Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-04-02
THE TEST OF ENDURANCE
characters Severest Test Is Bearin o
Without Faltering the Common
Ills of Our Daily Life.

When the night-bound railway train.
with its coaches full of drowsy passen-
ScTs, stops for few moments at
S$syside station. the dim outline of
some strong, faithful machinist may
De seen going from coach to coach.
3 striking each wheel in turn a ringing
blow with his hammer. They little
link. who ride there, says the Sunday
School Times. that; as each gong
IKE clang breaks on the silent air of
The murSy night. it tells the story of
endurance, for better or for worse
endurance of the burden and the fric-
sior and the heat and the mighty toll
81 The rails. Hundreds oil nves de-
-T,Fsd npon a mans applying that ST
with patience and care TO every whee,
All things that We really value ere
Rings that have been tested Every
-trGclo that We ,ossess. e.ery Nv lli-
~ and companionShip that we hold
~ dear and high regard. has hoer sub
matted 10 some far-reachirg. c~ucible
experience which has shown us where
Hor;h lies.
And the connection between the two
between the wOr.h anu tie testing
lis closer ihan We often think. The
'.urning OF the earth on is axis and
she falling OF its smalles' apple are
mot more intimate than are these days
aSf soul proof apd life testing in all
Ehe dear things THAI we love.
al life seems To sum itself up in
awe deep and rich experiences, which
vareA not two. but rather twofold-en-
~saorance and achievement; what we
'Nlsve borne. and w0at we have built;
what we have suffered. and what we
have created.
SThere is nothing that men prize
r-aore highly than things tested and
proved The builder wants timbers
THAT are toughest and hardest, which
r.-nd and ,rough weather in the open
ri forest and field. the sun in summer
~or the heat of the Kiln, have made
zcomPactest in fiber and grain. The
Enason wants briefs that have felt the
aaottesi IRE in the curing, and the
aGtane that has known volcanic heat.
Men cannot, however, determine thi.
as easily OF men as they can Of things
but they do il as we'll as they can. And
since they cannot pass upon thought
Naa quality al first hand as they can
upon stratum and fiber and mass ana
weight they take what seems to them
IA fair equivalent and judge OF knowl-
edge and worth as they register them
ssesves in reputation or as they coin
themselves in deeds.
Yet, in spite OF all this. we can go
&erribly asIray. and follow too far, TO
ssur confusion and shame and loss. a
g1Ise that is human and faulty and crude
SAt best. DO nor Ter ms make the mis-
sake of surprising that God looks al
achievements as we do. The all-re-
sealing question that lie will ask Will
gse not SO much v nat We have accom-
s1Iished, but rather how much have We
-sndured.
Not that we should deSpise the
worlds effort to MI its positions with
eoen whose worth has issued in we'll
known name and work We know rs
value too well. We know that. de
spite the COMMISSIONS OF a deranged
world. the good man is TO be found
back of the good name; that a great
s,uilding points 10 au accomplished
SaUider, beautiini picture TO gifted
ssrtisJ Achievement does express life
and beauty and worth But there is
another life and decrer beauty ard
z0otler worth that canno- be uttered
DO not let our interest in the arena
az achievement crowd down our inter
%sst in Gods greater arena of endur-
Ssace. Says Paul Laurence Dunbar:
-F~s true enough - - '>''ro' crown
~I'Wines but for TIE . brow
S~or many hero has al" MIN down
w.th naasAt %, 49, y T.. DCugh
,s'hr - are st-iant men in the losing fight
And "a callaD- -c6- IRE dCne
AsAs eyer sracea 1ne captured height
..E NE oaCsiy SrdIIaIS won
We need. Thea tue warning of this
a~cr who is IL thaJ we most delight -
&cnor? Is il not the daring explorer
Ahe brilliant ENGINEER. the mighty
Sorilder, The Ingenious inventor. III.
zsG;laa; ofl.er The gifted SINGER. arts
-. 'rt;era,e T al. of ,ASm vic ors in Wis
DO E,~.-.cS. -. a. honor then
They have endured. 1t would be ir