Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-07-22
True Greatness.

IEssay read by Miss Hutuo Gote- at the COM
mcu4omcut exercises held in this city juno Is.
1857
Charming tells ms that there are various kinds
or orders of greatness. Among those orders he
gives the first ana highest place 90 moral great
ness; the next place TO intellectual greatness;
ana the third 10 the greatness of action. And
further more he tells ms The greatest man is
he who chooses the right with invnciblc reso-
luton, who resists the csorost temptations from
within and without; who bears the heaviest
burdens checrrunyg VINO is the ealmest in
storms; and whose reliance on truth, on virtue,
ON God is the most unlaItcring.
Every man has within himself the material
for making grcut man. and it is the duty Of
every man 10 utilize this material and rise TO
the highest station in lie which be is capable
of attaining We do not mean 10y this state
ment that every man cnu become umous for
every famous mum is not truly er5Bt mau.
Between these terms there lies a grand els.
tiuctiou
First let us consider some of the qualities
that are essential 10 q truly great man
without doubt selccontrul comes first and
foremost Scripture tells us. "He that rulcth
his own spirit is greater than hc THAT mh,th %
city. and we know 10y reading the biographies
of great men, that those who have heeu the
most successful are the ones who have had the
most perfect selt-courot; oud We know, Hc
that can rule himself can rulc others" The
heroes that fought ut Marathon anl nalu>hya
viii he laudo1 in history and poetry through
an generations, vet every day. ia every part of
the globe there arc those who are silently
lighting fierce battles ana winning victories
against sell ot which we never hear Notisit
not infinitely harder 90 gain victory over the
unseen foe. than over muuy ltpions uf soldier
Surely the man who keeps within bounds ull
his evil passions, who curbs his temper aud
controls even hts thoughts making tbom only
pure and noble, is hero indeed.
Another noble quality iu This man temper.
auec This Is closely related 90 selfcontr1L
The truly great man does not indulge DIS appe-
titps, he docs NOT seek tor enjoyment in scu-
sual pleasure He keeps his body 100 suhiHttiou
to his intellectual and moral uGtute Nu ono
can hc truly great who rs % druukuri and q
glutton. II hps been well said, "thc man i-
not the body that is only the house he lives i'm.
The man Is the soul, aud tho business of man
Is 10 develop the Go0-likc part 80 DIS nature
He cats and drinks "a live instead Of liying as
many do merely TO eat aud drink" lhe body
has been chilled the homo and workshopof the
soul; aud the better tho condit'ono this work.
shop, the hotterwork thosuul cando. hut when
this workshop is turned into ilquar saloon, on
banquet hall the greater the activlt} the sad.
der the degradation. Temperance snharuoss,
ana chastity, IS a motto ot the the truly great
Bravery IS also another chaucteusueol thi.
man. Ard by bravery we DO nut mean NJ,
mere physical courage which tuHes met
when excited To march boid,, t3 tha c8noon
mouth lJis is not the highest form of c1ur
age, for, tu face death amid tho wild excite
mont OF hattle Is a form Of bravery of which
even the most cowordly IS sometimes capable.
This isuot the bravery which true hero pos
scsscs His IS moral burolsm Gtfh u the in-
Wis hlc His Is the bravery which pnHblgs BIN
% endure the succrs and jccrs Of those who
scorn bis noble efforts II was true bravery
which enabled Daniel to enter the lions den.
II was true bravery which inspired the martyrs
Of old, and m2de 10 possible for them 90 go uu-
ninchiuaN 10 certain death az the stake They
knew TINT the God zoo whom thot trusted would
deliver their souls il not thor bodies and they
were content some Of our ereat generals,
although wonderfully brave u battle. had mo-
mornl courage. ltis said of Napahon that bc
feared ono woman iu bis Empire more than ail
his foes TO war.
Then again the truly great man b modest.
Modcstr is one of the elem nts of true great
ness. When man ADVERTISE hm-If as the