The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-25

of DR.. Smiths address was "Individ-
/ ual1ty. In prefacing his remarks he
| pleasantly referred to the work of
wheel as told of by President Din
Widdie and said the longer the spoke
! the greater the tire. but that his
! spoke" would be only about twenty
minutes long and he did not expect
to tire his audience
Then he began his address by refer
! ring to "A poem "Tomlinson" by Rud-
yard Kipling. which he described as
one of the most vivid of that vivid
writer. He gave a synopsis of this,
which is brief is that Tomlinson dies
and appears for Judgment at the bar
of st. Peter and then at the bar of
Satan. ST. Peter finds that Tomlinson.
though he has done a few good deeds,
has always done them through the in
| fiuence of some friend or comrade
never on his own initiative. Satan
finds that Tomlinsons sins. though
many. are all either negative or Dor
rowed. The result is that Tomlinson
is declared unfit for heaven or hell,
and is remanded back to earth to live
his life over again, and not to be an
echo.
Having told this the speaker said
II do not know whether it is true that
Satan abhors a lack of individuality.
but | do know that the architect Of
dividuality upon all the works of his
hand. 1t is said that nature abhors
vacuum: God and nature abhor a
oclorlesS. yielding, Observation-Disclosures
individuality. Look out upon nature
There are no two seasons alige, no Two
days alike. no two hours alike; there
are no two animals alike; there are
no two trees, shrubs. flowers or leaves
alike. Why? Because no two leaves
have the same function to perform.
Each is differently related to trunk
and stalk to sunshine dew. wind and
rain. The scientist says that differ
ence of form is due to difference of
function"
Then the speaker applied this to the
human by saying "Translatng this
great law into terms of human life we
say that one person differs from an
other person because no two persons
have exactly the same role to play
in life. individuality means, there
fore. conservation to duty. to Service,
to distinctive duty and to distinctive
service. l plead. young ladies. for the
fullest and widest development of your
own individuality. Be yourself: don't
try to be anybody else. If there is any
copying or initiating to be done, let
others come to you. Don't merge your
individuality in any organization, So
ciety, or institution to which you may
belong. Your individuality is your tall |
ent of talents. your most sacred and
serviceable treasure. Your pathway |
through life will be resultant OF two
and only two forces: Your own in
dividuality on the one hand your
surroundings on the other hand. OIL
these two. the first is Infinitely the |
more important. l have no sympathy |
with the current form of philosophy |
which holds that we are the helpless |
products of our environments"
"Individuality." declared DR.. Smith.
lis not merely the difference between |
one man or woman and another. 1t |
would be idle to say that We owe a |
special training to those qualities that |
differentiate us from all other persons. |
Your individuality is the sum total OF
all those traits, impulses. and poten- |
tialities, whether mental or moral or |
temperamental. that make YOU what |
you are. Each child brings into the |
world with him new force which con- |
stitutes it's selfhood or personal iden- |
tity or individuality. The first and |
highest duty is to train this force. This |
is the primal law both of Christianity |
and of Democrac-
Remembering now that individual |
ity is something to be ceaselesslY de- |
veloped. let us look at some of the |
disciplnes or faculties by which it may |
best be conserved and strengthened.
THE first is the faculty of concen-
tration. Concentration is not only the |
acid in which life's daily problems |
are soluble. it is also the cutting edge |
of individuality. You must concen- |
trate to win success. to get the true |
individuality
"The second is the faculty of belief. |
Knowledge is not power. but convic- |
ton is Are we not losing the power
of eblief? / refer not primarily to |
religious belief but to that quality of |
mind and heart that not only thinks |
about men and things but that at |
some time at least crystallizes into |
belief convictio- that will stake life |
itself on the issue.