Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-06-20

! ~ Hih'N bbA uho hNh-
toned u.s.
Courage is not smartness nor audacity.
IL is not bluster and brag nor noise and
fury. IL may be as quiet and gentle as a
mothers cradle song and yet be strong
enough to overcome temptation and defend
the citadel Of virtue. Courage makes us
careless Of what others think or say of us
so long as we are true 10 Gods voice
within. No one can be called brave who
cuts and trims his conduct TO catch the
tickle breeze of public opinion.
Young man and young woman, IL you
would be strong and develop moral fiber,
trust yourself. Don't be looking sidewise
TO see what others are saying or doing,
but speak your own thought aud do your
highest and best as God shows the way.
One OF the good things Garfield said was
this 81 do not much care what others
think or say about me, but there is one
mans opinion about me which value very
much; that is the opinion of James Gar
field. Others | need not think about.
can get away from them; but have 10 be
with him all the time He is with me
when | rise up and when | lie down, when
] eat and talk, when go out and when
come in. IL makes a great difference
whether he thinks well of me or not"
IL takes more courage to say mo" some
Everywhere and always, from the primary
school 10 the college, from the cradle 10 the
grave moral courage described in that
scriptual phrase, I'VE ought to obey God
rather than man." is the keen Damascus
blade without which we cannot hope 10
make the most Of life
They tell a story of General Jackson
who, when he was Judge was holding
court in small settlement One of the
desperadOes, who then were often to be
found in the West, a border rufiian and
murderer, came into the court room with
brutal violence and interrupted its pro
ceedings. The judge ordered him to be re-
moved. But, as he was desperate man
and armed to the teeth, the officers hest
tated to arrest him. Call a posse" said
the judge, 'and arrest him" But those
who were called also shrank from attack
ing the rufiian. Call me, then" said
jackson. This court is al journed for
five minutes;" aud going directly 10 the
man ordered him to drop his weapons,
which, after a moments doubt, he did, af
terward saying "There was something in
his eye that could not resist" That was
true courage. Courage TO stand alone il
need be. Courage TO do the right though
others sneer. Courage to do your best al
ways and everywhere. II we take that
with us we are on the right road IL we
take it not we are bound to fail go and we
ought to-
"Naught but the souls life. plan
Digs theNeep gulf 'twixt Socrates and Nero,
'Iis what he IS not has that makes the man
And what he does the hero"
In the second place perseverance is essen
tial TO success in study, in business, in
life | never knew a strong man or
woman without this quality of character.
] asked successful editor what message |
he thought was most needed by the young |
men and women Of today and he sand tell |
them TO work and win their own position |
and success | want 10 say right here that |
there is no such thing as luck. The best |
luck is a large capacity for work The |
part OF wisdom is TO make up our mind |
early that we are not born great, that we |
are not geniuses and that if we ever gain |
anything in this world we shall have to |
work for it, and persevere in our work dav |
after day and year after year. Don't be |
discouraged If you seem TO fail at first Up |
and onward. Let no difficulties or clouds |
cool your ardor. Patient endeavor is |
bound to win. The steady plodder in the
long run often distances the brilliant but |
tickle student:
The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight.
Were tolling upward IN the night"
When Lord Beaconsfield attempted his
first speech in the British parliament he |
was laughed down. He made an utter
failure. Such a public humiliation would |
have dispirited many a man. But he was
made of sterner stuff, and as he sat down
he said, 1T is ia me and it shall come out.
You will hear me yet" And they did. |
Perseverance carried him to the first posi-
ton in the British empire Whether. then,
we seek TO attain excellence in scholarship, |
success in business, or nobility of character |
our motto must be work first work last,
aud work all the time" If you stumble or
go wrong, if you have made mistakes in |
judgment or in conduct don't let one slip or
one error cast you down. Rise again
Bury the past beneath the hard earned |
victories of today's and to morrow's perse-
vering and faithful toll. "Help yourself" |
writes u wise scholar Fight your own |
battles. Hoe your own row. Ask no fa- |
vors of any one and you'll succeed a thou
sand times better than one who is always |
beseeching some ones influence and pat |
ronage. No one will ever help you Ak you
can help yourself, because no one will be |
50 heartily interested in your affairs. Don't |
be ashamed to begin at the bottom of the
ladder. 1t is more honorable 10 shovel dirt |
than to play the drone. 1t is noblsr to
earn your own way than be dependent ON
the exertions of others Men who have |
made fortunes are not those who had 5000 |
to start with, but boys who started with u
hard earned dollar or two. Men who ac-
quire lasting fame have never been thrust
into popularity by puffs begged or paid for.
They have Outstretched their own hands |
and touched the public heart. Men who
win in love do their own wOoing, and |
never knew man to fail so signally as one
who induced his atfsctionRte grandmother
to speak a good word for him. Whether
you work for fame, for love, for knowl
edge, for money, or any other noble end,
work with your own hands, your own
heart and your own brains. Say Il iUiH
and keep saying it, and some day you will
conquer" Stand on both feet Trust in
God. Look up Be willing to make haste
slowly and success is certain.
We have not wings, we cannot soar;
But We have feet 70 scale and climb
BY slow degrees, by more and more,
The cloudy submits OF our time"
In the third place truthfulness is abso
lutely essential if you would make the most
of life l don't mean merely that the vice
of lying is to be Stunned. mean that strict
veracity of purpose and conduct as well as
of speech, are elements of power without
which no one can hope to lead happy and
useful life.
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of
1890, you are coming on the stage of this
great worlds activities in a trying and
unique period. You are to help work out
moral, educational social and religious
problems of profound significance. Never
before has there been a greater need for
strong, manly men and pure and noble
women. If the politics of this country are
to be purified if the social ulcers are to be
healed, if intelligence and sobriety are TO
suppant ignorance and drunkenness you
must give your minds and hands 10 the
great work of reformation. If homes are
TO be pure, If our churches are TO be cen
tres of faith and power if our schools are
to increase till knowledge fills the land,
| you must bend your energies, and the fresh
and strong inspirations of your young
hearts TO a never ending work for God and
humanity. Be true yourselves; demand
truth in your fellows, and give neither the
assent of your intellect nor the sympathy of
your affections to any movement or insti-
tuition, TO any word or work that is not
based upon and crowned by the eternal
verites of God.