Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-09-25
A MOST INTERESTING
BIT OF LOCAL HISTORY

straining, Transforming influence was
caused by his calm, forceful presence.
Personality Prevails.
Not only in the presence of the
great is this power felt, but in their
writings as well, it seems to pervade
their thoughts and words. We are
willing to make Pilgrims Progress
If Bunyan leads the way. Natural Law
in the Spiritual World is delightful
study when Drummond is the teacher
We gladly linger Beside the Bonnie
Briar Bush with Maclaren, and wander
through the Maine Woods with Thor
eau as our guide. Nor do we object
to being criticised and commented
upon it ADDISON is the Spectator.
Leads us Higher.
very often these great hearts lead
us away from ourselves, away from
themselves to a higher personality.
How truly Izaak Walton does this in
his Complete Angler! His love of ma
ture is so wholesome and unaffected,
| his ethical tone SO simple and natural
as to attract his readers first, to him
|self, then away to Nature and from her
| to child-like trust in God Robert
| Browning in many of his poems brings
out the idea of reaching the higher
personality through intermediate
channels. Perhaps no work of art has
set it forth more clearly than The Ring
and the Book. What a beautiful way
Browning takes to show the great
truth that guides his own life!
| Power Without Writing.
ION the other hand there is the per-
sonal power of men who bequeath not
line of writing. Socrates, the wise
philosopher so imprinted himself up
on the minds of Xenophon and Plato
| that they after his death wrote his
words. Thus Socrates lives again in
every thinker who follows his system
of philosophy. The greatest teacher
I whom the world has ever known wrote
nothing except that which the wind
or wave botted out from the sand for
ever. Yet so did His life and words
1 impress those among whom He lived
as to rule the hearts and minds of men
today.
The Reserve Force.
Another element of personal power
i is seen in mans reserve force. When
reading great authors, listening to pro-
! found speakers and viewing fine works
| of art, we are always conscious of this
reserve power which gives added
weight to personality The rarest
things lie buried in the worlds great
heart, The deepest emotions have
never been expressed. The sweetest
songs have never been sung. The
/ choicest poetry has never been writ
ten The most beautiful pictures
have never been painted. Something
still lies hidden in the heart of the
singer, of the poet, and OF the painter
which can never be expressed by the
voice, delineated by the pen or por-
trayed by the brush. Those who teach
4 us beautiful lessons have something in
their souls which can never be put in
to words, and our consciousness OF
/ soul-depths which can never be faith
4 omed only makes us more susceptible
to this personal power.
Arouses Latent Force.
Personality often arouses to activ-
Iity the latent power in other lives. AS
Emerson happily put it, Our chief
want in life is somebody who shall
make lis do what we can, one who can
bring out the best there is in us. Moth
ing so marks mans power as his
ability to cause others to act. Some
times single person who is animated
whole-souled and self-forgetful chang
es the sentiment of WHOLE commun,
ity or even of nation. What is pub
Lie sentiment, but the sentiment of the
Individual? The few lead the many
What makes the nations ideal Presi
dent? Is it profound scholarship, OF
great efficiency? L know of no more
sublime spectacle says Stuart Mill
than the election of a ruler under the
laws of the republic. If the voice OF
the people is ever the voice of God, il
any ruler rules by divine right, it Is
when millions OF men, after long con
sideration, elect one man to be theil
appointed guide and leader Person
atty attracts like a magnet. Wha
has raised Theodore Roosevelt from
the board of New York police commits
sioners to the presidency of the Unit
ed States? What has given him sucf
|, power over men, both in public and il
military life? One answer suffices
1 "A
and duty, courage and efficiency to ex
ecute, combined with courteous, bu
forceful personality.
Life Is Transient.
How easy to forget that our sur
, roundings will not always be the same
and how difficult to realize that chang
es are coming to us every day! The
closest relationships of life are only
transient How much greater ones
power would be if in early life this
thought could be strongly impressed
, upon the mind. If each day We should
realize that consciously or uncon
sciously. something in the life, char
acter, or being of others is becoming {
part of ourselves-of that inheritance
} which we in turn shall leave. to thu
J world.
so today. in our dedication exer-
cises, let US remember that there i
something greater than the gift an,
that is he who gave it.
Three-Eold Motive