The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-06-17
is enough for my purpose at this time.
cNIvp0JICNT

I
crown of gold and its band of iron are
suggestive OF the thought that the wor-
thiest crowns gained on earth or In
heaven have not alone their glittering
gold, but somewhere, riveted to them
there is the iron spike. And while the
gold and Splendor may Symbolic success
of achievement and purpose, the iron is
a reminder OF how that success is at
tanned, for the iron stands for se!f-de-
NAL, suffering and self-crucifixlon. There
is 10 crown to us without its iron band;
no lofty achievement without its painful
spike And If in future years any of you
shall be crowned as worthy place among
earth's immortals, the crown wherew1th
men shall crown you will not be without
its spike of iron as reminder OF the
days of hardship. toll and self-sacritce
through which you passed to an exalted
vcrthiness Christ himself won His
crown, but suffered the iron as well.
Look abroad over the pages of history.
Study the lives of men who have won
their crowns in any sphere of royal
achievement. Lock upon the klngly men
of any age who have been crowned with
glory and honor. Have they gained their
distinction without toll, without hardship
ard suffering? Has not the iron gone
along with the geld. and have not the
two perfected the crowns wherewlth they
were crowned?
LABOR, THE PRICE.
Look for a few moments at several
spheres of achievement for illustrations
Of what I say In the world of litera-
ture we have abundant examples of the
truth. and here the facts are all the
mere iteresting for the reason that when
we read the works of the worlds literary
kings we are prone to forget their labors
in the exquisite pleasure we find in their
n, oductions. The mystic measures of the
roets lines entrance us and bear us away
into highest realms of fancy where we
move with soundless tread: the pages of
the romancer, or of the essayist, or OF
the historian engage us to an uncon-
SEQUENCES of the material and present
world in which we live. and it is all so
fasciua ting that we think not of the
r:onths and years of toll that made pos
s;be cur enjoyment. Do the kingly writ
ers wear crowns of gold only. or is there
iron in the coronet as we'll? Gibhon spent
twenty years of painful toll upon his
decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Through tweEty years Of i'll health
Buckle Iabo1ed in writing his History
Of civilization" The History of Fed
erick the Greet cost Carlyle fifteen years
of inccssant toll. "Bulwer Lytton wrote
and rewrote some of his works as often
as eight or nine times before sending
them to his publisher. Sir Walter Scott
wcote "Ivaanhoe' and The Bride OF
| I.ammerlnoor'' while suffering excruciat-
ms, agony TIL ough the weary night hours
Prescott. whose histories have all the
charm of the most charming romance.
spent eleven years in gathering material
| for his great work on Ferdinand and
lisa BELLA His Conquest of Mexico stands
as a monument to persistence and pain.
| for in his blindness he wrote that most
| marvellous history. I might name others,
for they are legion. whom the world has
crowned with glory and the almost UNI
spcken rule is that toll subjugation Of
self and self crucifixion are the price
| paid for the CT own
TRUE OF ART.
| The same truth applies to the kingliest
| men in the world of art. We hear of artists
| ;1rea ming dreams and seeing visions and
| we are likely to think of their achieve
| r,ants as the products of dreams and
| visions. In one sense they are. for unless
the artist dreams dreams and fosters the
/ shspely ideals that have their being IN
/ lis dreams his work will never arise
! above the commonplace. But ms WORK
| demands more than dreaming, and his
lcftiest visions will never result in ac-
| tuai memorials of his genius. If he wear
a crown from which sparkles the light ol
/ the star of genius, that crown has some
4 Were it's band of iron. reminder OF
toll, of suffering and of crucitiXion
Beautiful are the works of Raphael
sublime the great frescoes of Angelo. ten
der the touches of Corresgio. brilliant the
canvas Of West and mysteriously shad
oyv the paintings of Rembrant and Mu
| ;.illC Worthy of crowns the kinSly soul:
! that have enriched the world with sucf
works of art as have come from them
Put the crown of each of these art kings
and of all others was wrought OF lro'
! .Tr~I. ;,,S 1rr,,, VOC
Al cello eight years of weary toll. and 81
steadily did he toll that his mind wa
unhinged at the last. Raphaers adver
sity is we'll known. CorreSSio's recoSH
, ton was slow Vests poverty was al
most overwhelming in its oppression
I;ut through adversely they toiled; up
ward they climbed with weary tread. {
great purpose filling their souls. ant
| when the crown was won they forgo
the iron as they beheld the spIendor o
he gold.
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC.
1t is true of the great master composer
: in the world. Mozart was poor even t.
! the extent of positive want. Reethovei
was so deaf that he could not hear hi
, own music which thrilled his nation
+ Schubert and Schurmann left scarcel.
enough money to pay their simple buria
, eynenses Their life was a hand to han'
, struggle with poverty, disease and. ap
, pa rently, cruel adversely. But they VOL
their crowns in the splendid world o
music.
In addition to the names that I hav
! cited, you yourselves can recall other
: lin other realms of achievement. In on
own land among men who have beer
crowned for their splendid achievements
stands the name OF Morse. a name tina
: stands for indomitable perseverance Il
; the midst of perplexities that would hav
: COMPOUNDED an ordinary man.
CYRUS W. Field. who laid the first Al
lantic cable met with difficulties tina
few men have to encounter. But, they
:. Morse and Field. have won their crown
t vet is the iron bond present
I No sphere of life is an execution
$ the business world, the world OF finance
. I5in the sphere of craftsmanship and
S The highest sphere of morals. the oil
i truth prevails-no crown Of gold withor
d its band Of iron.
a This being true it becomes us all I
e confront the inevitable fact. II yo
/ Young people would succeed. and if yo
e hope some future day to wear the crow
e of success it is the part of wisdom I
t understand now that end desired come
3 "a i6lI-EN ming