The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-07-06
AS IT WERE.

, BACCALAUREATE, AS IT WER1
: alexander Philologus," said tn
parent in voice sad yet stern, "yo,
are about to 60 forth into the Wild
world to carve out your fortune
No doubt you have beautiful dreams
of what you will achieve. In your
minds eye you see yourself coming
home years from now clad in velvet
and fine linen. I trust that you
may come home that way, but
fear that your garments may be
composed of burlap. You conf
IDENTIFY expect to drive homeward
down the sunlit road in a gorgeous
equipage with servants and retain
ers; / trust that you will not be
obliged to walk homeward on the
ties and get turnips from hired men
to keep soul and body together.
You scoff at the idea, and you may
scoff until the clangor of brazen
bells announce that the COWS are
coming home. l have heard young
men scoff before at words that were
spiced with wisdom, and 1 have
seen them in after years driving
street-cars and saving wood. The
fact of the matter is, Alexander,
that you have a rashly exaggerated
idea of your own Importance in this
dreary world. You foolishly enter
tain the idea that if you were to
die tonight the earth would shud-
der and wheel backward But it
wouldn't. The sun would rise just
the same, the stars would gleam as
brightly as ever; the creek would
gurgle merrily on its way; there
would still be marriage and giving
in marriage. You would be laid
carefully away in your nicely fitting
grave, my boy, and the grass would
grow over you, and the brunette
cow would eat the grass and there
wouldn't be a single jolt in the
whole world because of your death.
1t is unfortunate that you have
made up your mind that you know
it all. When you have been jostled
about little while, you will want
to 60 to some scheduled graveyard
and weep. You will be convinced
that instead of knowing it all you
don't suspect anything. Man is like
a grounding in the path of land
slide, Alexander; if the grounding
has sense enough to get out of the
way it is all right; but it it cocks
itself up on its hind legs and |
looks wise, it will be everlastingly
squelcehd. Man is also like bowl
der by the seashore; the bowlder
may be a great deal bigger than the
pebbles about it, but when an idle
stranger fires it into the water it
doesn't take any longer to cover
it forever than it would one of the
pebbles. | knew a man once who
could converse fluently in more
than you could shake
;ord of wood at; what he didn't
know about astronomy wasn't worth
there wasn't science or
IN art on which he was not an
authority; his knowledge was SIM
oly sublime. He forgot more every
lay than you can ever hope to
know. Yet this remarkable man
'erished miserably in creek ten
eet wide because he had never
earned to swim. Go forth into the
world, Alexander, but not with the
dea that you know it all. Try to {
onvince yourself that other people /
nay have heard a thing or two 5
themselves, and don't expect that /
hey will herald you as the Coming I
Ian. The prodigal son was rather ]
y when he left home, and you !
ave heard how he returned. He /,
rent back on his uppers, without .
nough wealth to buy a bowl of :
oup at fourth-rate chop-house, +
nd hundreds have had a similar q
experience. Go forth unostenta- /
ously and without any drum-major !,
usiness. If you are not immedi- \
tely offered a situation as President + s
a bank, 60 to work hoeing corn, y
igging wells or feeding thrashing i
lachines. The world is full of =
olden opportunities, but the young 3;
IAN who is so mashed on his Dig I.
ity that he will not grasp them is Il
able to be left in a most deplora- !,
e and emphatic manner. Lin a
lin, Neb., Journal. !,
Human Beings Sold. n