The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1903-03-20

lIOuuu VI tAO AAuuSA
] Let's linger no longer on this pit
iful scene, but 60 to more pleas
ant one.
Several years before our mem
orable war for independence, Their
was born to an obscure America
home bright, brilliant, talente'
boy. The child's parents coul'
scarcely support their new off
spring and sixteen other children
Fortunately there was a great de
termination on the part of tina
child to climb the Bladder OF life.
By abstaining from meat he man
aged to buy few books and be
came tolerably learned; every mo
ment that he could possibly spare
was spent in reading and lending
deep thought to some useful sub
iect. Prominent men soon began
to take note of him, and soon he
was steadily ascending the Bladder
of life." During our war for in
dependence his country's needs
knocked at his hearts door, and
soon his wisdom and eloquence
was glittering before the learned
court of France as our own be-
loved statesman, patriot an ! phi
losopher, Benjamin Franklin. A
glorious example-worthy of the
imitation of every young man in
America! What a contrast be-
tween the life of Benjamin Frank
lin and that of the fisherman and
hunter! The one spending his last
days deserted by all living things
save the flies: the therscontrolling
the French court with the elo-
quence of his mouth.
Franklin is not by himself in
worthy deeds. The world has pro-
duced thousands of others who
have hidden adieu to idle pleasures
and chung to the right amid clouds
or fair blue skies. | simply refer
you to Franklin, because he rests
in the heart of every true Amer
lean. As reward for their ef-
forts, their names glitter in gold
at the summit of the Bladder of
life," to serve as a guiding star to
others who are drifted on the
sands of Encouragement. The
hard fights that they had with pow
erty and the sneers of the "dandy"
are enough to inspire every sober
young man with enough
courage to surmount difficulties as
broad as the Pacific and as high as
the Himalayas. Who is it that
cannot ascend the ''Iadder of life!"
Suppose we bring these exam
pies home to our hearts and lives
and there make comparison. Let
us see if the lives that we are now
living will carry us to the top
where our lights may shine as po-
ar stars to those seeking the north
pole-those trying to free them
selves from the filth and mire of
his earth. If, as we make the
comparison, we feel that there is
something lacking, let us fire our
souls with determination to win
)r die. We must aim our steps
;oward the top, where a starry
crown awaits us. This means
much, but others have succeeded,
ind why cannot we? What one
nan has done, another can do. For
! moment clouds of discomfort
nent may gather, and winds of
disappointment sweep by, but we
should remember that there is no
hight so dark that it does not have
is dawn. The sun will finally
pierce the clouds and mirror ten
thousand sparkling diamonds to
he anxious eye from the new fall
N shower.
As we stand at the threshold of
life, gazing about US in fond
we should picture out
road to travel on the Bladder of
ife". In choosing this road, we ]
hould not grasp altogether at
Kings that are pleasing to our am ]
ition; a great many grasp at t
Kings which they fancy and seem {