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

sphere he beStS fits, SO that when op-
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
heroglyphics of >destiny, telling the
secrets of success. The only Champol-
lion who is competent to be their i'll
terpr eter is true selfknOWledge.
But as most people would say, is not
self-knowedge but self-assurance
which is offensive, and yet self-knoW-
ledge naturally does, and III good
sense beget self-;ssurance. OF what
use to know ones power if he does not
/ with more confidence approach his
chosen work 1c oyerestimate ones
!. abilities may savor of egotism; but
; that is self-conceiti not know ledge; and
9 intellectual laws np less than spiritual
, bid us mot to thiak of ourselves more
highly than we ought to think. 10
f make a silly boast Of real or tancled
i. mowers is still more-the climax OF
e vanity and folly. Even if faithful
/ study of ones self reveals native gifts
/ of high order, it is not needtul to i'm
: itate the son of the Emerald Isle Wht
II always lifted his hat and made an ob
seuuious bow when he mentioned hi
own name: or to follow the example o.
Margaret Fuller, who said: Il know
now all the people in America Worti
knowing. anu L lldNC LothN liz iAioNA
% 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
10 modest of men; yet beneath that u
~ pretending mien, lies true selt-rellanct
- else we had never seen these loft
., domes of the Yosemite, the crySta
or springs of the Colorado, tOuche
~ with glory under his marvellous hant
,o ling of light. If egotism be synon.
,' nous with confidence, every SUI
y, cessfui man is an egotist, for he dare
nd venture to attempt what hundred
Nc. fail to accomplish, and to come ln1
competition with real ability ana SKI
.al Was Dan. Webster an egotist becau
M he believed his own powers equal
~, the task of replying to Hayne,
,fo presence of one of the most critic
NC and brilliant audiences ever gather'
ro in the senate chamber? Yet it too
mo- both great self knowledge and gre
of self f-reliance to give nerve and lnspll
INV ton for such herculean labor. al
is it is so with every man, who, IN scleh'
foo art invention, discovery or letters,
,on serves true fame; few perhaps stu
oos BILE on success, but in almost eve
elf- case men succeed only by daring
,ita think they can do what human falll
shows needs high order of ablll
fire. Is not egotism then simply van
cod making itself conspicuous, and so rid
elf ulous? True worth is not egotls
ave though along side of solid worth tn
tho may be sometimes the weakness
now vanity; it is The weakness, not
WINS worth that is responsible for the ee
mes ism. When the commanders OF
: of allied fleets made their respective L
+ lie of the heroes of the battle Of Salar
can each put his own name first for Va
find and skill, while all gave to Theml
and cles, the real hero, the second pl
in That was egotism! They looked
good themselves through telescope n
rong nifying their own Importance, and
nceP verted the telescope when they loo
k or at Themistocles They remind us