The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-08-06
The Next Duty.

This is an epoch of elevators. We
do not climb to our rooms in the hotel ;
we ride. We do not reach the upper
stories of Stewards by slow and patient
steps; we are lifted there. The Simplon
is crossed by a railroad, and steam has
usurped the place of the Alpen-stock on
the Rhigi. The climb which used to
give us health on Mount Holyoke, and
beautiful prospect, with the reward Of
rest, is now purchased for twenty-five
cents of stationary engine.
IF our efforts to get our bodies into
the air by machinery we're not compile
mented by our efforts to get our lives
up in the same way, we might not find
much fault with them bat, in truth,
the tendency everywhere is to get up in
the world without climbing. Yearnings
after the Infinite are in the fashion. AS
pirati0ns for eminence-even ambitions
for usefulness-are altogether in ad
vance of the willingness for the neces-
sary preliminary discipline and work.
The amount of vapOring among young
men and young women, who desire to
do something which somebody else is
farm advance OF their
present Dowers-is fearful and most
lamentable. They are not willing to
climb the stairway they must go up in
an elevator. They are not willing to
scale the rocks in a walk of weary hours,
under broiling sun ; they would go up
in q car with an umbrella over their
heads. They are unable, or unwilling,
to recognize the fact that, in order TO
do that very beautiful thing which some
other man is doing, they must go slowly
through the discipline, through the
maturing process Of time, through the
patient work, which have made him
what he is, and fitted him for his sphere
of life and labor. In short, they are
not willing to do their next duty, and
take what comes of 1t.
No man now standing on an eminence
of influence and power, and doing great
work, has arrived at his position by 60
ing up in an elevator. He took the
stairway, step by step. He climbed the
rocks, often with bleeding hands. He
prepared himself by the work of climb
ing for the work he is doing. He never
accomplished an inch of his elevation
by standing at the foot of the stairs with
his mouth open and longing. There is
no "roval road " to anything gOod-not
even to wealth. Money that has not
been paid for Ill life is not wealth. 1t
goes as it comes. There is no element
of permanence in it. The man who
reaches his money in an elevator does
not know now to enjoy it; so IL is not
wealth to him. To get high position
withCnt climbing TO it, TO win wealth
without earning it, to do fine work
without the discipline necessary to its
to be famous, or useful,
or ornamental without preliminary cost,
seems to be the universal desire of the
young. The children would begin
where the fathers leave off.
What exactly is the secret of true
in hfe? 1t is to do, without
and with utter faithfulness,
the duty that stands next to one. When
a man has mastered the duties around
him, he is ready for those Of higher
grade, and he takes naturally one step
upward. When he has mastered the
duties at tine new grade, ne goes on
There are no surprises to
the man who arrives at eminence legiti-
mately. 1t is entirely natural that he
should be there, and he is as much at
home there, and as little elated, as
when he was working patiently at the
foot of the stairs. There are heights
above him, and he remains humble, and
simple.
Preachments are of little avail, per
haps but when one comes into contact
with SO many men and women who put
aspiration in the place of perspiration,
and yearning for earning, and longing
for labor, he is tempted to say to them
Stop looking up, and look around
you ! Do the work that first comes to
your hands, and DO it well. Take no
upward step until you come to it natu-
rally, and have won the power to hold
it. The top, in this little world, is not
so very high, and patient climbing will
bring you to it ere you are aware. -
DR., j. q. Holland.