The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-03-28
For the Reporter.
THE POWER OF PURPOSE,

| still in the hands ui the insurgents
For the Reporter.
THE POWER OF PURPOSE.
The Lecture delivered by DR.. Keys, in
Mnlheim. appears 10 have been too much
for the comprehension Of The learned crit
ic who passes his Judgment TO tho public
through the columns of the JearHtL 1t
was my good fortune 70 have attended g.
and heard il for the second Iime from the
DR.. Having the pleasure of "a close per
sonal acquaintance with him, he told me
that he simplifcd his language As much a'
possible, in order to meet the wants oi u''
auditors And yet, ho appears 10 nave
been misunderstood. | will endeavor to
erplain the Doctors meaning, not using
his language, Of course, but in more ordi-
nary every day terms.
Purpose bears the same relation to nat
ural talent or genius that the locomolYeI
bears 20 a train Of cars It Is the propeihng
power which leads mans talent or gent
Us on 10 success. a man doe, not require
70 has Columbus or a SapoleAn 10 DO \
great man What Is termed accident,
sometimes noAts man to the surface Tor
instance, Gen'l Grant, Andy johnson, ana
a hos. Of Others who might be mentioned I
but this class Of men are not necessarily
Great men, In the true sense Of The word. !
There are plenty Of men In private 't'e
their peers in education, refinement ana
ability. who are truly great men. a man
isa great man when he is true TO his Cod
90 himself and 10 his follow men true 10
his feelinSs Of humanity, honesty, liberal
ity, integrity add All that constitutes
higher, a better, nobiaE life when ne
sets his mark high in the great scale o: The
Creator, and pushes forward with htsi
purpose to the Accomplishment; Of noble
designs. j
DIR. Keys never meant 20 be understood
ths, an Artist, by power of purpose, might
have made good wood cutter or that
sculptor, by power Of purpose, could De
into successful Lawyer he
meant Just wha, the parable Of the Talents
mean, in Scripture, as taught by jesus
that God has given 70 US talents, whether
small or great, snd that he will held US re-
sponsibls Tor the use we make OF those 1A--
en,, He meant 20 absw IS what Purpose
has done by applying il to .he L-.ea'' o'
man.
Tbe object Of the Lecture waste implanI
in every man the necessity Of forming
purpose in life. Without purpose J: is
impo,sible 10 achieve success. Talents an
developed, will lie hidden within the hu>
man breast O. cold, quiet and mo''on.ea'
=. wonder train Of cars apoE iaa ifArA,
but hitch on the locomotive, and what
WAS once dead and silent, will receive ne"
life and assume an unexpected ACTIVITY. /
To those hidden talents, attach an "eH'e
living purpose, and we see new creature
ful, Of life and animation. What are u"
numberle.s great inventions which we pa.
into daily use for our convenience ana
comfort bet ,he rssul. Of purpose was
the applicatiou oi steam 70 machinery, the
Of the sewing machine, tha .e.e-
graph, your mowers and reapeF', your
steam plows, ysu printing presses the re-
suit OF genius or Of purpose Many no.
bIe man has worked and studied, through
want. in poverty and rags, hunger and
cold, year af.er year FOR the accomplish,
ment Of = purpose through which tue
world was to be benefited. Werethcy not
xrea, men in their results The world too
oflen frowus upon man to-day, while
delving In the undeyeloped mysteries oI
some great purpose. and lauds him, to-
morrsu. when his efforts have been crown
cd with success. The great point is. that
there ara too many men living without
purpose, who have talents, but their tai
ents do not accomplish anything, .ane
lives and dies with them. and the world
don't know they had IL or the man who
forms hxed, resoluts and determined
purpose, the world is apt 10 say ''Shy
that man is just adapted TO that business
he was lust cut out for what he 10 doing )"
We are very apt when some great man
delivers a speech, to say How easy tor
man like him to say just the right thing
in the right place" Ask such men as
Daniel Webster, George Washington or
Abraham Lincoln, whether their ready
speeches are the result of talent? They
will tell you that Il vas only after years OF
patient toll, study and practice that they
were able to accomplish il. There is no
such thing as being born with fully devel-
oped talents. The credit IS due 10 Fur-
pose, THAT We form and carry ont our
selves God gives us the talent, whether
we develop It or not.
Then again, there is such thing as
man developing his talent, but not having
n purpose in life il neither benefits him
self or his fellow men. We are not 70 live
within the narrow limits Of self we are
held accountable for the use we make OF
our abilities, they were not given US 70 be
folded in a napkin. We live in a world Of
human beings, and are dependent crsa>
lures. Our present advanced state Of soci-
ETY. and civilization is due TO the results of
purpose, as wrought out by those who
have lived in the past, and future genera
lions will live on the results Of the pur-
poses of those Of to-day.
The characters whom Dr.. Keys took As
illustrations OF the power Of purpose, were
all men who sprang from humble walks
| Of life. and from most uupromisinG sur
| roundings, who had worked their Way
from obscurity, Under difficulties, To q
position Of prominence and note. Men
who fought their path, step by step
| through every obstacle, inspired by th'
one grand idea. This is the position IL
which every young man ipplaced. Every
druakard in the gutter, every bar-roon
loafer, every staggering rowdy, every
prison convict might have made betteI
man Of himself, If he had bad laudabl'
purpose in life 1t was not the lack Of ge
MUS or talent. but Of having no purpose
which has hindered his success, and mad
life a failure. B. W.
Rebersburg, Pa, Mar. IL.