Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-06-28
BECAUSE THEY ARE Qulrreas.
shat Is the Reason Why So Many Bright
Boys Fall.
rCentralia (Mo.) Courisr.l

Centraiia (mo.) Courier.
What is the matter with the youths
of to-day? They ere bright |, they
are active; they can do things; they
know things; they are abreast of the
times. But only one in ten make a
success.
Take the boys of Centralia. Line
them up before our desk this Satur-
day night, 100 strong between the
ages of 16 to 20. Ah, they are fine
appearing lot of youngsters. Every
one of them strong limbed, robust,
well dressed, manly looking! Most
of them need an old fashioned
hair cut; some of their hands
are too soft; here and there a
vile cigarette smell clings to a
hr,ean form; possible half
dozen wear the hang dog look of
a sin hardened soul; dissipation mars
the beauty of few faces-but taken
as a whole you will not find 100 bet
ter clad, brighter, more promising
young men anywhere. We know
these boys like book. There is
scarcely one of them but what has
had or does have, more than an even
chance to win in the battle of life.
Schools, friends, an opportunity to
work, a chance to make start
these are the common legacies of all
and yet out of the 100 splendid speci-
mems of brain and Drawn that pass in
review before us this Saturday night
80 will go down in the gloom of de-
feat and only 10 will be crowned
with the apple blossoms of success.
Why is it that only in 10 sue
ceeds? Why, in this dawning hour
of the twentieth century with it's
marvellous privileges and wonderful
opportunities, do nine men out of
every ten failp What quantity do
they leave out of the equation of life
that makes "zero" the answer of the
problem? 1t is not brains it is not
energy; it is not capability; it is not
want of opportunity; it is not en-
vironment. What is it then? Force,
will power, determination, iron in
the blood and sand in the craw
Ours is race of white livered quit
ters. We won't stick. The old
Spartan spirit of heroic determine
tion is lacking. We need red blood
and grit.
Take the boys of this town lined
up before US. Call the roll on the
question of application and note
those who are doing hard, persistent
work. Not in 10. These 100 boys,
how we love them all I! How we
wish they all would win some merited
degree of success. They wart to
dress we'll, to live we'll, to have
good time, to smoke, to play pool
and cards and make merry while they
are young. They are cultivating
costly habits; they are spending all
they get hold of; they are sowing to
the wind. One of these days they
will wake up and find the harvest
past. How do you know2 The
same way you may know-open your
eyes and look around. The lesson is
printed in box car letters every-
where. Every successful man you
see is a man of force; every failure a
man of weak will and faltering pur-
pose. 1t is a hard doctrine we
preach, but true one-a doctrine of
privation, discipline, firmness, druid
gerry in youth, but at its end is the
golden crown of success. The lads
who crafty every whim now and
drift with the tide of pleasures in
youth will 60 down before the storm
of adversely when life's trials come
on. Only the hardy, resolute, self
disciplined can outlive the storms of
life and succeed.