The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-03-09
PRESENT DAY THOUGHTS
Do Not Wait too Long Before
Making Effort.
NO FIRST FLIGHT NO GRACE.
BY G GROsvENoR DAVE.
Written for The Commonwealth.

| Written for The Commonwealth.
To Self-doubters Much good re-
mains unperformed in this world
whether it gets done in the next, who
can tell ?-because 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
essaylngs and latter 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 publicity for
fear Of imperfection or rnisjudgment,
is that what we might do we shall
still feel disincllned to do; for each
year will see us with higher standards
OF perfection In Our own work and
therefore with just as much reason as
eyer for refrainins from what we
might do.
I met a few years back middle
aged Ph. d. whose soul was swallowed
up with purpose to help his day. Fer
years he had gone seeking more and
more perfection Of outft-two years
there, four years here, etc, because he
felt that such and such a place would
give him exactly what he needed OF
knowledge. Bat the further he went
the more the vista Of things unattain-
ed before BIN, until, when met him,
he was very unhappy at the idea of
never being quite ready to strike out
and do something. His intellect was
frying in the fat Of his own richness,
and he quite unaware of what allied
him. Misery was over his counten-
ance and deen-roo:ed within him.
What was the proper adyice? 30
something, say something, work some
where, even if you are not quite ready
Three weeks ago met him again. He
was working il the hum blast sort OF
way in one Of the College Settlements
that now begin to dot the great cities
Of the land: He fairly beamea with
happiness. He was living out his
message-hsvlng {; very poor voice
with a peculiarly to it that was
unsympathetie-and bending his great
intellect down to the needs Of the poor
and oppressed. The wider scope Will
come, as sure as the first wavering
flight OF the timorous Hedging leads to
graceful glidings.
No first fight-no subsequent grace
That is the rule for birds, and 1t may
be true one also for heads ana hearts.
1t is continued effort that leads to I'M
provment over the quality OF the first
effort. But the first effort must be
made, imperfect, crude, unsatisfactory
though it may be. The fac! that you
doubt yourself is no real sign that your
effort fails. Your message may be
weak and your voice and heart So
quavering 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 ON aiscience and declare that your
work fails? How do you know? Some
creature weak and shrinking like you,
may have heard while slowly clrcllng
IN an eddy oil lnactlon and your words
will have forced that one out into effort
also. Who can measure results from
exertion, ro matter how apparently
trif1ing / love to think that just as
matter never is destroyed in the econ
OiIly Vi t0lS SIcdt WO4lu, OUt Siiuf;S
changes its form so thoughts and acts
60 on in their influences and never die
If this is wrong, one Of the chief props
of I,fs, is gone If this is ris sht, why dc
ycu stand there idling? Furthermore,
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 human achievement, 1t should be
satisfaction enough for us who are
weak, if we have had share in thrust
ing out into effort some one who need
ed the encouragement of our own feeble
beginnings in order to plume his own
wings for glorious might've cannot
by any posi- bllity gather to ourselves
all the results of what we do, nor even
! get credited with them; but be con-
tent, no genuine work perishes, and
whether we are honored for doing it is
unimportant beside the more impor-