Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-13


A mother was once telling her little
son the story of the boy who stood on
the burning deck and persisted in the
flames, rather than disobey his fathers
commands. The little child listened
very attentively to the story, heard the
mother commend the boys obedience,
but then grandly said: MA, l think
that boy was very good, but he wasn't
very smart" 70 my mind the youth
in Excelsior" was neither very good
nor very smart. If he was inspired by
any worthy motive to force his way to
the top of the frozen Alps; if he went
there in pursuit of truth, or to rescue
the perishing, OF for any other worthy
purpose, his conduct deserves COM
mendation, otherwise he acted very
foolishly. Ambition is not safe
guide. The youth in Excelsior is by
no means the only person who has
been ruined by it. 1t is dangerous to
despise the advice of the old, or the
experienced, or the simpler pleasures
of home, all to crafty a foolish ambi-
ton to 90 higher.
The ''AmbitiOus Youth, who climb
ed up the side of the natural bridge of
Virginia that he might cut his name
above all others, involved himself and
his friends in terrible trouble 1t is
the spirit that animated Alexander,
Caesar, Napoleon, and conquerors gen
orally. A desire to 90 higher simply
for the sake of going higher, not to ac-
complish any worthy purpose by doing
it. 1t is not the spirit of Columbus or
Washington or Lincoln. The best
work of the world has been done by
men who carried no flags and sounded
no trumpets before them. They wrought
patiently in secret, till suddenly the
world found them at the top of the
mountain before it scarcely knew of
their existence.
So intent were they on the work they
were doing, they scarcely considered
whether they were going up or down.
Indeed, generally to human vision,
they had seemed to be going down.
The world laughed at Fulton's folly,
but Fulton persevered and now is dis
tinguished as the inventor of steam
boats.
If the youth in Excelsior" had
| walked thoughtfully up the mountain
| we would have supposed he was en-
gagged in some laudable enterprise,
perhaps studying the glaciers, or the
geology of the mountains, or possibly
| searching for wanderers lost in the
snow. But his only apparent motive
in spurning the advice of the old man,
the experienced peasant, and despising
| the endearments of home and love,
was that he might carry his flag up
the mountain side and yell, Excel
- Of I'll g
what is called "blowing your own
! trumpet"
! But ''hights which great men reach
| and keep" are not attained in that way,
or with such a spirit. Doubtful whether
| this youth ever reached the summit.
Men never attain true greatness whose
| only inspiration is to compare them
selves with their neighborS and then
determine at every cost to carry their
own flag still higher.
| Blowing your own trumpets and car
| rying your own flags is very unworthy
| employment for men anywhere. The
hound which found the youth:
| Still grasping in his hand of ice
| That banner with the strange device"
| Was doing better work than he. like
better the spirit of a song that tells of
nightingale which once sang a note
out of tune, and was almost ready to
die of shame. Surely, it thought, ev-
cry bird in the woods was laughing
/ at it.
But after a season of humiliation the
| nightingale opened its mouth again,
ana sang to the skies, not caring who
heard or what they thought, and such
divine music was never before heard in
| the woods.
Let men be intent, not on carrying
! their flags TO the high places of earth,
but on doing the work before them in
the best possible manner, and from the
| best possible motive. In that way only
is true greatness to be found.-MrS.
| Hickman IN the Cleveland Leader.