The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-06-24
PERSEVERANCE.
ny MILE S. THOMSON.

1t is said that rolling stone gathers
10 noss: pelti.er is anything accomplish.
eli without perseverance. In tue manual
employment vi laborer, tue mental en-
ploymert OF student, teacher, mathe.
matici;.n and philosopher. IN short, II
all the varied industries OF humanity
perseverance, Is the one great essential
lie power and progress Ut q nation de-
leud largely upon the possession Of this
one virtue b. lis people.
Perhaps tie chief cause Of mans over.
coming all obstacles aud perseyering in
all his attempts, is ambition: hnt too OF.
ten does perseverance,, When ambition Is
the motive, prove disastrous; for the
ambitious man scarcely ever realizes his
lifelong dream Of happiness. as it raises
a secret tumult in ms susll. lniiames his
mind ahu keeps il reaching after some
far oil Utopia Sucl was the case with
Napoleon, whose ruilne PASSION WAS am.
bitlon: and to THIS Le sac.lii,el home.
love and life, ending his days III despolld-
encs aud dcsolation on the lonely isle of
ST. Helena.
lie true motive Of our perseverance
should be to obtain the GOOD results
wulca follow for ourselves and posterity;
bat this. too. like all other motives. Is
often uisused, lis is seen in the case u a
miser boarding up the fruits Of his labor,
denying himself and family the neccssi.
ties OF life. and dying without iriends,
while that for which he toiled and sacri.
iced all the comforts Of life is LETT to he
disposed Of by those who care d nothing
for him.
Bnt IA spite OF all these wrong ideas,
which have caused many 10 fal! by the
wa,side, there are few to whom the
motive remains ,ntarnished, the word
fail is unknown, and they press ON, Civ
ing to the world the fruits Of their cease
lcse endeayors. Among the few who
have thus saccee led, Arkwright may be
classed as one who, though his pathway
was strewn with obstacles. tolled on, new
or thinking Of failure Until he accom-
silshea his one great aim in life the in
-, ri the sp.uA.us machine.
ven. -.'a ri Cyrus ".
The same may be $50.
Field, who. in his attempts to lay the At
lait;c cable, crossed that great ocean
snirty-two consecutive times.
Perseverance has done more for the
world than an. other one thing. It was
this which led to the discovery of Amer.
lea h. Columbus; poor, friendless and
homeless. with nothing to recommend
him but his untiring energy and indom.
table will.
In tie building e Tie great monu.
merts, pyramids and obelisks Of Egypt
scattered along the banks Of the Nile, il
seen the unuring hand Of perseverance.
A:ii what is far greater, We can trace the
elevation of man from barba,ous to q
civilized condition: and sec all his labors
lish'ened by improvements OF grea. mer.
il ind genius.
But even all this canno. compare with
the fruits OF perseverance Of the mind.
hat are those great structures. just re-
.errei to, wrought by human hands. il
comparison with those great monuments
OF thought. erected by Newton, Will
son, or a Longfel!ow. These men were
once no wiser than we: bur by hard and
nnrelnittins toll. they have won their way
I" the foremost places in the world. while
all persons speak OF them with reverence.
Nearly all men Of note have risen from
obscnrity to the pinnacle of fame, step by
step, aiding little by little to their vas,
ttnrn-house Of knowledge. John J. Asto,
once sold apples nn the streets IT New
Yo.s. Benjamin Franklin was tho son