Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-07-05

Has DOlHc OHlA picdodut HOWtlS III us
DOsom-the roots expand, the lar
Is ShNered.
A lovely, pure. noble, and most moral
nature, without the strength of nerve
which forms Il hero, sinks beneath Il
burden which it cannot bear, and
must not east away. Ali duties are
holy for him; the present is too hard
Impossibilities haye,been required of
h i'm. not in themselves impossibilties
but such for him. He winds and turns
and torments himself; he advances and
recoils, is ever put in mind, is ever him
self in mind at last does all but lose his
purpose from his thoughts, yet still with
out recovering his peace OF mind. How
many another finely nodded perfectly
chiseled nature despairlngly allowed
these same thoughts to swell up in his
soul whcr he is almost crushed under
theweight ofsome great atllictiOnorsome
reverse of fortune, IN all classes and
grades of society do we see trials, temp
tationS and dlscouragenents coming
upon men To test their souls and how
few toll on and on regardless of OBJ
StacleS and unmoyed 10y temptation still
crying Excelsior. The student only
half learns one thing before he is dis
couraged and seeks TO AVOID laying the
solid foundation upon which the super
structure of an education must rest,
and endeavors to build the turrets,
spires and domes of his temple before
the supporting walls are erected. The
mechanic has only half mastered the
principles of his trade before he aspires
TO leadership in his craft which should
only be awarded to those who have
climbed the ladder round by round.
But the man who climbs beyond his
height is not 50 repreheDsible as he who
appears anxious to stoop far below the
honorable position in which fortune
has placed him.
The politician in the various branches
of our great government virtually sells
himself and this power vested in him
by his constituents when instead of I'M
compromisingly casting his ballot for
the right he falls into the traces of the
party machine which he deems most
profitable to himself. Thus it is every
where men misuse the energies and
capabilities implanted within them and
fall far short Of the alternative pre-
scented in one subject, viz: ''Te Be-, To
BE what they may, To Be, what they
seem, To BE what their best natures
make them capable of becoming. Not
a miserable body, cramped and
warped mind, not prospects blighted
and brains dulled by alcoholic stimu-
lants. OF aimless and frivolous dissipat-
ion which renders the victim a burden
to himself and his associates during
the remainder of his life, and thus take
away from the world some of its sun
shine, some of the knowledge which it
should rightfully possess, for every
being should contribute something to
humanity.
Many another since Hamlet, has
been impel!ed to move on to the ac-
complishment of some great deed but
he edless of the impulse continues in
his inert condition until others have
taken away the fire or appropriated the
honors while he still sleeps on and OH
till unable to bear the whips and
scorns of time, his own quietus makes
with bare bodkin'. Yet besides
the great number that fall there are
few who are determined To Be, and
who do not require their motives to be
rehearsed TO them to keep up their
courage and tagging energies. Where
would have been our present knowledge
of science. arts Inventions and discover
les without assertion of the will of
those who were determined "To Be-
and being to do all that they felt them
selves called upon to do.
Without Homer, a Phidias, Plato
a Socrates, Shakespeare, where would
have been our ideas of the beautiful
and the subllmel Without a Calico, a
Bacon. a Stevenson, a Field. Morse
or an Edison. where would have been
the civllizing inventions of to day.
Without a Columbus, a Magellan, a
Longfellow and Stanley, what fair
lands would yet remain in Plutonian
darkness Without Washington what
would have been the fate of a strug-
Cling people now the representative
government of the enlightened world.
shedding its civilizing rays upon every
nation ON the face of the earth
In the minds of the illustrous ex-
amples just cited there were no mis-
givings no doubts, no hesitatlous, but a
deep soul pervading determination to
accomplish all which their hearts die
tated as being their duty, their work.
A Hamlet could plan-they execute,
Il Hamlet could weep-they work, "A
Hamlet could despair--they never, IA
Hamlet must be spurred on-they held
back.
With Hamlet conscience doesmabe
towards of us all, with George Wash
ington Coincidence makes hero.
With Hamlet obstacles prevents the
accomplishment Of Enterprises of
Great Pitch and Moment" With a
Washington or a Lincoln obstacl es are
the motive power which guar antecs
freedom 20 natio II or a race.
An energy born of a mission which
but death can subdue was eX
hibited by Garfield when he said what
ever a sound mind sho uld attempt that
could he do by hard patient toil".