Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-10-28
the AVERAGE MANS CUE


men-how Lincoln studied law by the
light Of a tallow dip. how Grant said
he'd right II out along that line II II
took all summer" and how Raphael
chiseled and painted his way into
immOrtality-what the boy of today
desires most To xnow u how the aver.
age man can come In under the wire
first. That's the race he's In. There
ara about l0.O00.0OO of US average
men In the steeplechase and the course
Is pretty well crowded with hurdles
and barriers. Not few average young
men are confident they would get
along faster II the pole were not
crowded with rich mems sons aud
other favored relatives u one sort VI
another. ANY man who pausss To
think knows that the very. very emil.
nent men were born with special en-.
d0wment.
In this great race. however. every
ounce Of pessimism Is an additional
handicap. Optimism In the winning
sign. Among the great mass OF aver
age men the one with the most cheer.
fulness has the best nerves and the
strongest digestion. also the most con.
tented mind and most peaceful con.
science. That he gets along the best
goes without saying. The critic cynic
and Crouch wear their welcome out.
II IL every mans duty 10 bring
pleasant front to his task. II he In
engaged In any occupation that re.
quires constant intercourse with
strangers he soon learns that II not
only q duty. but an absolute necessity.
A cheerful presence IL welcomed IN
almost any office even II there In
nothing to give. but the man who
wears the funeral bearing and feels
that the world is turning its back
on him needs to have whole lot Of
money II he expects to get along. be.
cause nobody wants to do business
with him.
The average man can learn the stor.
les Of the comparatively few great
men from history. II Is a pity h.
cannot specifically profit from their
lives But he cannot. He Ia taught
that sobriety, industry. vigor. In
tellect and that mystic quality called
genius pay. That pleases him some,
and in the sanctity Of his secret soul
he wonders sometimes. when his i'm.
agination Is aglow. II he. TOO. Is rot
an undeveloped genius. The chances
are he IL not. II your average man be
jolly. sensible. prae,'cai fellow he
will know that II 10 OF far more In
terest to him to learn how that chump
Smith mt old Skinf3igt Parksrts QRder
for big bill Of goods than who Alex
ander's fourth sweetheart was OF why
Senator Sorghum thinks It's fame to
buy his way into congress. The prac-
tical average man il . winner. He
Is even II he h q little beneath the
average In physical and mental en-
dowments. II he applies his portion
Of common sense to earning. until he
masters II, a business or craft. absorbs
all the education he can get from
books and men, learns all he can
never stopping -about the world he
lives In and the history Of the peoples
who lived in 1t before he came. he win
be doing his little part IN the grand
scheme, and will be . success. The
real success Is the health We maintain.
the good we do and the measure Of
content we enjoy as we go along. The
lazy man is never happy, and he can.
not be kept in rut where he will
rust, for his energies are always shoot
Ing forth and lighting the path before
him that his feet are to tread. Earn
estness. activity and sticking everlast.
ingly to It are bound to bring success
to any average man, and will make
tolerably great men OF a fair portion
Of us.