Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-06-30
THE DISTANT HILLS.

In THESE days of advancement the
pessimist's peevish cry: "The young
man OF the present day has no chance
TO new out his success as in former
days" is so seldom contradicted that
IT mas come to be widely believed The
man OF business knows, however, that
tthe American boy with ambition now
mas II anything, more opportunity for
success than he did in the days of
Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, Jas.
a GARFIELD and others whose life stor-
les have been held up as examples and
announcement to growing boys.
frequently some one comes into
public notice whose career is a refu-
tatlon of this harsh criticism of the
times. Some man who has started in
lie with little or nothing suddenly
stands out before all the nation and
EWhen inquiry is made it is found that
he climbed to his success from the
very foot of the ladder and has climb
cd through sheer ability, not because
ne was fayorite with those in posi-
zion to push him. The latest example
is IN the person of George B. Cortel-
you, the new chairman Of the republi-
can national committee and the man
upon whom in great measure depends
the election of President Theodore
Roosevelt to succeed himself next
fall.
There is an old poem in which the
main thought is expressed in the oft.
recurring line: "The distant hills
alone are steep" No truer word was
ever spoken. When the boy starts out
to face the world and hew out his flu
ture success, it depends upon himself
more than upon anyone else. If he is
content to count on filling some in
termediate, halfway station in life he
Will. some time, come to that, but if
he makes up his mind to overcome all
obstacles and to reach the very top
of the ladder on which he begins his
climb there is every likelihood that
he will reach the goal and do it in
only a little more time than it takes
for his fellow employee, starting with
the lesser end in view, to. gain his
point
Too many young men, with their
lives before them, gaze with misgiY-
ings at the captains of Industry or.the
captain OF knowledge, who sit upon
the top rungs of the ladder on which
they are only starting. They think of
the ascent as Of one single stage and
too often decide that it is impossible
for them. They content themselves
with striving for place midway and
when they reach that, if they
do, they are satisfied. This was not
the spirit that made the studious Lin
coin rise from the farmer boy to pres
ldent. 1t did not bring James A. Gar
Held from the tow-path to the White
House and it had no part in the adj
yancement of u. S. Grant from the
bookkeeper's desk in a tannery to the
highest, Office in the gift of his nation.
1t is not the spirit that prompted
George B. Cortelyou, the most promin-
ent present day example of the self
made man. to always do the best in
the line of work he was doing. When
he began his upward climb in the
service of the government he had
made up his mind to become secretary
to the President and no opportunity
that arose to help him toward that
end was overlooked.He was always the
best man in his department and when
opportunities came for advancement
he was the first to get the chance. He
became secretary to President Cleve-
land despite the fact that he was re-
publican. He was continued as Nc
Kinley's secretary because he was the
best obtainable man. Roosevelt held
him in the same place until his abili-
lies became so marked that he was
given place in the cabinet, and now
it is found that he is peculiarly fitted
for the national chirmanship. Next
fall, after the campaign, he will be-
come postmaster general and will
stand at the head of the department
which about ten years ago, he enter
ed as one of a small army Of clerks
The homely advice, Hitch your