The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-05-01
Unsuccessful Men.

There IS q class OF persons known as
unsuccessful men," and sometimes
they are treated with a thOughtless-
ness which gives much unconfessed
pain. We heard an intelligent and
cultivated woma remark that she
could not feel respect or affection for
a man who was not able to provide for
her properly. But this, upon examin-
alton, is open to the criticism of Civ
ing undue admiration to the powers or
faculties, whatever they are, which
confer success in acquisition. Now,
the truth is that unsuccessful men, So
called-meaning those who fail to &C
quire property or position "e very
often the choicest spirits to b. found.
How many of earth's greatest men
have been unsuccessful in this
for long, lonely, struggling years, and
even died so? They have labored all
their lives for the ideal, dong noble
work which failed to command either
market or admiration, but were noble
Just the same, and they among the
noblest of the noble for their fidelity
TO duty to the sad end. Of many such
men the world has recognized the
power and value only when their spir-
itual riches have become a legacy.
Why should only success in acquiring
be highly regarded Suppose any
one fail in this and acquire but little,
but succeed admirably in happiness
making, what differenceP Is there
not a heart-success, achievements of
kindness, gentleness and devotion to
others, of un~selfishness and thought
f~ulness, which are admirable, worth
just their own value and respectP If
a man acquire very successfully but
the selfish in heart and act, in what re-
spect is he the successful man beyond
another who stores up but little, but
is supremacy successful in point of
lofty and disinterested life? How
much wealth is to be held q proper
success in acquisitionP There are de-
grees, and sometimes a man fails of
the highest degrees through the very
noblest qualities of mi ld; like hon
esty, herOism, self-devotion to noble
causes and the like. which takes time
and sacrifice and strength. When we
heard the lady make the remark
quoted above, we reasoned thus: A
woman does not expect to acquire
money in ordinary domestic life, and
that is right; She does her part in an
other way. But many a woman is re-
spected and loved for noble and fine
qualities, but would utterly fail to push
her way in the world if put to the
test. II those qualities are noble in
her, so are they in another, even
though that other, unhappily, is tested
and fails in acquisitive tact. OF course,
if a man be shiftless, not earnest, an
idler, that is one thing; but if he is in
dustrious and careful, and yet fails of
these large returns, which certainly
are useful and confer many advantages
upon the household. still he may have
the most admirable qualities of mag
nanimity, of intelligence, although de-
ficient in that peculiar faculty, or in
that executive power which turns
everything to gold. We must look
closely at the influence of our present
stage of civilization on this matter.
Evidently outward success requires a
combination of faculties adapted to the
peculiar condition of society It the
time, whatever that may be. In the
savage state, success means promin-
ence in a corresponding group of
faculties. The Importance of these
passes away after a time; then their
power for success is gone, and the
most successful man in the new social
stage might be a slave among barbar-
ians. Within limits Il may be said
that success is a particular epoch of
social development means simply
adaptations to the conditions of that
time, analogous to natural selection in
the struggle for life; but how in%trinsi-
cally valuable or admirable that
adaptation is-that is, how high and
noble the mental or moral qualities de.
ponds upon the condition and char
acter of the time or place. This may
be such as to call into prominence the
ignobler faculties, shrewdness, calcu-
~lation, or even physical force; and
these may achieve position, power and
property, with intellectual worth,
knowledge and moral honesty are neg.
lected or cruciied. Let us look at the
real excellences and match our adora.
ton to these. I'm times when notori.
ETY. is COMPOUNDED with heroism il can.
not be expected that the world should
recognize the best men, but that II
should worship some of the worst ii
uncomfortable" There are forms O
greatness, or at least of excellence
which die and make no sign; there are
martyrs that miss the pain. but not the
stake; heroes without a laurel, and
conquerors without a triumph."-N CHI
n,x1 Q.kxIuss Lo~rJ1