The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-03-21
NICE OLD MAN, But SLOW.
And happy, but Not "sucoessfuI.,,

|
Not long ago a citizen of d certain
town in this country died. Though re-
spected by ALL he had been in no sense
a marked or prominent man. After his
graduation from college he married and
engaged in calling that meant a life
OF constant drudgeEy for a slender sal
airy. But he did his work faithfully for
upward of forty years, too busy with
the duties that came each day to his
hand to think of finding an occupation
that would bring him a larger return of
! fortune or fame. He reared a large
family of boys and girls in honor and
honesty. He sent some of the boys to
| college and put others in business. AS
for the girls he seconded all the efforts
Of their mother to make them good,
| true and pure in all respects, worthy to
be the mothers of noble men. AS a cit
! tzen and neighbOr he aimed to have
| conscience void of offense toward ell
men. He was honest, upright, truth
full and kindly, and all in such a quiet,
matter of fact way that hardly any one
ever noticed it. His character, indeed,
| was so much a part of him that the
world thought he just had to act as he
did, and the world was right in thus
thinking. So he died, and outside of
his family and a few friends his death
was an unnoticed incident. Dead?
Really! Too bad; nice old chap, but
rather slow. Queer how he managed to
get along with his big family and no
salary to speak Of In a similar vein
was the comment of his old college
chum, a man who has become famous,
wealthy and powerful in the world.
Poor fellow To think of his dying a
common unknown drudge after his bril-
liant promise in college. He could have
been one Of the biggest men in the
country, worth millions, if he had only
wanted to-"
How frequently it happens that men
are thus judged, or rather misjudged. |
We count ourselves a great, progress |
sive and clear visioned people, and |
doubtless in many things we are. But |
when it is a question Of what really is |
success in life the popular judgment is |
more likely to be wrong than right. |
The charge of foreign critics that Amer |
leans identify success with money !
making is not wholly true. But they do |
thing-many Of them-that no man can
be really successful unless he has in
some way or other lifted himself above |
the mass Of common men. This is the |
weak spot in every democracy; it dis
trusts the standards it has set for it
self and therefore it often happens that
the men who loudly vociferate about
the equality of all men are most anX-
ious to surpass their fellow men in
some way. And as the possession of
money enables even the most ordinary
man to make himself parsonage to the
it is that which is most COM
monty desired. AS a nation it must be
that we are lacking in a sense
Of perspective. We are in danger Of
overlooking virtues that are passive or
types of moral heroism that are unem-
phatic We have read so many stories
of poor barefooted country boys becom-
ing rich and famous that such q boy
who simply becomes a respected but
unknown man, like the one of whom we
have just spoken, is likely to be consid-
cred a failure The fact that he per-
formed the common duties of life I'M
commonly WELL that he reared a family
Of good men and women to strengthen
and uphold the state, and that he left to
his neighbors an eXampl8of noble man.
hood, is forgotten or ignored, and it is
only remembered that he somehow
'ailed to get his name before the public
The men who have written their
names on the scroll Of fame, as the
school readers put it, deserve to hold
place in the regard of the world This
has produced many such men !
md viii produce many more. But to
IDENTIFY success with fame would be
'atal mistake. The pillars Of the state
Ire not always or altogether the men
whose names are on every lip because
t has happened to them to work in the
light of the public The real strength
If the country lies in the uncounted t.
multitude Of it's good, upright and con.
cientious men and women, few Of ]
whom can ever hope for wealth or
anne and the great majority of whom
must be content to live lives Of unhe-
oic drudgery and toil.-New York Tri- I
,une. +