Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-11-20
HOW TO BECOME GREAT.
BY j. II. LAIRD.

BY j. II. LAIRD.
Hundreds of you have repeated in vour
school exercises,
Lives OF great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime
But you ask how. A somewhat i'm
patient old gentleman once stopped a
bright little fellow abruptly, and said,
What are boys good for?"
The boy answered,
''TO make men of, sir"
Yet the question remains, how viii
it be simply by having enough to eat, and
growing up?
You may take a little beaver from his
nest before his eyes are open, and brine
him up in your home; give him bark
and roots enough to eat, and he will grow
up nice pet. He will be real beaver,
too. Not only will he look like one hut
he will act like one He will want to do
just what other beavers do, though he
has never seen any Of them BY and by
he will try to cut sticks and build dam
If you should take him when his kind
gather IN the fall to build their submarine
homes for winter, he would mingle with
them, and join in their work and play at
once, though he had never seen one of
HIS own people before.
Now, suppose you were to DO the same
thing with girl or boy? | think what
| have said would be true of the beaver if
he had been shut in a cage A bov or
girl shut IN a cage when baby, with
only food, II it grew up, would not be a
man or woman, ready to 90 into good
society, to share the duties and the enjoy
ments Of human life. | cannot stop to
tell You all it would lack. You can tell a
great many Of the things it would lack
II 1t never saw a human face, or heard a
word spoken, or saw the sun. or the earth.
l think there is no animal that would be
so helpless, or look so unintellgent.
We can see the difference between our
selves and the brutes. God has given
them nature that is mostly in their bod
les. when their bodies grow, their in
stnct grows. They get very little from
things outside Of them. 1t makes very
little difference with them where they live,
whether in a small country or great one
in heather or a Christian land-befOre
the flood or in the present year-they will
grow to be the same animals, and have
the same knowledge
Not so with you. You will be affected
with every one of these things 1t will
make difference with YOU to know that
the world is round that there are nearly
a billion Of people on it; that the stars
are larger than this world 1t makes a
very great difference with YOU to know
that there is a God and heaven, and that
you can very greatly affect the happiness
Of those around you by what YOU do and
say. You will see that what | wanted to
say was this: An animal becomes an ami
nal simply by growing up; & human
being must not only grow up, but must
take into himself a knowledge of the
wonderful things about him. If you want
a great beaver YOU must feed him well.
II You want 10 be a great man, YOU must
let thoughts about some great things come
into your soul.
Some men take in very little of the
wonders and beauty and goodness there is
about them. SO we have men Of all sizes,
from those so small that they are not much
above animals, all the way up to the noble
and glorious men and women that every
one loves and praises. The difference is
made by the way the mind and heart are
opened TO take in the great thoughts and
interests about US.
You hear something now in your
schools about smart boys" Upright
girls" and YOU will Get the impression
that there is q very great difference in
young people-that the teachers expect
great things Of some of you and that 9th
ers OF YOU Will not amount 10 much, be
cause YOU are not SO smart As YOU get
a little older YOU will hear friends talk
about taicnt-the ''spiendid talents" ot
this or that one, and you will get the i'm
preston that you can never be great, be
cause YOU have not talent.
To be ready with thoughts and words Is
good but it goes only little way toward
making one great Remember what 1
have been telling you-that human great
ness is the result OF the thought and scenes
that God has arranged so that they can
come into the soul.
Because you have a truman mind, you
can take into yourseltthe beauty and uses
of Gods wondrOus works around you.
Because you nave human thoughts YOU
can take in the great truths about good,
ness, about evil, wrong and right. Ana |
because YOU have a human heart you can
take into your affections a large NUMBER
of YOUR fellow beings-can let your syn
pathy 90 out to all in the world; ana pes'
of all, YOU can have your Heavenly Faliiei,
come down to YOU and be your best anu
nearest friend. You want to be great.
think YOU can be. Not on account oi
some brilliant talent" you have, oul oe
cause you live right on the shores .,
oceans of greatness, and you can "Psn
the doors to let them flow in upon lo'l
soul. Then it is true,
Lives Of great men all remind us l.
We can make our lives sublime
For this greatness was not in mem
selves, it came from the continents ar ~
oceans of greatness from which 0ou q,
lowed them to draw soul food. You may
drink from the same, if you will now
So, NY young friends who want 70 5 s1IIF
and | hope you all want to have 5 hVD
thoughts and great, loving hearts.q In nJl
be discouraged if you have no! :,i h' Won
talent; do not trust in it if you thin I'm are are
have. Thousands who have talent ant, ess
very small, because they think sIea ru to
is in themselves, and will not tu'h truly
drink at Gods deep fountains. A,ieIf:
noble man says, II am nothing IN M, ny birh ?
all that is in me comes from GooS LIS >