Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-02-16
An Example From the
History of Jap
an
A Country That Wins Sue.
cess by Not Waiting
for II to Come
About


In negative way 1t expresses the
principle upon which all success is
based Wait not for opportunity; do
what you have to do, whether favoring
conditions invite or not.
Solomon, wisest of rulers, was most
practical in all things. We are accus-
toned to Judge Of his wisdom by his
writings, but he showed far greater
wisdom in his government than in his
proverbs, his preachlngs or his poetry.
Indeed, the wisdom he asked for in
his dream, after sacrificing in Gibeon,
was of a specific and purely practl.
cal kind Give therefore, thy ser
want an understanding heart to judge
thy people, that / may discern be.
tween good and bad; for who is able
to Judge this thy so great people?" We
are told that this wisdom was given,
and If we read the history carefully
We shall discern that this wise king.
through all the years of his long reign,
devoted himself constantly to most
practical things. His government was
a government "for the people," and,
so far as we know, IL was the first OF
its kind. When he came 10 the throne
his people looked TO him TO build the
temple, for which his father Dadid had
made considerable preparation. They
seemingly thought that this great
work would be enough for one reign,
but he did not think so, nor did he i'm.
mediately begin II. He first took meas
uros to secure his frontiers, and make
treaties with all his neighbors. This
was to insure peace, so that his peo-
pie might be protected 10 the enjoy
ment Of the fruits of their labors.
Then he put his revenues in order.
so that there might be no financial
'ihH"i HooiA'iito III any vi MS uuuef-
takIngs Then he arranged the local
governments in all the divisions OF
his empire, so that the orderly occu.
pations Of the people might not be in
terferred with.
All this occupied four fun years.
Then he turned 10 the great work that
had been foretold for him. He not
only built the temple. but he built II
upon plans much larger and grander
In every way than his father ever
contemplated Then ne built his own
house, and the house of the cedars of
Lebanon, which was In fact a house
of Justice, and then he built cities
Among these was Tadamar the IA
nous Palmyra And these cities were
not built merely for the sake Of build.
ing nor To give employment to his peo-
pie, though doubtless this was one
purpose for in his time kings wara.
alone the only employers. lie built
for the purpose OF securing trade. The.
city OF Palmyra turned into his EN-.
pire the rich and prosperous trade of
Assyria, toward the West, and when ne
had thus secured this trade. ne BEGAN
To build ships and 10 extend his In.
huence 70 commerce ON the sea.
Il was near the end OF his long and
active and successful career that he
wrote the wise sayings ON which his
reputation for wisdom is now mistak.
enly supposed TO rest Into some of
these he condensed the results of his
own experience They were not mere
theories, They were something more
than the scinuuauons OF brilliant
mind. They were theorems demon. /
strated by ac,ual trials; proved by an. |
plication To the real business OF life
Ito had not observed the winds before
he began TO SOW, nor REGARDED mai
lclouds before he had reaped. Tie had
prepared wisely for AN his undertaE. /
ings, and once ready he had mind
neither for wind nor tide. Long and
continuous success in his undertak. /
ings had shown hat whatever other
obstacles remained were 10 be over.
come; and he must overcome them
and not wait for th2m TO disappear
Other great men than solomon have
expressed this idea and expressed II
we'll
Not only strike when the iron Is
hot but make it hot by striking" said
Cromwell
CarIysle said that "a word spoken IN
season, al the right moment is theI
mother of ages"
Opportunity has hair In front: be
hind she is bald Il you selzo her nv
the forelocG yon may hold her; but Il