The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1898-04-14
TYPES OF MEN ANDl WOMEN.
The PEthOs Of the Commonplace.
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The PEthOs Of the Commonplace
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Men and women are divided into two
great classes, viz, the parasitical end
the non parasitical. The parasitiOal is
the class that we mingle with and know
best, for II consists very generally of
the human beings that are essentially
Commonplace" and this class is
greater by far in number than the non
parasitical class, which consists Of those
gifted men and women that are as far
above the Commonplace beings" as
the clouds are above the earth. The
really commonplace man is not inter
esting, save in that he forms o neat
back ground for great pictures to be
painted against. He himself is charac-
tSrlSss. He comes ints the world, lives
his brief, unfruitful life and goes out
Of it-that is all. The moment his
now w-madS grave is filled his name is
forgotten.
The commonplace man has very few
characteristics by which we may single
him ont. He is contented-eh, yes,
and he assures us that "a contented
mind is happy anywhere" but SO is a
donkey, consequently we will not con-
slider this as very striking character
istic.
The c0ntsnted man never amounts to
anything in this world. Show me q
man who is thoroughly discontented
with himself, his station in life and
his work, and I will show you man
for whom you may entertain hope Of
improvement. Not that I approve of
the man who is so continually finding
fault with himself that he gains the
appellation Of "a chronic grumbler. F"
There is q wide difference between the
two. II man has an hSnest, upright
vocation which is part of him and in
which he knows he can succeed, then
he should be contsnted with that voca-
ton, bat not with standing still in it.
No man can really succeed in voca-
tiOn that is distasteful to him. But
oA0e he finds his Mecca, let him 'gS to
work, in the phrase of today, and sue
cess will ceme. Supposing him to be
contented with his vocation, will he
ever rise in it if he merely sits with
folded arms, because his contented
mind is happy? No; the discontented
man will come along sweep him from
his pedestal, usarp his vocation and
wiA success, because he is determined
to rise and succeed.
Another characteristic Of the com
monplace man is that he is strangely
lacking in ambition. Have you never
seen man whose life has net been en-
lizened by one noble or praise worthy
act, but has been as stagnant as still
water, who never thrilled to a single
thought or started at single hope,
who condemns all ambition as unpar.
denable sin, who thrusts himself for
ward as a model for all men to cepy,
because he has no ambition, no man
hood, no nobility in him-have you
never heard this man boasting of the
absence Of these very things?
Wrong to be ambitious, forsooth
Wrong to use the talents that God has
entrusted to our keeping! Wrong tc
put forth eur efforts in behalf of oul
hearts aad minds! Wrong to beat the
hard path Of life smooth for yOu to pass
ever in graceful ease, you ambitionless
knight. who condemns those who labor
while you play!
Unambitious, contented people are
all very well in their way. So long as
they keep quiet, they fern a respecta
BILE (if not particularly intelligent au
dience for the great minds and hearts
Of the leading spirits of the age to play
before. We can not all be leaders
there mast be populace. There mus
I've some enc to listen contentedly tt
the poets gorgeous day-dreams and the
musicians thrilling notes, and never
once wish himself in their high places,
But do not. for humanity's sake, lei
them GU about with solemn faces and
the prayer of the Pharisee, crying eut
that are the only true models for the
whole species. Au contraire, they are
the drenes, the sleepy-eyed street
loangers, the dead-heads, that lounge
about gaping contentedly at those who
are working,
The commonplace man is net to bt
condemned, SO long as he lives out hi
narrow life with good will towart
everybody. he can be good, for com
monplace men, like plain women. hay'
that left as dernier rssert-they cai
he good, and make others bless then
for time. The world at large viii
never know them. But these content
ed people will tell you that is grea
deal better to be:
'Little and unknown,
Loved and priced by Gsd alone"
than to awaken the plaudits of th
3 world. Perpaps it may be-fer them
} But for the man who has a yestige o