The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-05-16

to start With than you had, but be
hung on until at last the financial tide
turned his way. Today he is one Of the
wealthy men Of this city. Then you
failed as life insurance agent Next
you failed as a book publisher Then
you failed as commercial traveller
You have failed at everything you
touched. Yet men no brainier than
! you who followed you have made sue
cesses in every one Of these lines. You
dug your foundations; you erected one
fourth, One-half, tWothirls, three
fourths Of your walls. Then you said:
LET the unfinished towers stand I
am too discouraged to climb any high
er. | will go and dig elsewhere
But I would not halt here. The COM
| plcted towers of life are due to grip
and grit. They are due to more than
! that Their foundation stones, their ex-
cavations. their walls, are builded by
character as we'll. Many a man has
had all the proper mental preparation
for life and perseverance enough In his
makeup to tear down a stone wall with
his bare fingers if it were possible for
him so to do. But, on the other hand,
many man has lost all simply be-
cause his character could not stand the
test Of truth and justice. No matter
how strong and stanch ship may be,
if it has no rudder that ship becomes
a plaything of every current and
To oil oh <ho
No matter how swift a locomotive, If
it has no Indicator to its boiler that
engine is momentarily in danger Of
blowing up. No matter how high the
walls Of tower lift themselves. If
those walls are not erected on a solid
base and in straight line they are in
danger Of topping over. What the rud
der is to the ship, the Indicator to the
engine, the plumb line to the mason
building the wall, character Is to man.
1t is his ballast, his sheet anchor, his
safety valve his protector, his all.
A Sad Example.
Let me illustrate my thought by the
sad and yet brilliant life Of one Of the
greatest statesmen England ever pro
duccd. Charles James Fox was one OF
the British house Of commons. At
twenty one years Of age he was ranked
among the ablest debaters and at thir
ty had not superior Or equal in all Ell
rope But, though at times he was the
most applauded man in Europe, yet he
never could win the confidence Of the
people. They admired his intellect but
they could not trust his heart. His
daily custom was to rise just in time
to stroll down to the parliament hou &.
'Thcre nightly" as contemporary
wrote, he would build up a chain OF
arguments for a bill he was attacking
greater and more powerful than any Of
his adversarics could forge Then he
would tear these arguments to pleces
as though they were cotton threads
Read his speeches on the Impeachment
Of Warren Hastings. Read his mas
terpiece ON the reflection Of Napo-
Icons Overtures.' After parliament
adjourned then would come round o.
debauch. Gambling with him was a
mad passion. lie was both spendthrift
and libertine. How can he guard his
kings finances" asked the people.
when he cannot protect his own peck
etbookY Charles James Fox had ev~
cry qualification to make himself the
political dictator Of Europe save the
single essential Of character, the lack
Of which destroyed his whole career
for practical good.
But you do not have to go back to
history to prove the truth of my state
ment that character IS one of the great
est builders Of the towers Of life and
that without true character those tow
ers are always left in a half coupe:cl
stage. Who was the most briii:ln;
young man Of your school days with
whom you were associated? Tall, hand
some, 1ne looking he was. Ills E.';,i.,
became perfect repository of f,'"t:
While you had to sweat AMI pl1l al .
groan over your studies he seemed / +
absorb his at a glance. On t.r ',,,,;;;;..,,
field or the baseball tii:lr:o.:.! he "a
the schools star ath!t.e. The g;".s q;
fattered him. The Young men ran d.;
err him. But no one c)t.il t.';!>:t Inn
He was not true man. oh" S;l> H..
world, "Winfred will 80 right t, &;
front in life. Success l., S:,re t, be his.
Was it? No sooner Lad lie !>it S>.'t !;
few years than his E:iiAr z 1t E:iXr.i III:
with some shady transact! )!iS. WEE
all his brains and ability, what hCra.E'
Of him? l know ana YOU E:!o". H.
dead now, suicide; or lie l.; i:v::ly
social outcast; or he is beg " IA
his way through lie. Oh. tn,
ruins OF the half co-il, :ictc.l
towers of life VIC sec every there
around us! These towers should huv'
been citadels for defense and 8 ...:,
They are mere dungeons for t..' wi
and the bats and the vcrnin or So. !,
inhabit
Fatal Gift.
But is there no direct lesson fco::.
this characterlcss tower for the Woilcn
as we'll as the men? How IL it. @
woman, with the most brilliant friend
of your childhood days? You see her
now, a perfect dream Of beauty. AS a