Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1899-01-04
town, a little more bookish than his
neighbors, by reason perhaps OF the snort

IOWHs u uttlc luOIO DOokioh ehoh AsAS
neighbors, by reason perhaps OF the snort
sleeved father who spoiled a man and
made a fool when he denied himself to
give the lad crust of education. Since
the fatal day when the boy was led to
think of himself as little superior to the
pillow boys he left behind, he has made
culture an offense to the nostrils of those
who have an infinitely better quality than
miles of book knowledge-heart knowl-
edge which goes SO much further than
dead languages in the storms and stress
and trials of life
The noisy, positive, disputatious charac-
ter who has read much, rememb ered
much, learned little, is also familiar to all
of us. Real culture is of head and the
heart together SO that the learned one
has pity for those less favored, energy for
making the best of his mental outfit, and
the strain of consideration to him that
characterized old Benjamin Franklin,
who won his way by gentle courtesy and
by diplomatic behavior towards those
who differed from him.
Useless knowledge furnishes no table,
conceited knowledge makes no friends,
overbearing knowledge fallows no fields
for future cultivation. Real culture car
ries man above the pettiness, the jeal-
ousies and the disputings Of lower planes
OF thought. and lifts him up to where the
view is broad and where he can see that
there are two sides to things.
How full of splendid records this world
would be II all were measured by their
own inner feeling Of worth and of merit
But alas! there are, as humorous
philosopher has expressed it, three John
Smiths-John Smith as he thinks he is,
John Smith as his neighbors think him to
be, and John Smith as he really is. So 1t is
not surprising that our own seif-estimate
runs counter to the opinions formed about
us. There comes the rub, and many a
good fellow-better even than he himself
thinks-grows sour over misunderstood
ings by those who cannot see the work
ings OF his heart.
The trouble is that we make too much oil
being credited with all we think we are
worth; and like the restless, eager child
we constantly pull up our paintings to sec
IL they grow, and consequently set back
the crop of good results. We cannot make
over the world, and the wise man has to
reconcile himself to the fact that we are
sized up more generally by our foolishness
than by our wisdom, by our mistakes
rather than by our successes. l know il
seems brutally hard that the clerk, after
long service, should be treated as though
his whole career had been no better than
the one careless mistake, just found out
would make him appear to be. But he is
after all neither better nor worse off thar
the best of us The only comforting
thought is that our own overestimate and
the worlds underestimate do not in re
atty affect the pc manent value of OIL
work so long as we de.erminedly continue
to do the best we can.
To be really happy in work and to be
most effe tive, which surely should be the
am ition OF all right minded mems tc
stop worrying bout long delayed pats oil
approval and to just Keep on exertine
Ourselves in the way that lies open before
| us,