Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1899-03-08
PRESENT-DAY THOUGHTS.
BY G. GRosvENoR DAVE.

| unperformed in this world-whether it
gets done in the next, who can tell?-be
cause OF self-doubtings. Good people,
principally good women, because of lack
of confidence, make no attempt to utter
the message that stirs within them; for
fear, forsooth, that the utterance will be
imperfect and their own delivery of it
| feeble
OF course it will be. No great thought
without either preliminary essayings and
later polishings, ever sprang full armed
for conquest from the head of any one.
The effect of waiting until perfect work
can be done by us who shrink from pub
licity for fear of imperfection or misjudg-
ment, is that what we might do we shall
still fee! disnclined to do; for each year
will see us with higher standards of perfec-
tion in our own work. and therefore with
just as much reason as ever for refraining
from doing what we might do.
| met, a few years back, middle aged
| Phi. ID. whose soul was swallowed up with
purpose to help his day. For years he had
gone seeking more and more perfection of
outft-two years there, four years here,
|
place would give him exactly what he
needed of knowledge. But the further he
went the more the vista of things unat-
tanned opened before him, until, when
met him, he was very unhappy at never
being quite ready to strike out and do
something. His intellect was frying in
| the fat of its own richness, and he quite
unaware of what allied him. Misery was
over his countenance and deep-rooted
within him.
What was the proper advice? Do some
thing, say something, work somewhere,
even il you are not quite ready. Three
weeks ago / met him again. He was
working in the humblest sort of way in
one of the college settlements that now
begin to dot the great cities of the land.
He fairly beamed with happiness. He was
living out his message having a very poor
voice with a popularity to it that would
amuse the nsympathetic and bending
his great intellect down to the needs of the
poor and oppressed. The wider scope will
come, as sure as the first wayering flight
of the timorous hedgling leads to graceful
glidings,
No first flight. no subsequent grace.
That is the rule for birds, and it may be
true one also for heads and hearts. 1t is
continued effort that leads to improve
ment over the quality of the first effort.
But the first effort must be made, imper-
feet, crude, unsatisfactory though it may
be- The fact that you doubt yourself is no
real sign that your effort fails. Your mes
sage may be weak and your voice and
heart so quayering that the great torrent
like stream of human life goes rushing by
without paying any heed at all. Yet who
are you to usurp the powers of omnisci
ence and declare that your work fails?
How do you know? Some creature, weak
and shrinking like you, may have heard
while slowly circling in an eddy of mac
ton; and your words will have forced that
one out into effort also.
Who can measure results from any exer-
ton, no matter how apparently trifling?
love to think that just as matter is never
destroyed in the economy of this grand
world, but simply changes its form, so
thoughts and acts go on in their influences
and never die. If this is wrong, one of the
chief props OF life is gone. If this is right,
why do you stand there idling? Further
more, as some human beings have greater
powers than others, but none of them, if
they are great hearted, are content or able
to keep their powers and results away
from helping the great sum total OF hui
man achievement, it should be satisfac-
ton enough for us who are weak, IL we
have had share in thrusting out into
effort someone who needed the encourage
ment of our own feeble beginnings in or
der to plume his own wings for glorious
flight-we cannot by any possibility
gather to ourselves all the results of what
we do, nor even get credited with them;
but be content no genuine work perishes
and whether we are honored for doing it is
unimportant beside the more important
fact that We could do it and did do it, in
stead of shrinking back for fear of mper-
fiction.
Better a failure than no attempt at all; ;
better any form of belief than no belief at
ALL better humiliation and confusion of
face at an Intellectual tumble than no first
step; better weakness that does its best
than strength that seltishly shuts itself
away for more convenient season. There
must rise to the open ear of all of us at
times, the moan, the groan, the shrek of
the world as 1t demands from everyone ac-
eording to his ability. That voice must
be needed and our little best done, or We
prove recreant to the responsibility OF liv-
ing.
Ii we are to be surrounded with COM
forts, and protected by order and peace
and justice; if we are to be carefully
shielded from things that are unpleasant
and terrble let us appreciate that these
things all exist because Others just as i'm
perfect in their work as we may be, have
done their best, made their contribution
and passed on. The thought of this little
message therefore, condenses itself down
to this: that those who can do and do not ,
are selfish; that those who want to do and
therefore can do yet do not, are blame
worthy; that those who take the blessings
of Life and make no return to the world