Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-05-07
FACTORS AND BENEFAcToRs.
All Men Are the Former. Few Become
the LATTER.

the Latter.
All men are factors; a few men are
benefactors. a factor is one who does
n thing; benefactor is one who does q
thing well. The factor makes this or
that thing; the benefactor makes char,
acter and happiness and hope.
There are just as many active agents
in the world as there are people in it;
Just as many factors as folks. But what
Infinite variety appears in the kinds Of
action that are carried on! What cata-
| logue, though it were bound big in
bulk as n mountain, with pages nu-
merous as the leaves of the forest, could
ever be published that could report n
1.-THE of the wonderfully varied actions
and processes and motions of mankind?
| Activity is observable in the little child,
| that aimlessly moves its tiny fist in
| the cradle; activity in the romping
rogue of the nursery; activity in the
boy who slSps across the field chasing
his butterfly; activity in the older boy
who at 40 is running still, chasing IA
worthless q butterfly, but over larger
fields; activity still in the old man, who
never admits that his name is really
inscribed on the retired" list. All these
are but tireless factors in the great
worlds ceaselessly pulsing life. Some
of these agents are small, of course,
but they are there, and by no means in
significant. All go together into the
compound and affect the result. Al
grain of dust blowing through the air
has an effect somehow, somewhere;i
every drop of water as it falls fulfills
n mission; one little seed can SOW an
oak. And, If this is true of unconscious
vegetable or animal phenomena, it is as
true of the least of intelligent and per-
sonal beings, each of whom inevitably
leaves some impress upon the world by
| just living in it.
But, of the almost countless human
factors in the world only a small pro-
portion are benefactors. "Benefactor',
in its original Latin means "well-
maker" While the factor simply does
a thing, the benefactor does that thing
well-justly, truly, aptly, wisely. This
can be said of comparatively few agents
in the world, and Of none invariably at
all times; since there is tremendous
amount OF positive misdoing in the
.world-which brings into view that
cognate, but sinister word, malefactor,
signifying etymologically not n simple
condemned criminal, but the man who
i'll does n thing-who evilly makes what
he makes at all. Any man who does
anything unfaithfully, unbecomingly,
is 20 that degree n malefactor.
Yet some at least are morally alive
enough to seek to be in n real sense
forceful factors, true benefactors, in
this present life. They would "well
make" what they make ut all, whether it
be in the line Of n bargain, a piece Of
mechanical construction, drawing,
the furnishing of n room or the teach
ing of lesson. The man who Is faith
full to trust of any kind, the individual
who takes pains with any project, the
| woman who puts love into her house
hold duties and thought into any out
side activities is to that extent a bene-
factor---a "well docr," q maker of the
right, an exponent of the true, n candi-
date for reward.
But this bare root idea Of the bene-
factor as "well-maker" requires to be
which has in common parlance come to
be attached to the word, namely, the
idea Of the "kindly doer" The bene-
factor, as the word is generally used,
is not alone the individual who does u
thing well, but who does it in n char
table and benevolent fashion. In other
words, the true benefactor puts him
self-his heart-into what he does.
Denefaction implies certain emotional
quality. The aristocrat who carelessly
losses a quarter to a beggar is not n
benefactor; but he who adds bit OF
heart sympathy to his gift gives twice.
So the notion Of the benefactor is
really very broad and inclusive one,
and argues n much greater sacrifice
than was recorded by the light epithets
which Christ said were applied by the
Gentles to the popular idols who exer-
cised lordship upon them and were
Sealed benefactors," but who, like the
Syrian Antiochuses and the Egyptian
Ptolemies, in whose honor coins were
sometimes inscribed with the Greek
complimentary term "euergetai," bene-
factors, were often most unworthy of
such honor. The claims of these men
to the title OF well doors" were most
slight and transient, since the gifts
they scattered among the populace re-
lated simply to the provision of phys
ical pleasures, and were bestowed with
n cool, calculating eye to the consequent
returns in popular approval. But to
His followers, n few of whom had al
ready manifested something OF the
spirit of the ambitious, vainglorious
world, Christ said: "Be not we called
'benefactors (of this false, selfish type).
Seek not your reward in the praise of
men. Serve God-and leave your praise
to Him."
Gods call, then, is not to be simply
factor in the world, but to be an humble
minded, yet active, benefactor, remem-
boring that, after all, he is the truest
helper of his fellows who by any means
puts into the world bit more Of spir-
itual life and power than it had before.
| Tho hf,r with n 10 the