The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-07-09
The sect There" Mania.

The "Get There" Mania.
Memphis Commercial Appeal
In "a very sensible and humane
article on a new psalm of life, the
Augusta Chronicle makes some
structures on the modern interpreta-
ton of Longfellow's injunction to US
to "act that each tomorrow find US
farther than today" Itinsists that
were one of the progressionists of
this day to throw his whole theory
Of life into few burning words he
would concentrate it all into the
two, "Get there"
Our contemporary is correct. To
get there, no matter who falls, is
the creed of too large a proportion
Of our nineteenth century popula-
ton. While in their selfshness
they make themselves believe that
to rustic is all right, and that he
who has not been provided with the
essentials of a sprinter deserves to
drop, yet this is but mile indorse-
ment of the principles Of the prehis.
toric ages-the survival of the fit
test. vegetable life the principle
may still be allowable, but it should
not govern Christians. "The poll
tician may get there in that he
attains some good Office and enjoys
large measure of praise" says the
Chronicles; "but he may accomplish
this by an utter prostitution of the
better part of his nature. The
preacher may have the trumps of
fame sounded before him as he
moves and sinners be ready to weep
and repent as he opens bis cam
paigns, but his get there in all
this may be the result Of an appeal
to mems love of the sensational
rather than au awakening of the
better parts of their natures. The
variety ofstyles in when the seeker
after wealth may attain his aims
in the opinion of himself and others
is past all enumeration. But in
almost all such instances, the
achievement of success simply
means the accomplishment of some
selfish ambition and not the perfor.
nance of some part by which the
world will be improved. This new
psalm oflife which they would have
taken up and sung by the incoming
generation has in it nothing of en-
thusiasm for humanity. 1t means
the first place in honor, power or
wealth for ourself, and a committal
of those who fall behind to the
devils care. We would not com.
mend that excelsior motto which
Longfellow's youth had inscribed on
his banner as the best one for a boy
to adopt. But it is better than this
get there which our modern boy
is told to have on his lips. Every
man for himself and the devil take
the hindmost is not a noble rule of
life. The man who gets there by
pulling others down to monnt upon
their misfortunes does not enjoy
the highest type of success. The
man who lifts the fallen and lends
a helping hand to those who are
faint and discouraged may not get
as far along to the pinnacle which
men call success in worldly sense,
but he will hold a more enduring
place in the hearts of bis fellow men,
and have surer hold upon eternity
than the man who sacrifices every
claim of those about him to his own
selfish determination to get there.'"
The man who takes a humane
view of things-who pauses in the
pace that kills long enough to ad-
minister balm to an unfortunate
fallen among Interestingly not get
money in his purse as quickly as
your progressionist, and it may not
be so we'll filled, but no doubt he
will get as much pleasure out of life
and die with as few regrets. This
doctrine, we are aware, is old-fash-
toned, but it is pretty sound yet.
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