The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-01-14

Two Talent Men.
7 Do not believe there is to be found
in any literature of any age more
succinct yet lucid portrayal of
human endeavor than that en-
bSaced in the "Parable of the Talents"
voiced by the lowly Nazarene almost
nineteen hundred years ago. i
It has to do with man of affairs
who temporarily delegated to his
various subordinates certain financial
responsibilities, "to every man accord
ing to his several ability" intrusting
to one five talents, to another two
talents, and to yet another one talent.
Diligence, conservativeness and the
exercise of good judgment enabled the
five talent trustee to invest the amount
in such manner as to obtain results
fully commensurate with the expecta
tions of his employer, who rewarded
him with the commendatory, swell
done, good and faithful servant, be-
cause thou hast been faithful over a
few things, will place thee over many
things" that has rolled down through
the ages and produced practical results
wherever faithful and consistent SER
vice has been rendered.
Likewise, by prompt and wholly
satisfactory account of his stewardship,
the man to whom had been entrusted
two talents fully justified the faith of
his employer and entered into reward
commensurate with his ability.
That the individual who received one
talent was dominated by haphazard
methods and considered the trust as
:, ,iaeonsequential, is amply proven by
the fact that he made ne consistent
effort to increase the amount, hence he
net with we'll merited rebuke when
he impudently returned the one talent,
without any increment or profit what
ever.
While those of us who are familiar
with the main trend of the story will,
l think, readily admit that it is appo-
site, and pointedly illustrative of con-
ditions as they exist on the threshold
of the twentieth century, it seems to
ne modern thought almost invariably
directs attention to the remarkable
achievements of the five talent man,
and to the inglorious failure of the enc
talent man. I am of opinion that this
is due to an appreciable extent to the
fact that it is characteristic of the
average individual to worship at the
shrine of superlatives, and to deal in
extremes at the expense of intermedials;
to measure matter in either great OF
small vessels; consequently it is the
general tendency to laud the person
who has reached q position near the
top, and to decry the individual who,
from one cause or another, finds HIM
self at or near the bottom of life's
mythical ladder, commonly called
success.
Since competition is admittedly a
factor of progress, the innumerable
fields of human endeavor offer sub
stantial inducements to their respective
votaries, and when man has reached
a conspicuous place in his chosen
vocation, either through native ability,
er-as not infrequently happens-by
artificial means such as to insure
material advantage at some stage of
his procedure, he naturally challenges
the admission and receives the appro-
baton of his fellows. Communities
delight to show him honor; his opinions
concerning matters of public import are
eagerly sought and heralded through
the medium of the press; he is the
subject of magazine articles and
the man about whom speeches are
made. Throughout the land in general
and in his own immediate locality in
particular, budding manhood is taught
to regard him as an ideal worthy OF
emulation, and a position similarly
eminent is ever urged as the proper
goal of its ambition.
On the other extreme we have tht
individual whose life is generally ad
mitted to have been failure; TIT
human derelict whose career may b.
succinctly described as one Of evanes
cent enthusiasm; whose fragmentar!
efforts have failed to elevate him to |