Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-02-09
: for the present duty; the rest was In
the Almighty's hands.

TIC udHuS.
s. Great men for the most part have
been as simple-hearted as Solomon in
his prayer They placed the emphasis
not on what they wanted to do, but on
what they wanted to be; not on dreams
Of life. but on fitness for life. They
took the same ship, so to say, in the
beginning from which they disem-
,barked in. the end, though they were as
ignorant of the voyage: before them as
Solomon was. Of the coming events of
his reign. :, .<
There are many things we desire
ourselves # we make use OF this prin-
ciple... Solomon, for example, did not
asksf for long life; yet long life was
involved in wise and understanding
heart. The man who sets out to do his
duty in all respects should not trouble
himself about the number of his days.
Let him live the life, and. whether it
be long or short, it is life. But the
chances are that it will be long. It has
been noted in armies that the men who
are fussiest about living are frequently
the men who do not pull through.
Xenophon noted this fact more than
23OO years ago. In the Anabasis, we
recollect, when Clearchus and other
leading Greek Generals had been slain
in the tent of Tissaphernes through the
bad faith Of the Persians the Greek
army, in the heart Of the enemy's
country, was greatly discouraged.
Then Xenophon addressed the. army
in words like these: 81 have observed
this, o men, that as many as desire
to live by all means in military af-
fairs, these for the most part die cow
ardly and disgraced. But as many as
recognize that death is common and
necessary to all men, and strive to die
honorably, I see these, by some means
| or other. arrive at old age, and while
| they live live successfully"
/ The same truth applies to happiness.
Counters. and shelves are crowded with
books on happiness: '.The Art of Hap
piness,'' "How To Be Happy"-count-
less titles, ringing the changes on hap
piness. The pursuit Of happiness is the
quest of the day. Many people are
pounding the drum of happiness so
hard as to smash the. drum. The truth
! Is, only fitness for happiness brings it.
| A=man never caught it by running after
4 1t. 1T is:st rainbow, with its pot Of gold,
j that must come to us, and come when
we are interpreting it. The happiness
seekers are the happiness losers. The
man who achieves happiness is the
man who has aimed for something
higher. Think nothing about happi-
ness; only put your best into each
day of life.
! The- same thing holds true of repu-
tation. One of the things Solomon did
not ask was honor. It was enough for
:. him to be wise and Just. Wisdom and
justice were the highest sources of his
honor. For wisdom and Justice he is
reputed above all else. If day by day
we strive for the inward things from
which reputation takes substance anC
shapeliness, we need give ourselves nc
further thought about the matter
What men think of us will take care o1
itself. Growing plants do not givt
Z themselves concern over summer; the!
$: areSthe gift of spring to summer, ant
summer will take care of them. SO
living as we ought, we commit our rep
utation to God, whose presence ant
whose care are the real summer OF al
: good things among men. ....
= If Solomon informed his courtiers o
, his, request to Heaven they probabl.
/ ! told him that he had missed grea
t opportunity. They might easily hav
said: Wny OlO you not ask LOT rlcnes
: for vastly extended power and dc
| minion? How much better they woul
= have been than wisdom? We coul
t have furnished the wisdom" But th
} prayer was of the right sort. Iehova
= was pleased with it's modesty; and th
/ things that were not asked for were i
5 due time given. The surprise of lif
: often lies in the insignidconce of th
5 ! means to some great end. People !
0 the navy know that the smallest thin
e | connected with a great gun is the mos
indispensabie-the firing pin. This
!, gone. and the gun, SO to say, is on tn
s shelf. In the army one of the smalle:
i duties of the cavalryman is the ca
!, ing for his horse. There is an instane
. in history where cavalry that did tn
= duty we'll and cavalry that did it il
; otherwise equally matched, fought
!. battle. in which those who neglecte
q their horses were cut down almost
a man. Doors to great events swim
+ outward on little hinges. Art and re-
n gion. and education and war abour
with decisions and acts and incident
!" small in themselves as mustard seed
j. yet so growthful that great events al
It great deeds have come and lodged
4 the branches thereof.
Let us also treasure the words OF Il