
gave her? >,EE's
But many fail TO attain success be
cause they have placed their standard
higher than their powers can reach
We sometimes see lman who is i'm
pressed with the Importance of aucces
in its high sense. With all the power
of his mind he S4deavors to grappl
with the great truths of nature, to un
ravel her mysteries and solve her dee
problems s.nd his standard of mora
excelesrce is no earthly one. He at
tempts to be perfect as his Father il
heaven is perfect. He cannot reach this
but he endeavors to do so, and travel
on, and on, across many a rocky de
file, and along pathways hedged wit
briars and thorns but his standard, Xix