The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-06-01

in a picturesque and foreiple way 'he
duty of a Christian fellowship The text
is Matthew V, Al. "Whosoever shall COM
pei thee to go mile. go with him twain
A keen, shrewd lawyer WAS one day u.s.
tening to John Wesley preaching. the
founder of Methodlsm had three direrent
headings for his sermon: First, Get all
YOU can without hurting Spur soul. your
hodv or vour nc,ghbors" THAT is sensi-
ble." thought the lawyer; unless man
is continually reaching out for something
he will never have anything. Industry Is
the foundation of all success second
beasinp. "savc all you can cutting of
any needless expense" Right again.
muttered the listener ut is not so much
what a man earns that makes him
wealthy as what he saves" Third head
ing. "Give all you can" There" ex-
claimed the haru headed lawyer, tho
minister has foolshly gone and spoiled
everything he has said. He ought to have
had for his third heading. Give as little
as you cam You cannot save unless you
keep what you have earned" So some of
Christ's auditors felt that he was preach
Ing the most foolish of doctrines when he
used the illustration of the twain mile.
They were ready to obey the Mosaic law
of justice. They would assent to an eye
for an eye a tooth for tooth. hand for
a haf,A hey would travel the first mile
Willingly and pay every penny that they
lcgitimately owed, l.ut they were not
ready to turn the left cheek to a foe after
that enemy had deliberately struck them
q singing blow upon the right cheek
They protested against communistic
gospel, which allowed a thief to run away
VIII. their whole wardrobe, with thelr
cloak as well as -..eir coat They would
enslave themselves to any merciless task
master. For every days labor they must
have a full days pay. Yet Christ's state
nent Is strilSingly true. 1t Is right In re-
ference to the temporal life as we'll as
the spiritual. The willingness to travel
tho twain mile is the forerunner of all
true success. The unwillingness to travel
the twain mile is the cause of almost
certain failure.
The twain mile is the place of testing.
1t is where the powers that be choose the
men that are to be honored in LIES SER
vice. There the human race is sifted.
There the faithful are separated from the
irresponsible. lie energetic from the sloth-
full. the true man from the false, the self
sacrificing from the selfish, the one pur-
pose man from the indolent, lazy, Shift
less individual who lives without a de-
finite aim. The twain mile is the thrash
ing floor of human life, where the wheat
is separated from the chaff, the rich grain
from the useless tares.
The Crowded First Mile.
Most of the human race are huddled to-
geIner and jostling each other during the
first mile, where they only do what they
have to do. But in the second or the
twain mile of life's journey, where man
does more than ne is asked to do, he al
ways has plenty of elbow room. AS the
great statesman once said There is
plenty of room at the top of L. ladder of
success, although thousands Of hands
may be reacn4ng for the lowest rung."
Every merchant knows of the separa-
ting or testing influence of the twain mile.
When a position in the store becomes va
cant, whom, in all probability, did you
promote to lie Vacancy-the clerk who
had been in the store for ten or fifteen
years, the young man who had never
been willing to 20 any more than he was
compe.-- to do? Did you select the en-
ploye who was generally ten minutes late
in the morn lg, the clerk who has his
hat in his han> ready to run for home as
soon as the our hand points to the nu-
neral 62. Did you promote one who
seemed to be Indifferent to his work and
had to be watched day by day to be kept
busy, as a mother mas to watch little
child? No. The young man who re-
ceived the promotion was the poor coun-
try boy who entered your store with no
recommendation except the willingness to
travel the twain mile, the willingness to
do more than he was told to do. For
years the twain mile young man was the
first employee at work In tn, morning.
+ or years he was the last person to leave
the ore at night. When the work piled
up upon his desk. unbidden by the head
of his department he always stayed many
hours overtime until the work was done.
lac was the young man who threw him
self into his allott ed tasks with such in
tensity that he made his employers in
terests his interests.
Who Is the leading member today of the
New York bar-the lawyer who when he
graduated and could not find clients spent
most of his time in the neighboring bill
Hard hall? The young man who became
an expert in card playing or in Judging
the races? No. He was the young man
who studied night and day and kept on
studying. He was the young man who
put his whole heart and soul into the
smallest cases which came to him. He
did not fritter away his energies, wait
ing for the big cases to command his SER
vices. He is the twain mile lawyer. He
does more than he is compelled to do.
How Daniel Webster Worked.
A noted case was to be decided in New
York city. The chief counsel for the de-
tense was taken suddenly sick. Within
twenty-four hours the plea had to be
made before the jury. Daniel Webster
at that time happened to be stopping at
one of the hotels. He was sent for to
come to tho rescue. The next day he cam
into the courtroom and mado one of III
clearest interpretations of the most al
struse facts of the law ever delivered
fore judge. lie won his case and w
paid a fee amounting to thousands of do,
lars When the friends crowded arounL
to congratulate, declaring that he had
performed a legal miracle, Mr.. Webster
answered: MY effort was no miracle. 1
did not prepare that address in a few
..ours. II took mo months and months to
master these facts of the law. The his
tory OF my plea Is this: Many years ago,
when young man. l was engaged to de-
fend poor farmer. His case financially
represented only a few dollars. l think
City dollar bill was my fee. 1t was a
small case. but the points of the law in
vowed then were exactly the same as the
legal points which l presented today 1
went to Boston and bought many books
They COS: mo hundreds of doi.ars. spent
four exhaustive month"; In work upon
that case am receiving today the re-
ward OF the mental labor which expend-
Cd Cor my country friend" Mr. Webster
was n twain mile lawyer. He was willing
10 40 more than he was asked to do
The same facts which have been stated
IN reference to the clerk and the LAWYER
are true when applied to the success