The record-union., 1893-06-26


never would dream of the possibilities
that ne has revealed, or, if they did
would not have the courage or the energy
to command them to come forth. Such a
iar-seeing and commanding genius was
Leland Stanford, and yet there are thou
sands who envy him what is a just re-
ward of such genius.
The lesson here is that he accepted the
commanding genius that God had en-
Uowed hIn with, and instead of hiding it
IN a napkin applied it where it would
reap reward commensurate with its
ability to command. His lie is a good
Illustration of the parable of the talents.
Al honorable men honor his memory
ana praise his good deeds, while the
emblem Of the Nation is lowered to half
mast at the news of his death.
In contrast, Jay Gould was mourned
by none outside OF his own family, be-
cause he used his splendid abilities only
Tor his own aggrandizement; and Captain
John \. Sutter died in poverty and ne
glect because, though having wonderful
opportunities, he threw them away.
COD holds all men responsible for the
talents and opportunities intrusted to
them, and this world rewards them in
proportion TO the use they make OF them.
The man whose genius is to accumulate
riches IS just as much a man of destiny
as he who commands armies. lie is Just
90 4ASSt7Setlg W tl4C J1OS itoS VI lllC NOllAls
lie is untrue to himself, God and the
race If he throws his endowment and op-
portunities away. All men are not
equally endowed. or in the same direc-
tons. Variety in unity is natures plan.
The mOney-maker is the guardian of the
scholar, the philosopher and the poet.
He ponders over opportunities and
weighs chances. He saves what filters
through the fingers of others.
: lie gathers the honey that Ot bnrG laava
by the wayside. He puts together the
wrecks OF the unfortunate and makes
them seaWOrthy. His savings go into
the building of railroads, and the estab-
lshment OF factories and mills; to the de-
velOpment of mines and the reclamation
OF swampS and forests. For himself?
No; for humanity-tor the employment
OF the millions whose genius is not OF the
creative or saving sort. Even Jay Gould S
millions were not boarded III the banks,
but every dollar of them was rushing up
and down the world, serving The inter
ests of men. He only had the command
OF them, the directing of their energies,
and that only while he lived. Having
command of so much, the world refuses
his memory respect because he dying
| failed to make provision for the higher
| lie of humanity.
Here again we gain lesson from the
life of Mr. Stanford. He realized that
much of the reward of his genius came to
him from humanity. Had the world not
appreciated and needed the railroads and
products that he helped to bring into eX-
istence, his energies would have been
wasted on the desert air. In serving the
needs OF humanity humanity in turn in
| trusted him with great wealth, which in
turn he administered in a way that would
advance the higher life of coming genera
tions, and that without injuring the con-
! Nf4 /,
set in motion.
In other words, he regarded his wealth
as trust. He acknowledged his indebt-
edness to the world. AT the same time
he realized that nothing is valued by hu-
manIty to its true worth aside from effort.
therefore as the trustee of the public he
resolved to return his wealth to the
world, not as a charity, but as the reward
of merit. Hence the great university was
founded. AS God advances the standard
of human life by the creation Of a great
moral genius here and there along the
pathway OF history, such as Zoroaster
Buddha and Jesus, so he provides for the
higher life of the race by preserving and
protecting the work of genius. This
ork he often gives into the hands of the
wealthy. Inspiring their minds with the
accomplishment of something grand for
the world, that ideal in turn creates faith
| tulneSS in the pursuit OF wealth that that
ideal may be realized.
How many years do you suppose it
would take for the people of Sacramento
to naturally develop the artistic sense to
that degree of interest in art that would
prompt them to establish and maintain
an art gallery in this city at public ex-
pense? Was there ever a free public
library established by the direct vote of
the people before some private individual
had established one as an object lesson to
the public?
How many of the men employed in the
Carnegie iron mills do you suppose would
band themselves together and establish
savings banks for themselves, or build
music halls, or establish technical schools?
Would they not rather burn, destroy and
kill for the sake of little more money to
drink up in beer or whisky? Until Car
negie's Music Hall was built IN Allegheny
City an organ rehearsal was imposs1ble
in the vicinity of Pittsburg. Why? Be
cause the orthodoxy OF that city would
not allow its church organs to be used for
such purposes, and the people OF the city
had not become sufficiently musical to
build for themselves.
Take the question of the opening of our
colleges to the higher education of
women. This is even yet debatabe
question in some quarters in spite of
\assar and Wellesley. He, then, who
uses his wealth to establish an object
lesson in the world should be ranked
| with those who have been object lessons
in their lives. Such wealth-accumulating
men are just as necessary to the world TO
preserve the higher genius of the race
and hand it down to humanity as are the
artists, the philosophers and teachers
who incarnate that genius. The world is
shamed into unselhshness by unseltish-
ness. It grows noble in the presence OF
nobility. 1t sees what is possible for all
in the attainment of the few.
Mr.. Stautords life is an object lesson to
all who have been given the genius of
money making in the way in which he
| has held his wealth i'll trust for the race.
| AS | viewed Girard College in Phiadel-
! phia once, my thought was only Of the
| large-souled man whose business genius
| made it possible for eleven hundred or
! phan boys to be brought up there as care
! fully as IN the most refined homes of the
land. AS 1 climbed TO the top of the
| Cooper Union in New York, / thought OF
! the sympathy in the heart OF Peter
/ Cooper for the overworked women and
! girls who were aided to an easier way of
earning living by that institution.
When | saw Mr.. Sutro in his gardens
/ in San Francisco | saw reflected from his
/ countenance the beauty of the flowers and
the trees that he has made accessible to
4 all who love natures finest handiwork
/ have never seen MIR. Stanford, but
/ from the train l saw the college buildings
/ at Palo Alto last fall, and the sight inn
mediately called up the vision OF man
! who had thought out the problem of how
4 to fit the coming generations with that
kind OF education which would enable
/ them to cope with the advancing order of
/ twentieth century civilization. something
not yet provided for In the public educa-
! ton OF the State.
Perhaps the best lesson of his life is the
Loo. s@Eg l. IL IL