The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1899-08-17
Written for The Prison Mirror.
THE FORCE THAT WINS.

| .-.....,...,..
Much has been written lately on the
way to succeed in life, the various
methods to be employed, and the time
to act. Plans have been suggested and
a certain line of conduct has been. laid
out as being essential to success.
| If success in life means the accumu-
lation of riches, making that the end
rather than the means to an end, then
such suggestions might Lbe worthy of
consideration. 1t is generally consid-
cred that the successful man is the one
who has amassed a fortune; or, in
other words, the man who has accumu-
lated wealth regardless of the methods
used to obtain it, is the man who has
success written opposite his name.
The force that wins true success,
however, is character. A man may be
sharp, shrewd, active, far seeing, a
good judge of the weaknesses of other
men. He may be even great in intel
ect as some look upon greatness, but
the one thing necessary to successful
life is character.
There is difference between char.
acter and reputation. Reputation is
what others say of us. Character is
what we really are. 1t is possible for a
man to have good reputation and his
character remain occult to others until
some circumstance reveals him as he
really is. On the other hand, gossip
has given a man a bad reputation
whose character is above reproach.
Character is destinct quality and is
revealed in man by the strength or
weakness of his mind. A stubborn
man is weak character, as he will not
listen to reason. In nearly every pro-
| fessiOn of life we find men of weak
character.
Prejudice is weak element, and in
a judge or jury is unjust and danger
GUS. A mans prejudice is easily ap-
pealed to and as easily Influenced.
Strength of character is revealed in
various ways. A man who sets
up a standard of morals which his con-
science tells him is a proper guide for
his actions and never deviates from
that standard is strange character.
| When the line of demarcation is close
ly drawn between right and wrong you
will find such man standing,by what
his conscience tells him is right regard
less as to whether the result in a finan-
clal sense is a gain or loss to him. The
idea that man is not successful in
life because he has not been able to
count his hundreds of thousands and
leave his wealth as means to make
paupers of his children is an erroneous
one. Instances are numerous where
men have accumulated wealth by
questionable means and left it for
others to fight over and the lawyers to
divide. 1 have not one word to utter
against honestly accumulated wealth.
We have many rich men to whom we
can point with pride-men who strug-
gled with the world as poor boys and
reached the acme by hard work and
honest methods and whose money has
done much to help educate struggling
humanity and relieve distress. But on
the other hand, if success is not to be
measured by the standard of dollars
and cents only, then by what other
standard?
| Success is the attainment of proper
object. If the object be proper then
the means to attain it should be equal
ly proper, and to use proper means
there should be unquestiOnable charac-
ter. Hundreds of men, yes thousands,
have worked and struggled, and in that
struggle have enjoyed the sweetness of
the hottest place on earth: home with
wife and children, paid for by their
strict economy. What shall be said of
these men whose character and indus
try have enabled them after years of
toll to accomplish this much? We shall
say that character, industry and econ
Omy, have placed them in the rank
where success can be written opposite
their name.
Let us remember that when we have
attained proper object by proper
means we have succeeded, and that
character is the test by which true sue
cess is measured. B.