Mexico weekly ledger., 1905-02-23
TO Bull or rHs COB PIPE
ny Rclbcn, ssthor Of Reuben; His Book
written for The Mexico Ledger.

sign as president Of the g b. & @
while the other fellow got the over
ais and tine walking job Charli'
went up aud Bill never started. II,
pictured Charlie as be mUuated th'
ladder round by round and as ht
would lvok down on Bill he was still
nbreaking 90 a freight traiu at $50 I
month and smoking an old cjb pipe.
They cheered as Charlie got the ofict
chair with a screw in the seat anC
forgot about Bill who was still afoot
Here's TO BIZ. Here's 10 the fellow
that's got a Job and Is satisfied will
his j,b. Here's 70 the fellow thai
greases the wheels. Here's t. Bill Of
the cob pipe.
We don't need but one president q
a railroad but it takes a good many
men 10 move the cars. I've been %
the uain al night time when IL WOULD
stop at a terminal point, aud ! have
looked out and seen D man with .
greasy ace aud with dirty clothes on
as be stopped with lantern la baud
looking at the boxing on the wheels
and / have thought that that man
was just as important TO The railroad
as the president 10 a coy office at Chi
cage. The test Of the man is not who
smokes the two-bit cigarsand who the
cob pipe but who does his duty best,
1 don't like t. bear a speaker talk OF
high jobs and low jobs-al jobs look
alike TO me. A mas is a gentleman
according 10 what be Is and not what
he does A man may practice charity
In the role Of a Christian when in
reality 10 is the graft OF a h~ypocrite,
A man may be good and LOOK bad and,
yea, smoke ever a cob pipe You don't
have 10 b. a president OF a railroad OF
anything else To be a success A man
is a success when he produces more
than be consumes.
Do | decry idealsg No, 40, far from
it. The beautiful life, the perfect
life, the character for all eternity, the
spiritual things; these are the only
things worth while. / would hold ul
the high ideals Of kindness, brUtheflJ
love, knowledge, culture, wisdom,
character, and every thing good, anc
! would declare that these things will
bring the Kingdom of Heaven t
hand. These are not to be the car
sheaf virtues OF The few who get The
plum pies of life, but for him who doe
bis daily duty and has a moment tt
spare for himself and comrades.
would preach the doctrine OF self i'm
provement and let self elevation TAX
care OF itself! Too many are chasing
the clouds who ought to be carrying
water. Instead OF hitcbing your wag
on TO a star, 1 would say, back 1T up Il
the barn and fork 1t full of manurl
that two blades of grass may com
where one used to grow.
But back to Bill. Maybe Bill WASH
SO bad and maybe Charlie wasn't s.
good. Charlie held the president
job, wore patent feathers, and smoked
what he pleased. Bill was breaking
on q freight, vas rough shod, anC
smoked a cob pipe as a side line. Bill
couldn't have operated Charities jol
and Charlie couldn't set the brake
like Bill. Nature made the majority
Of us for Bills job A bunch OF beel
need but one queen, but many littl,
ones must hustle In the juice from tn
flowers IL the honey is made. On
Napoleon was enough but he needed
thousands to pull the triggers. A
master mechanic a launch the plan
and belt the wheel but the wheel
won't turn unless Bill is at the engine
house ~shoyeling In coal The world Il
a big grindstone, and every man Il
trying TO sharpen his knife first, /
you happen to get your * on aheaC
and you glance to n side and see Bill
turning your grindstone, don't lOol
down IN or laugh at Bill, even IL be Il
smoking a cob pipe, for Bills Jol
makes your job.
The crime against Bill was breaking
on a freight train at $50 a month wher
he could have gone up with Charit
and have been a railroad president
and a frenzied tinancier. Maybe be
could and maybe he couldn't. Maybe
Bill was in his place and Charlie il
his. We are born in different shapes
You can't take a round head and
make it into a long one. Nor can you
make an electric light out OF a flint
rock. Every rat to his hole. Out on
my wife's farm, where | stay, there are
some dogs One dog can manage a
whole flock Of sheep, and another is
just as good o. rats. When | ship
sheep | take Carlo and when / go for
rats l take Holy Smoke. Farmers
have more rats than sheep, aud so one
dog can manage the sheep but it takes
a good many dogs to run the rats
When the Lord made rats He made
rat dogs little SO they could get in the
holes. Just so when God made SO
many little things for people to do in
the world He made the people to TT
the places.
Bill was blamed again for not stay.
ing with Charlie and going through
the schools. Now there is where In
my opinion Bill saved his character.
From all reports Bill wasn't cut out
for an education, and II it had been
rammed down him any way it might
have untitled him for breaking on a
freight train and put him on the road
hunting for a job that he didn't want
As IT was Bill was worth $50 a month.
Education is alright IL 1t don't make