The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1895-02-28

sphere he bests ats, so that when OPP
portunities offer he may invest well his
capital of manhood. God gave us
powers. and means that we shall study
to know them Half our life-blun-
ders come from not knowing ourselves.
We overrate our abilities, and attempt
more than we can accomplish; or, as
often perhaps, underrate our abilities
and accomplish more than we dare at
tempt: in either case life loses power.
He who might WELD the pen, holds the
plow: or the shoemaker" goes beyond
his last" and tries to rival Apelles.
When life work presents itself we
ought to know whether or not we can
work out our best results in that sphere.
Upon the tablets of our being God has
craven certain mystic characters
which ought to be deciphered for to
him who might read them, they prove
hieroglyphics of destiny, telling the
secrets of success. The only Champol-
lion who is competent to be their in
terpreter is true self-knoWledge.
But as most people would say, is not
self-knowledge but self-assurance
which is offensive, and yet self-knoW-
ledge naturally does. and in good
sense beget self-assurance. OF what
use to know ones power if he does not
with more confidence approach his
chosen work. 70 overestimate ones
. abilities may SAVIOR of egotiSm; but
, that is self-cOnceit, not know Wedge; and
, intellectual lawsino less than spiritual
bid us mot to think of ourselves more
highly than we ought to think. TO
t make silly boast of real or fancled
, powers is still mOre-the climax OF
3 vanity and folly. Even if faithful
study of ones self reveals native gifts
of high order, it is not needful to i'm
: itate the son of the Emerald Isle who
I ALWAYS lifted his hat and made an OBJ
seuuious bow when he mentioned his
own name: or to follow the example O1
Margaret Fuller, who said: Il know
now all the people in America worth
knowing. and | have found no intel
~ lect comparable with my own
A certain measure of self-cOnfidenc'
- is the basis of all successful work
One of the most famous of moderl
% American painters is one of the mos
- modest of men: yet beneath that un
:, pretending mien, lies true self-reliance
y else we had never seen these loft
=, dOmes of the Yosemite, the crysta
ar springs of the Colorado, touche
A. with glory under his marvellous hand
,r ling of light. If egotism be synOny
n, nous with self-contidence, every su(
n cessful man is an egotist, for he dare
,d venture to attempt what HUNDREDS
s. fail to accomplish, and to come Int
competition with real ability and skill
al Was Dan. Webster an egOtist becaus
~ he believed his own powers equal
m the task of replying to Hayne,
70 presence of one Of the most critic;
nc and brilliant audiences ever gathere
20. in the senate chamber? Yet it toe
no both great self-knowledge and gre'
Of self-reliance to give nerve and inspir
nv ton for such a herculean labor. Al
is it is so with every man, who, in sclenC
90 art. invention, discovery or letters, q
IN serves true fame; a few perhaps stur
,es BILE on success, but in almost eve
lf- case men succeed only by daring
ite think they can do what human fallu
shows needs high order of ablll'
re- Is not egotism then simply vanl
,ed making itself conspicuous, and SO rid
,lf- ulous? True worth is not egotist
ave though along side of solid worth the
tho may be sometimes the weakness
ow vanity; it is the weakness, not
yns worth that is responsible for the eg
,e's ism. When the commanders OF t
of allied fleets made their respective Ii
lie of the heroes of the battle of Salan
can each put his own name first for va
ind and skill, while all gave to Themls
and cIes, the real hero, the second pla
in That was egotism! They looked
ood themselves through telescope m
ono nifying their own Importance, and
zee !? yerted the telescope when they lool
or at Themistocles! They remind us