The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-04-05

Jared two hemispheres. His fate
more than any others has been my
safeguard. / have climbed to the pin
nacle where you find me tonight, but
here | halt. Let me become candi-
date for congress and my goose would
be cooked inside of sixty days.
We now touch upon the case of Alex
ander the Great. Up to the age Of
ten he was considered weak in the
top story, same as | was, but from
thence on he led the procession. He
wasn't yet twenty five when he held
the reins of government during his
fathers absence. He wasn't thirty be
fore he was at the head of an army
and walking over everything in sight.
1t was no trick at all for him to take
$4,000 men and march 500 miles away
and add new country to his own.
Politicians at home tried to put him
in hole, and enemies in the field of
fered big sums for his scalp, but he
got them all under his foot in time
and stood OH hill and looked around
for more worlds to conquer.
Right there is where Q. Hope Jones
would have put his money into bonds
and gone out into the country to live
the rest of his days in peace. Alex
ander didn't do so, however. He
thought the top of his tree was still
a mile higher, and up he went That
is, he went to developing theories and
making a laughingstock of himself,
and about the time he brought out the,
theory that drinking tadpoles in well
water made nation warlike he was
taken with the chickenpoX and yielded
up his life.
One more case. Christopher Column
bus discovered America. 1t was big
thing to do at the time. won't even
60 as far as to say that Q. Hope
Jones would have cared to undertake
it without being guaranteed from finan-
cial loss. No one believed that there
was anything on this side of the Allan
tic ocean worth picking up, but Column
bus had an idea in his head, and he
worked for years to carry it out.
A less enthusiastic and persevering
man would have been discoura ged long
before he finally sailed from the shores
of Spain. We know the result. He
went to the top with a bound. When
he reached home he was such q big
gun that even the king and queen were
jealous Of him and felt like taking him
down a peg or two. Columbus was
honored until even aldermen took off
their hats to him, and he was enriched
until he was able to buy -four by the
barrel and mutton by the quarter.
He had the game all in his own
hands, and several parties stood ready
to sell him nice little farms at reason
able figures, but he couldn't be salts
fed to let well enough alone. He want
ed to discover something or somebody
else, and he sailed again and made such
failure of it that his proud heart was
broken, and he retired to obscurity to
pine away and die.
My friends, l could go on for hours
citing cases to prove that there Is a
time to climb up and time to let go.
Rise above your fellow men, but don't
try to get up among the angels. Begin
early in life to look for a good thing
and when you have got your hands on
it have the sense to stop there and ap-
preciate it. 1t Is the man who signs
and strives for three or four good
things who will end in getting none at
all.
will now pass around the hat for
the usual collection, and should the
sum exceed 20 cents 1 shall take great
pleasure in setting aside a portion to
endow hospital or library. You may
never see me again after l disappear
in the direction of Bebee's Crossroads,
but forget not my watchword, Hang
on to good thing" even if it happens
to be case of measles.