Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-04-06

DEAR BOYS AND GIRLS: We have
chosen a grand subject to talk with you
about, word fun of mighty meaning to
you all. 1t is the word character. 1t is a
word of daily use, but how few understand
its full Importance Ii hides In II great
worlds of history and of hope. of pleasure
and Of pain, Of good and evil for all, OF
you. Tell us your characters and we will
telliyour fortunes. 4ot nagGD'f
All of you have characters. They may
not be very easy to understand, and are,
probably, not very firmly fixed yet. And
just because your characters are not yet
in their final shape, and may be. easily
changed, we wish to talk seriously to you
about character " ga H'auyI ola
If you were TO ask what is the best pos
session man can have on earth, we would
say good character. II asked what Is
the greatest misfortune that can happen to
any one, we would say a bad character
Better than riches, and honor, and many
friends, is good character. 1t brings
friends, and honor, and often wealth, and
makes them al doubly valuable when
they come.
You will all form in some way your
characters, and you have, no work ON earth
more important than this. Yonr grandest
success or your grandest failure will be
worked out here. sul2ufr % 5000 r-
Remember you must always live, with
yourself You can leave the society of
other people If they are disagreeablc. If
your playnates are mean and selfish you
can 90 away. from them and seek better
company. But il your own character is
mean, selfish, and disagreeable, there is
no help for you. You cannot part com
pany with yourself. And what is worse,
you will know just how mean and selfish
you are. You cannot conceal or forget IL,
though you may try TO excuse it. But if
your character Ia noble, and kind, and
true, you Will always have good com
pany. at+1iili IH"sf1b q
But, good or bad, the soul is forever its
own most familiar associate. And it is a
certain truth, boys and girls, out Of this fa.
miliar companionship with your own CHAR,
acters will come the greatest part Of the
happiness or misery of your lives DO not
forget this. II you are bad you have q
brute, II not devil for bosom companion.
II you are pure and good you have an
angel
And even the good and evil that are in
the world around you are changed to you
by the power Of your own character.
When We look through green glasses
everything looks green. And through
magnifying glasses everything appears ex-
aggerated SO, if seen through your own
characters everything looks changed from
what it really il. 11fh3r al a. /.
II you are pure and loving, even evil
and misfortune will have q bright side but
if you are bad, even blessings will be
changed to curses, ard misfortunes will
seem doubly dark. This is = grand and
beautiful world to those, of loving and
happy hearts. II is almost a he'll to those
whose evil thoughts make 1t aO., a'ea d
But this is not all. Your ellarGcters sci1
bel t1D chief ctsslses gf all your succesSes. or
fasluves IN life. The strongest or weakest
thing about man is his character. II
your character il right Il carries you, and
may bear you up to splendid heights Of
fame or happiness. If tits bad you must
curry IL, and it will sink you like mill
stone tied to your neck. The conscious
ness Of good character will make you
strong and brave, even when no one knows
your worth. The secret knowledge that
yon are weak and bad will make you cow
ardly and feeble everywhere. !, Il
And when your good character is known
by others, AZ it will be known sooner or
later, then it goes before you TO make q
way for YOU Itworks for you when you
are asleep It fights for you when you
are, absent. II confounds your enemies.
II makes you friends. It adds weight 70
your words, ana gives new lustre 70 your
good deeds. Men believe your words be-,
cause they believe in you, and they will
trust you becattse they believe you.
~ But If your character is bad II fights
against you II prevents your friends
from helping you, and gives to your eDe-
mics and rivals new weapons TO defeat
you. It takes away all credit from your
words, and CASTS suspicion on your, best
actions.
% A strong character Is itself q force among
mep.utW ashibgton saved his country as
much blythe power Of his great and good
character a. by his military genius, His
soldiers believed In the noble ard pure
lcomn1sAeE sihis counfsymen had faith In
the. wise Apd, patyj0tic Aret Predfeqt.
Yod lave IS Work on eli4h - important
~ ne Iofmasiun Of good E1eGfl q Bds