Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-31
GLORY OR DOLLARS?
Success Often Wears Failures Mask
and Often Failure Wins.
EFFORT MARKED DOWN As LUCK
While Fickle Fortunes Frown Is Consid-
cred Discreditable.
A GLIMPSE OF LIFgs DARKER SIDE.
lwnrrrrx ron THE pIsrArcH.. .


Some of us who remembered his existence
were recently rejoiced to learn that former
Pittsburger had "struck streak of luck at
last" 1t was good luck, and consequently
good news; for If ever a man needed good
luck, he did. Bad luck he had in excess Of
all need or desire. He was never in any
sense conspicuous man; the community at
large took no note of him; so the community
at large knew nothing whatever about the
ups and downs of his career. But there
were those who had interest in him, and
these knew that the cups in his experience
had been such rare events that he could tell
them off on the fingers of one hand; while
the downs" were so frequent that his
friends always looked for him in the bottom
OF the furrow.
And they generally found him there.
Somehow he was perpetually under the har-
row. The harrow was not good to him; but
rolled him over and over without mercy,
oruislng and scratching him SO that his sore
places could not be counted. Some men
nave command Of fate. Not this man. Fate
had command of him, apparently, and ruled
him pItilessly. Defeat became habit with
him; and the habit of defeat is bad habit
to tall into, making defeat so much easier
next time. As nothing succeeds like sue
cess, so nothing fails like failure. Repeated
disaster makes the victims kindest friends
cruel. They help the next disaster forward
by expecting it Tor him. They withhold the
stimulus and inspiration of their confidence.
That is privation they do not suspect. The
tighter needs to expect victory; next to that
he needs to have victory expected by others.
1t is bitter struggle when neither of these
conditions exists.
Success at Last.
But at last this man OF failure has become,
in his small wey, a man of success. It is
only a small way. The great public will
know as little of his success as it knew of his
failure. But the success means as much to
him as the greater triumphs OF greater men
mean to them. 1t is his conquest Of adversely,
the achievement to which he had given his
life. Therefore 1t is symbolical. Perhaps
this change in the order of his experiences
occupies this mans mind so fully that he
does not notice how his friends speak Of it.
Perhaps, on The other hand, he does notice
it, and inwardly protests against the iDjus-
tioe of it. Certainly he has right to make
such protest.
= He has "struck a streak of luck" bis
friends say. They do not say that be has
conquered difficulties, overcome obstacles,
fought his way onward against discourage
ments which would have driven another
man to nerveless despair. That is what he
has done; and luck is given the credit Of it.
Mark the contrast. In these other times,
when misfortune had him at its mercy;
when hope turned her back on him; when
success and he were utter strangers-then
there was no talk o luck. He himself was
held accountable for all that-'there was
screw loose somewhere in him. "there
was something wrong in his makeup" she
did not know how to manage. Nobody said
then that he had "struck a streak o luck"
such luck as chills the lie in mans
heart and makes his fight with circum-
stances campaign of heroism.
&x*
NOT Exactly Just.
Now, why should man be held response !
Bile Tor his failures and be denied credit for |
his achievements? In the case OF real. |
genuine Ii e struggle like this the award |
should be the other way, if there is to be any |
such distinction. In such a case if there is |
any luck at all it is thousand times more |
apt to be bad luck than good luck. ALI the |
force of nature and circumstance and what |
we call chance seem arrayed against the |
man who has to fight. He does not happen
upon success; he wins it; he conquers it; he |
takes it captive with a strong hand. And |
then his friends say he has ''struck streak
OF luck"
To that extent his success does not sue
ceed. 1t fails to command recognition
where it surely ought 10 be recognized. Here
is man who set Tor himself an object to be
gained To the gaining of il he SIT all his
strength and all his energy. He strove Tor it
without ceasing, aud with resolute intelii-
gent and unfaltering purpose. He was often
overthrow, and from every fall he studied
the lesson now to prevent another such. His
all the efforts that had seemed failures.
Surely that deserves something better than
to be called luck"
And what is success, that we may recoe.
nize it and do justice to the man who gains
it? In deciding that there is more need Tor
than we might suppose, we
must discriminate between the tact OF success
and the rewards OF success. Instead OF dis
elimination there Is apt to be much con-
lusion here. The possession OF the prize is
held to stand or all the rest. 1t does not.
Men hold the visible rewards who have
Jailed most dismally. Other men are denied
the reward who have succeeded graudly.
*x
Milton's Reward.
John Milton had rather more than fair
success as a poet, but of the rewards his
portion was meager indeed. His mighty
fame? That can hardly be called reward;
it is simply the acknowledgement o his
success. There have been hundred feeble