The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-03-28
The Desire to Succeed.

tural and universal, but right and lau
dable. This would indeed seem to be
a truism, bur for the signing and even
disappearing manner in which some
good people speak of mere success, as if
it were something rather to be summed
than sought by those who would culti-
vate their moral and spiritual nature.
Now the opposite of success is failure,
and the opposite of partial success is
partial failure, yet no one has yet been
found SO ignorant of human nature, or
of human value, as to recommend fail
ure as an object to be desired and
sought for. The wish to succeed is an
element in every undertaking, without
which achievement is impossible. In
the words of recent writer, the ambi-
tion to succeed is the handspring of
activity, the driving wheel of industry,
the spur to intellectual and moral pro-
gress. It gives energy to the individu-
al /; push to the nation. 1t makes the
difference between a people, who move
as stream, and people who stand like
a pool, between America and China.
The mistake made by those who
count success an inferior thing unworthy
to be sought, is in the meaning they
attach to success itself. They fancy
that it implies the idea of securing
wealth or fame, or pleasure or applause
for ones self alone, and seeing how
often these things are gained at the ex-
pense of honor, principle or the happi-
ness of Others, they conclude that mere
success is a very poor thing to desire.
Were they right in their premises, their
conclusion would be just. But success
is not confined to any one object or to
any class of objects. 1t is always a
relative term, implying something back
of it, which may or may not be desir-
able or good. Some men plan robber-
les, others devise schemes ofphilanthro-
phy--all of them desire success. The
question is not, shall men desire to sue
ceed or not, but what shall they desire
to succeed in? What should be their
undertaking, their hope? Ifit is good
one, the more they desire and determine
to succeed the better; if not, it is the
aim itself that is to be attacked and
abolished.
We see this difference ofaim running
through all employments. One mechan-
ic strives for thoroughness and excel
lence in his work another workman or
clerk strives to obtain as much pay for
as little labor as possible. One mer-
chant desires to establish an honorable
and useful business, another to obtain
wealth at whatever cost. One lawyers S
main desire is to promote justice, an
other to secure clients; one physician
hopes to ally disease and suffering, an
other to receive large fees. One politi-
clan would do the best service for his
country, another's whole effort is to
make his country serve his personal in
terests. Each one desires success, and
the strength of his desire is shown in
the earnestness of his efforts; the differ
ence lies in the objects in which they
desire to succeed. Earnestness isgood,
success is good: what we have to watch
is that we are earnest in a worthy cause
then our success will be justly mat
ter of rejoicing,
Most people have many things in
which they desire to succeed, innocent
in themselves, except when they inter-
fere with a higher aim and worthier
purpose. 1t is this conflict of aims,
this gradation of duties, that makes life
often seem SO complex and so difficult.
The question comes continually before
every thoughtful minds this aim
which l set before me the highest / can
reach? Is it not merely desirable end,
but the most desirable? Is it likely to
lead to still better and worthier pur-
poses, or is it likely to hide them from
view? As we answer these questions to
ourselves intelligently and conscient-
iously, the rightful limits of each will
become clear and our desire to succeed
in each will harmonic with these limits.
Thus the desire for pleasure will be linn
tied by the desire for health the care
of self by the care for others, the love
of money by the love of honor, the ef-
fort to please by the effort to do right.
After all, however, when the aims
are worthy, the desire for success strong,
and the efforts to attain it energetic,
success itself is not always secured
Other elements may enter in to disap-
point US, but if we have done our best
we have no cause to despond. To at
tain success in a good cause is a good
thing, but there is something even bet
than this-to merit ucceSs.-Ledger.