The Newtown bee., 1901-07-19

emy, he obtains commission as Sub- lieutenant of artillery. He, then, by deeds of valOr, becomes captain of ar tillery. At all times exercising the best of judgment in the execution of all his duties, Napoleon Bonaparte, face of the world, having achieved Suc- cesSes unparalleled in the history of the world; he becomes Consul for ten years, then Consul for life, and finally Emperor. Though selfish and ambi- tious, Napoleon Bonaparte accom- plished much, in the direction of hu- man freedom. But this selfishness, this lack of virtue, was the indirect cause of the downfall of the great mill itary hero, the mightiest potentate that has ever yielded the power of of Waterloo, he dies, an exile on the island of St. Helena. Thus ends the career of man who started poor and obscure; but who became | powerful, and when in the zenith of his might; so complete was his mastery that every continental power shrank | before him, and some absolutely lay at his feet.
 If we should gaze into the biogra- phieS of those men whose names ap- pear upon the pages of history, among l successes, and even among those whose infiuenc has pervaded all nations, and upon whom the destiny of the world had once depended, we should find the records of men of obscure, and some times unknown origin.
 Amid the manifold hardships at tendant to poverty, unknown and un- tutOred, no thoughts of ever existing beyond the atmosphere of their birth place, enter their minds But, despite difficulties, despite obstacles, their minds develop, their intellects sharp en, their influence spreads abroad.
 1t was amid the rugged phases of life upon an old New Hampshire farm, that the soul of Daniel Webster was fired with that eloquence that later poured forth with Irresistible force \ and fervor in his cOuntry's defense. 1t was in hut on the river Ayr, amid the wretched conditions of peasants life, of that time, that Robert Burns, one of England's greatest poets, spent his early years
 At the printing press, Benjamin Franklin learned the principles of destiny of nation. It was amid the toll and hardship of Virginia farm, that the mind of Henry Clay, the great statesman and cOmprOmiSer, first con- ceived the idea that his condition could be bettered. It was while cut ting stone as stone mason, that Hugh Miller wrote poetry and studied liter ature, and whose fame as geologist has hardly been equalled. Over the smoking forge, Ellihu Burritt mastered many languages, and his name goes down to posterity as that of one of the greatest scholars.
 But how is it? What is the reason that men of such lowly origin have so great a destiny? Learned men, upon careful research have analysed the subject, and have concluded that limited means give one lessons that cannot be taught in any other way the value of time and money. And by the toll, and energy expended in ob- taing their daily bread, they employ and cultivate those faculties which prompt them to act with discretion and judgment.
 We are standing just over the thresh- hold of a new century-a century in which the lights of civilization burn brighter than ever before. An age fertile in opportunities for both, rich and poor; for the one of lOWly, and for the one of noble birth. In an age in which men are judged as to their ca pabilitieS of exerting influence, not by their wealth or ancentry, but by their strength of character, and their powers of perception. But whether rich or poor, talented or common place, we should endeavOr to emulate the lives of those men whom to-day we honor. We should try to live as Daniel of old, the greatest statesman, the greatest politician of ancient times, who was true to his God as we'll as to man.