Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-12-04
SUCCESS OF THE
TRUE PLODDER
Men Without BriIIianCe Make
Success by sticking
at II.
SOME ILLUSTRlOuS EXAMPLES

Arago, the great French astronomer,
tells us that he became so discouraged
/. : cha str6v of pIs- ttematics that he
almost resolved to abanuU1. US e
fort. He was just about ready to give
up when he happened to notice some
thing written or printed under the
paper binding of his book. He un-
rolled the leaf and found that 1t was
D'Alembert. The letter said: go on,
sir. go on! The difficulties that you
meet will resolve themselves as you
advance. Persevere, and the light
will dawn and shine with increasing
clearness upon your path" This strik-
ing passage made an impression upon
the young mathematician's mind
which he never forgot. 1t was a per
petual spur to his ambition, and came
10 him just in the nick of time. He
resolved then and there that he would
surmount every difficulty, that he
would become a great mathematician
himself. He frightened his grip and
urged himself on until fame took him
up and told the world the story Of
n of the greatest astronomers of his
time.
General Wilson told the writer, says
the narrator of this in Success, that
he was invited 10 dine at the WhiteI
House only ten days beforeNLincoln's
assassination, and in he evening
they occupied a box in the theater.
Mr.. Lincoln, as usual, paid very little
attention to the play, as he said he
went to the theater to get rid OF Of
flee seekers for a few hours. Accusing
himself on this occasion from an APP
parent nap, he slapped General VIII
son on the shoulder and said, 81 want
to tell you a story about Grant and the
mule. When Grant was a youngster,
the circus came to his town, and he
went to the tanner and asked him for
a ticket. Thebhard headed tanner re-
fused him, so Grant, doing he next
best thing Gas | did MYSELF crawled
under the tent. The ringmaster had
an ugly mule, which no one could
ride, and offered a prize of a dollar
to any boy who could ride the animal
round the ring without being thrown
off. Quite a number of boys tried it
without success. Finally, young Grant
ventured out from behind the seats,
where he was viewing the show, and
said to the ringmaster, I'D like to try
that mule All right said the ring
master, and Grant got on and rode
nearly round the ring, but was finally
thrown ove the animals head. The
boy got up threw off his coat, and
said, Let me try that again This
time he got on with HIS back toward
the head of the animal and chung with
all his might to the tail, and in spite
of all the animal could do, held on
and won the dollar. Now" said Lin
coin, Grant will do the same at Rich
r,DpA He will hong ON He will
never give up. He will try again, and
again, until he succeeds"
Hanging on was one of Grants
strong points. He did not know how
to let go. He would keep pegging
away, no matter what were the OBJ
s~tacles, until he triumphed.
The race is to the plodder. | have
in mind several very brilliant gradu-
ates of last year and years before,
who promised a great deal, and of
whom friends predicted great things,
but somehow they have disappointed
all expectations, simply because they
lack sticking qualities. They were
good scholars, and they imagined be-
cause they ranked high in college,
that they would rank high in life,
without great effort. But they lack
the hanging-on quality. They do not
realize that, in practical life, the race
is to the plodder, and not necessarily
to the swift. That is why so many
brilliant class leaders are disappoint-
ments TO their friends. The chain is
no stronger than its weakest link, and
lack of perseverance is a fatal de-
f~iciency that nothing else will supply.
Perhaps the greatest secret of sue
cess in life is due to those sticking
qualities. Grip conquers the world
the faculty of sticking and hanging on
when everybody else lets go. 1t is
the five minutes more which wins the
battle-the logged perseverance. the
determination of never giving up until
death or victory comes.