The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-07
SOME RAMBLING THOUGHTS
BY MEMO.


followed for two weeks the Thoughts"
relative to the new 81 silver certificate.
Note for our third topic that the boy in
the picture History Instructing Youth"
is surrounded by the names of famous
Americans. We shall consider, therefore.
the influence eXerted over us by those
who have battled and succeeded. There
will be no indulgence in high-sounding
phrases, though the topic would tempt
one to it; contrariwise, every word will be
kept down to the limits Of advice that is
practical and feasible for ordinary human
beings.
What then is the gain to us in think
ing on the great lives recorded in our his
tory? In the first place they have by
their contributions to its politics, litera-
ture, sciences, religious life, etc, made
our country better to live i'm. The deeds
they did, just like your deeds, could not
possibly die with them and you and l in
herit; we reap where we have not sown,
just as those who follow us will reap, must
reap, what we have sown of good, bad and
Indifferent effort. In another way they
can help u.s. by the encouragement they
SANb 10, All 81 MANY VI our great ones
have come up from very ordinary and OBJ
scure places, often times almost by I'M
aided effort.
But 1t occurs to me that If go into
disquisiton upon the early careers and
difficulties of our great men, l may, par
TALLY defeat my hope of stirring you UP
to endeavor and to success. For uninten-
tionally you will think "Oh, well; there
must have been something out of the us
ual about them. l can never have the
chances they hadp You will be wrong
but you will just follow the human tenden-
cy to create heroes and then Imagine for
them an atmosphere and world different
from our own. So l reflect for a moment
and pick out from personal acquaintance
three young men whose budding careers
ought to encourage you.
In Gettysburg is a rising young artist
who, though brought up on a farm, felt
within him the artistic impulse and
through poverty and self-denial carried
on his studies. Within two years after
serious effort, all the pictures he submit
ted, four became part Of the Pennsylva-
mia art exhibit in the Worlds Fair at
Chicago. He positively refuses to exhibit
anything that does not come up to his
own severe standard of excellence. As a
consequence he is stepping up and has
just received, after six years of labor an
appointment as instructor in the Philadel-
phia School of Design. He has no con-
ceit and will not rest satisfied with deeds
already done, and l prophecy for him in
twenty years a name known countrywide
in art circles.
Again, there is a young man coming
right to the front in New York as an au-
thority on rare and first editions of books
Yet few years ago he was left in New
England village with no more than one
term of schooling as an outfit, and the
IN i'm Of .ffarr
the head of his mother and her large fam
lily of little ones. Did he fiinch2 No. Be-
ing quicker with his hands than some of
| the men in the spinning mill where he
worked, he ran two looms instead of one
! and though only IA, by such means re.
ceived a mans wages and % per cent
! more. In those times labor laws were
lax and he would work twelve and four
! teen hours a day. Yet after hours he
would walk eight miles to a library town
and eight miles back with the books he
| had borrowed. Later, his duties enabled
| him to stick up a school book In a niche
! Thus working and studying, he forged
| his resistless way upward, sustained his
| mother and the family, and finally gave
| himself two years in Oberlin College.
| Ten years ago aluminium was about 81
| per pound.In those days young man was
! putting himself through college on Dor
rowed money His forte was metallurgy
In secret almost and at great expense
he experimental with this metal, and al
last discovered the process whereby it Is
now sold and profitably at so cents per
| pound. The wealth that is rolling in is
his appropriate reward; he deserves II.
None of these yet figure on the rolls OF
| the ilustrious dead. They are still on the
! journey of life you are travelling They
are and have been subjected to the very
| same conditions of poverty, and humble
birth that confront and discourage you
! Now look around your neighborhood OF
| your county and you can find dozen who
have triumphed over circumstances OF
| life that seemed absolute forerunners Oh
defeat
There are a few deductions that you are
safe in making from these careers anc
those you can think of in your own neigh
! borhood. Humanity speaking, there Il
nothing impossible to the one who sets
and then allows nothing to swerve hin
| from 1t. Perseverance is the guide ovei
mountains of difficulty Purpose Is tn,
strength giver. Faith in oneself brings
| the victory.
Furthermore great purposes tend t.
shut out low aims and starve low tastes
| Water and oil will not mix The oil may
! be likened to our noble mental attributes
and weak and unstable water to our lowe
natures. In a normal life the oil win re
! main above the water Where the oil o.
purpose is burning hercely, any attempt I,
mix it with the water of weakness will
put out the fire and defeat the purposefu
SOUL Mark that well.
| And as consequence. every great ca
reer calls for self-denIpl and self-conquest
If you Will not pay That price the good
| will not be delivered tell you emphat
| ically the very worst thing for yeunj
man in the beginning Of his career is I,
have every circumstance favorable. TIL
| sailor who knows the value Of smooti
water is the one who has set his teeth an,
| strained and pulled 10 bring his vesse
| through rough. II you just glide alonj
the current OF life your counterpart II
the world Of waters is a wreck. That per
| force must go whittier II Is driven. Fai
better the well-manned, well-handled tau
and trim vessel that can go whittier b
will. To keep up the nautical smile; wher
In youth everything is easy and things 81
your way, you may conclude that you are
| going the way OF things and drifting our
to the ocean Of human nOthingness.
But again, many lives have shown us
| that Il Is sometimes impossible for a young
man to sit down to discover his particular
bent of mind and then to declare. Thus