St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-02
MEN GET WHAT THEY DEsERvr

MEN GET WHAT THEY DESERVE
The man who has turned the half
century post and is going down the
home stretch, if he has kept his eyes
open and his judgment in a reasonably
healthy condition, is in a position to
draw some conclusions from his expe-
rience and observation. If he is wise
he will keep these to himself. for he
will recall the hardly concealed impa-
thence with which he in his own young
er days, listened to The sage deductions
the men of fifty and over used to make
from the experiences of their lives for
his edification, instruction and guild
ance; and how he wished these old
fogies would cease trying to impress on
youth that life, so rosy in it's promises.
so full of conquests to be so easily
made, was really very serious affair:
that the promises We're inusory and>tne
defeats were far plentier than the
victories. He has learned all this now
for himself and he would save these
young feet much of the WEAKNESS in
store for them, and many of the kicks
against the pricks that are sure to
bring down their toploftiness before
they have got far along in the course
on which they are so jauntily setting
out
Without any intention of preaching,
and merely to point a fact that these
youngsters may well heed the man
OF fifty up remarks that there is some
thing in sociology that answers to the
law of the specific gravity of bodies.
each shall finally reach in this great
ocean of humanity. Adventitious cir
cumstances may now and then de-
fleet the operation of the law that is as
memorable as that which bids the fttest
survive. Carlyle observed that what
men see depends on the capacity to see
that they bring with them. Whatever
position any man attains in life among
his fellow men depends absolutely and
solely on the forces innate in himself.
barring, of course, those accidents that
break in on and impede or assist him.
These are so few, however, as not to
count in any generalization.
Lowell in one Of those charming let
tiers of his with which the world has
been recently enriched. says: IL have
always believed that a mans fate is
born with him, and that he cannot
escape or greatly modify it; and that
every one gets, in the
long run, exactly what he deserves
neither more nor less" Lowell. by
the way, was fifty-two when he wrote
this. Most men, especially those whose
day dreams of youth have turned out
to be but wraiths, will deny this; and.
asked to account for their failure. will
tell you about the bad luck that has
attended them and the good luck Of
others. Human nature Is very prone to
shift responsibility for it's own def
ciencies. But the fact remains that
Lowell is right and the apologists are
wrong. Not only in the tense strug-
gle do the fittest survive, but each per-
son on the average attains that posi-
tlOh among MS fellows for which he is
fttest.
For the yCungster, with his unknown
capabilities, there is nothing Of dis
enlargement in this. On the contrary. :
there is the incentive to develop to the
fullest the best there is in him; to do
honestly the best work he can do; to p
insist always on his individuality, max
Ing no surrender to conventionality, and
trusting to his own powers rather than
to the upholding Of any hand. 1t will
help him correct the defects that i'm
pede the development or the full utiI-
lzation of his aptitudes, and afford him &
the consolation in the end that he has
done his best and is not responsible
for raat1Ito