The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-25
HER GRAFTON
WHICH WON
THE PRIZE
Miss Jenkins Who Was First
in Collegiate Contest.
HER VIEW OF IDEALS
And the Incentive Which They
are to Humanity.


and NJ College Of Saltwater. and her
Grafton. Ideals Hiss jenkins won the
first prize. Her paper read as follows:
Ideals are the Incentives OF all worthy
endeavor. They are the mother of pro-
gIess, the inspiration Of all noble achieve
ment, the moving cause OF civilization
itself. Behind every advance TO higher
standards of living is the longing of the
people for better and higher things. Be
hind every upward movement in govern
ment is the aspiration of the chosen spirit
among men for freedom, purity and
righteousness. Behind every reform in re-
ligion Is the voice Of one crying in the
wilderness. Make straight the paths of
the Lord" Behind every step OF human
progress is the ideal of q human soul
The fathers OF the race came out OF the
cave and the tent into the dwellings of
wood and stone; out of the wilderness
into the cities; out of the worship of
idols into the worship of the living Cod
OUT of the patriarchal government into the
community government, because these
changes meant the realization Of ideals
and the growth Of civilization. Here and
there along the centuries letters have
living made tolerable because men said
in their hearts and declared by their lives
that conditions were wrong and must be
changed. Sometimes they spoke in peace
and love, sometimes by fire and sword !;
but always behind the word and the deed
there stood the purpose to realize an
ideal. The German reformers fought for
ar ideal when they denounced the cor
ruption of the mother church, and put
in motion the long march of religious
progress
Cromwell followed an ideal as truly and
fervently as man ever did in human his
tory when he hurled his psalm singing
Ironsides against the forces of absolutSon
under Charles the First. The Puritans
sought an ideal when they fed from bkg-
otry and Intolerance to the inhospitasle
shores and tho manifold perils of the
New World. The common people of
France. oppressed through many centu-
RES, followed an ideal. though blindly
and with much of madness and folly.
when they plunged into the chaos of the
revolution. Throughout the long and
splendid course of the Nineteenth century
almost every civilized people has been
pursuing in greater or less degree and
10 greater ar less purpose. the ideal Of
freedom and human brotherhood. And
SO it is-wherever history records an era
of progress ii must also record the ideals
which gave It birth. Whenever genius
pictures on canvas or fashions in mar
hle or in bronze the triumphs of civiliza-
ton, its inspiration must be in the men
and women whose lofty thoughts bore
fruit IN living words or worthy deeds
The French artist, Pierre Fritel. in The
ConQuerors' has given TO the world
splendid. though not an inspiring picture.
In the foreground. clad in complete steel
nobly mounted, and bearing aloft the
standards of war. come the great cap
tains of the world: Caesar and Napoleon.
twin sons of battle, side by side flank
ing them Hannibal, Sesostris, Attila, the
scourge of God. Tamerlone, the Tarter
Nebuchadnezzar Of Babylon and Charlie
magne. Upon their heads .descends a
shaft of golden light. Illuminating not
only these mighty figures. but multitude
OF spears and pennOns behind, borne 10y
men of lesser fame-a veritabe pathway
il is OF glory and splendor. But on either
side OF this splendid calvacede lie gloom
and black darkness. stretching from the
stricken earth TO the shuddering sky;
and all along the way. we'll within the
line Of golden light, scarcely away from
the hoofs OF the horses, lie IN long. still
ranl1e the bodies OF the slain stark and
naked. most CHASTITY and pitiful. 1 have
been thinking of another picture the
great artist might paint; and It. too,
might well be named The Conquerors.
But instead of the captains Of war there
should be marshalled under the golden
shaft Of light the captains Of genius and
OF discovery; OF invention and
of progress and law and order;
and instead Of the stark and CHASTITY bod
les OF the slain there should be every
gracious form which htly symbolizes the
Of civilization and the up
lifting Of mentor in these are the great
est victories as well as the Hottest ideals
OF the race
And as in the large achievement OF men
in mass. 50 1t is in individual lives We
mako no growth. we attain no goal, we
accomplish nothing worth doing IN this
world unless we have Ideals higher than
ourselves. stronger than our own strength
to beckon US on For there are low ideals.
The boy with the vicious OF criminal
strain in his blood sees his ideal man in
the prize-1ghter and the desperate. The
and material tendency Of the
axe TOO often erects into an ideal the
mere amassing OF wealth and the display
which it makes possible. But these are
not ideals worthy OF the name The as
p!ration toward higher living. the noble
discomfort with all that Is scroid and
trivial. that visions OF beauty and good
ness that come 20 rs all now and again
as We tread the t0rtu0us and difficult
ways Of ufe-tnis Is the ideal for which
this Plea IS made. The eye should be
lifted % il always The heart unto Il
through triumph and failure.
through sunshine and storm The best
and strongest Of us win lose sight q cur
beacon light now and then. as the way
grows rough before Us The traveller II
this darkness. guided only by q single
light cleaning diu'ly frem afar. may
stumble often' and fan II the devious
and caevsa path he VIII lose the hecso1-
ing nsht again ard again BIZ is friend
Is rays are not Queuchci- They heczo1
10 him sim. ard he VII reach the vel
come shelter a last Il he Erov no weary
and faint by TIE way. Let - net give
Up cur star q hope and uplifting because
eur SKY Is darkenea ones IN a Whre AID
the clouds return after the pain
But ar. our poor reaGty fats 50 far
short q that Of which ne dream ard that
Tor wh.ch Ne strive TIE srsrlt ssp.res
but tac Gcsh Is weak The eei mounts
as ca eagles wings. hat fhe attraction -
the earth aEG all thsazs earthly = great.
and the aigilt Crews heavy e spite q 81
But with every honest trial higher svcs-s