Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-06-17
TAILINGS AND FAILURE.
Pair of Words Which Shouts Nos
he Separated-One the Cause,
the Other Effect.


"Failings" is pleasant and euphe1n-
istic word, which we prefer to use IN
stead of sins" or even faults" when
speaking of ourselves or our friends
Failure" on the contrary, is an ugly
and unpleasant word wherever and
whenever it is used. Nevertheless,
says Philadelphia Young People, the
two words, pleasant and unpleasant as
they are, have a continued connection,
and are Siamese twins, SO to speak,
in every mans lexicon Of life
The theory that a thoroughly good !
man can be failure is an entirely ab4
stract one, with never an example tb
back it. True, a good man may be
poor, and remain SO; but if poverty is
failure, then Socrates was a failure,
and Francis of Assist, and Milton, antk
Joan of Arc, and the Pilgrim Fathers,
and so many others whom the world
has agreed to call the highest of sue
cesses that to consider them other
wise is. simple absurdity. Or a good
man may, undoubtedly, remain oh
scure; but again, how many men, out
of any generation, are remembered at
ali after 100 years, or so, or even 2sS
There is no failure in not having our
names in the newspapers. Failure
means to fail; to attempt to Go thing.
and be beaten; to see what we have
tried to build collapse in a heap OF
ruin; to lose our battle IN the. end
Now, thoroughly good man never
can be failure, for he is not battling
for money, or fame, or personal ends
at all. He is climbing a path which
leads up beyond all possibility of fail
ure, into the eternal successes OF
Heaven. As long as his feet are firms
on that path he is successful, even IL
he has no bank account, and never IS
known beyond the next street AnG
as thorough goodness includes indus
try and self-respect and courtesy, it is
apt to be profitable in this world as
well asi the, next, as the apostle re-
minds US. Failure begins when 4 man
ceases to be true to the very best he
knows. aims at the second best, or
the third best. or even something peril
ously near the worst, and, losing his
shot, sees defeat coming, with the sick
ening sense that. he deserves it. JOB,
having lost everything, was not ~
failure in the least; but Belshazzary
at his royal feast, was a failure, anss
recognized it in despair as the enemy
Numbered at his gates.
Our failings bring in our failures
A weakness for pleasure in youth
makes many man failure IN has
maturity. A weakness for money de-
feats the true purposes OF many life
A failing in temper ruins, often, the
best opportunities. The only way to
true success is to conquer our falF
ings; and if we make an honest bat
tie of it, we shall always win. 1T is
better to begin early, and also to ealf
them, fairly and square1y, "sins, for
the smallest failing is a sin in the
making. The farmer who digs up
grubs early in the season will not lose
his crop through beetles later on. The
youth who wants to succeed cannon
begin tos fght' his failings too sooR3
or to form his ideals too early. Fa1l-
ure and failings, righteousness and re-
ward. these pairs of words can never
be separated. and are as inevitable as
cause and effect in Gods universe OF
law