The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-06-19

erected at the tomb of PestalozZi fifty
years ago. upon the one hundredth an
niversary OF his birth. There we may
read. Here lies Henry Pestalozzi. sa-
vior of the poor. preacher of the people,
father of orphans, founder of the new
peoples school, educator of humanity;
man. Christian, citizen. Everything for
others. nothing for himself. Blessed be
his name" Here is the key to the
worlds personal regard for Pestalozzi:
Everything for others. nothing for him
self. Why does the world honor Wash
ington more than Napoleon? The an
swer is Enthusiastically suggested. One
was selfish, the other was not. And
the world regards selflshness as a
blemish upon any character. The great
men of the earth are those who have
utterly eradicated selfishness from their
characters. But there is dander of TAX
ing self for selfshness.
There are those who look upon self
or individuality as an accident of our
earthly nature, to be eradicated as
quickly as possible. AS the globuIes of
water are lifted from the sea by a sub
tie force which carries them aloft till
they escape from it's grasp and fall to
lose their identity in the boundless
ocean whence they came; so the souls
of men are lifted by a subtle force from
the great impersonal world-soul into
individuality, there to be held until
they are released from that force and
fall again into the impersonal state
whence they came Thus the individu-
ality passes away with that utter
passing away in which there is moth
ing left This with them is the high
est end of life Away with such phil
osophy! Away with philosophy which
makes driftwood of men-men created
in the image of the Infinite, with pos
sibilities almost divine, wrapped up in
their being! Such a philosophy can
never succeed in making man every
thing for Others though it may sue
ceed in making him nothing for him
self, or anyone else.
mo, never abandon self. Dare. the
rather, to assert yourself, to rely upon
yourself and to realize the possibilities
of your individuality. The world does
not know these possibilities. How
could it? The world knows of you only
what you develop into actuality. Young
persons graduating from college prov
erbially overestimate what they have
already accomplished. But they equal
ly underestimate their possibilities. The
world can know nothing of the possi-
bilities of your nature till you have
realized them. The world will not be-
lieve in you? Probably not. What of
that? 1t is you who are responsible
for the talents given you. The world
will judge you by the possibilities
which you realize, and it will deal fairly
with you upon this basis. Aim high.
Ambition for honors, however great, is
not a lofty purpose. The struggle for
the Presidency of the United States
may indicate a lofty or an ignoble am
bition. To be the author of good 90
this is a lofty purpose, and it
is attainable by all.
do l ask you all to become mission
aries? Not in the narrow sense of the
term. Do you wish to be a minister of
the gospel? Then the purpose to be
everything for others and nothing for
self. Teacher? 1t is coming to be re-
allied that the calling of the teacher is
almost as holy as that Of the minister.
Most physicians realize that
their calling is higher than merely a
means of making money. Lawyer? The
possibilities of the legal profession in
promoting justice and the peace and
prosperity of mankind are great. Plan
ter? Look at the plantation where the
laborers brought from foreign lands
are so housed and treated that their
civilization necessarily degenerates in
t his land of churches. Then look at
another where the surroundings are
such as to elevate, and tell me whether
the planter has a high and noble call
ing, or is necessarily mere getter of
dividends. Thus we might go through
with all the callings only to find that
no man comes up to the possibilities of