The Cairo bulletin., 1875-07-02
mn. warrERsoN.s ADDRESS

State lnINcTSUN II toV ithk'hs iV' V"'
columns. Some of IT. finest paragraphs
therefore we Gull for the benefit of our
readers. MIR. Watterson opened by tell
ing his hearers that owing to the occupa-
tions and duties OF somewhat over
tasked habit of professional drudging, he
would offer them "a few loosely -jointcd
reflections upon every day life.' Said he
take II that there are not many of you
whose cue and motive for action. as you
stand in line waiting the signal Of COM
bat, could not be guessed by most men
who have passed the like ordeal. Each
of YOU wants to succeed. With one II J.
money. with another 1t Is glory. with all
II Is success. But how! Here the roads
cross, and woe to him who reads the sign
board awrong.
The lecturer said il they could read
the sign board they would read nothing
startling and nothing new. II would be
the same old story;
J The brave old story Of Gods and lie
roes The wise old scrmou of Sagcs and
Philosopher: The sweet old song, OF
the Poets The Lesson Of Life, deep
and beautiful river of good coun.els flow
inc from the many-fountained hills of
Ilcllas aud Lydia down through Virgil
liam plain. and lIoratian gardens into the
vast ocean OF modern philosophy with
its light houses, its improved craft Ill
comprehensive charts. all tributary to the
laws OF Il wcll-deiincd system of intcllec-
tual and moral navigation. telling Gael,
of Us how fO steer and where To steer his
tiny bark, assuring all of fu, OF safety or
of ,hipwrcck ~ we follow or as We di,rc-
gard the inspirations of God traced out
for III by the hand OF man in every age,
and with hardly less precision in the
rough iargon of Davy Crockett than in
the classic prcachments OF Plato.
And yet, the world has grown no Wiser.
morally: the vices Of to-day are the vices
Of yesterday, a, are al.o, the blundcrs
and mistakes. Precedent nor precept
has made the path of the student plain
he blunders and lic fall a niyriad- before
him have done. and the reason Is because
every man, in the very face OF books and
sages. constructs a special hemisphere for
himself out OF this particular conccit.
building up therein whimsical system
Of his own, and worshiping it. idols and
pursuing its phantoms from the cradle
to the grave. And then IL he is weak, he
falls, and if he is ambitious and strong he
involves others with himself and ''in thi,
way States are misdirected and wars are
made"
Yet the lesson of life j. neither com.
pleX nor obscure, consisting in tew
simple rules. TO see things as they ar,
and especially TO sec ourselves as ether
see Us To avoid deceptions Of every sort
self-deceptions being of the most seriou
and dangerous kind: to pick some busI
ness which we like and for which We art
suited and to stick to that: TO be indus
trious and frugal and upright. kindly ant
Obliging.- that Is all. The rest may b,
safely left to take care Of itself.
The story is old AMI yet men 60 astray
just as they did before the food and have
done ever since. The world has pro-
gressed in everything save its morality
London, Paris and New York show
| pictures of wickedness unequalled ia past
ages, aud the reason Is that men worship
success, they worship the image
instead ofthe substance OF which the i'm :
age is composed. The lecturer defined
greatness as that quality in man is gen.
orally understood, but held up no popu-
lar example for his hearers to emulate:
Success in life, and by success mean
public usefulness and individual content
ment and happiness, is not to be found in
ambitious pursuits. Nor is greatness In
la tts.I I..
tiOnal achievncats in literature, Oratofy
or war, The founiation of all greatness,
the beginning and the end of all true
manhood, Is CHARACTER. He in whom
the elements are mixed In fair proportion
strongly but kindly; who is brave with
ont being aggressive; who is steady and
patient, uniting justice to libcrality
whose love doe, not wither and blight,
but elnobles and inspires; whose hate
is. only active against that
which is british, sordid and paltry in
whom the characteristics sketched by
Paul are joined TO genuine culture and
cleanliness of soul; who j. not only
"blamelcss, vigilant, sober, OF good BIZ,
hayior, apt to teach, nor given to filthy
lucre.' but gracious also, and no matter
how rough the exterior, graceful within
who l., IN short, sincere and wise-s,icl
a man, whether he be the occupant Of
throne or dweller in a cabin, is a grca
man, and, n surely ~ hc il a great.
, happy one. q IL WAS scott VIII,
said with his dying breath to Lockhart
"Be good man. my dear" The KEY L
the mystery ofliic 4. " BE a good man, IN
, dear" for il will bring YOU peac
J.. throughout your life, aud toward Tia
close honor. love, obedience. troop. q
friends, and all that should accoInpan
| old age.
0 Here Mr.. Wa,terson paid a tribute 1
v Lincoln and Lee, the "two good men O
e our country.
n Wepass over mreh that /. eloquent an
C Interesting to take up the gist of the le
e ture, the "Plca Tor Tolerance. Said N
r Watterson
o believe, then, that in the conduct
% life, the first Of the virtues j. tolcranc
Indeed, tolerance OF u certain kind Is
d basis OF physical necessity. We do n
Il move along the street or drive acros,
l. bridge IN a straight line, looking Meth
TO the right nor LEFT, giving the way
no one, Keeping our own course regar
IL less oi consequences, and priding OF
,c selves upon the principle" of Obstru,
a ing everybody and everything In val
- and practically In an idiotic effort at
X rectncss." The man who does that
Il Justly accounted n mailman or an enell
to society, or, at the least, a blackgua
and bully.