The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-04-28

/ lie had neither money, nor ships, nc
friends. Nobody believed; all rid
culed him; some even insulted him
But wrapped up in those glorious Wis
ions which could only come to ma
Of superlatiye genius, he determine
to overcome the difficulties, and as
think Of him wandering from city I
city, country TO country and court I
court seeking the means with whicl
I TO test his notion Of a water route L
the East Indies, it seems to me that
see the most persistent man that grace
the centuries Of the past. Finally up
on the reception Of aid he hastene'
from his Spanish hills to the sea shOrl
where he yiewd the Atlantic with IL
angry waves and its hOarse voice which
responded to the spirit Of storm whicl
seemed TO hang over 1t. Finally IN
set sails TO cross that dark and mys
ferrous body Of water. AS he sailed
hope rose and fell, terror and dismay
seized upon his crew, but unappalleC
Columbus sailed on due west until hi
observed during the darkness Of nigh
a Pickering light upon the western
world. Next morning when the SUI
had leaped above the watery horizon
Columbus found himself in the midsI
Of a soft and genial climate, with Sc
rene sky and a sea as still as an inland
lake There was spread out before him
the long sought land covered with
trees. shrubs and flowers rObed in
spring time colors and Onamented
with birds Of every variety ofplumagt
and insects glistening with every color
Of the Rainbow.
Upon this western paradise Column
bus landed i'm great pomp and planted
the emblem of our redemption. And
now. who wonders that such triumph
ant perseverance placed his name up
ON the armament Of history as star
which has steadily increased in bright
ness until il has become fixed star OF
first magnitude i'm the constellation of
the great lights Of modern times.
Men of perseverance know at what
they are aiming and work toward ii
like Hercules. Winds and tides,
mountains and valleys make no pre-
tentions 10 being considered obstacles
i'm their pathway, for obstacles are to
them, but new incentives TO action.
Difficulties cannot stop them, for while
others are lamenting that difficulties
prevent their success, these men trans
mute difficulties into strength, and
turn temporary failures into stepping
stones upon which to reach ultimate
success. See yonder sits poor youth
on whom nature has failed to bestow
any Of her rare gifts. lie is weak of
body, insignificant in form and Sub
jet Is fits Of dependency. Surely ma
ture did not design him for an orator.
But see the suffering, shruggingyOuth
as he arises and attempts to address
the populace Of Athens in the forum.
What a miserable failure he makes of
it. How the crowd jeer and laugh
him to scOm until he ceases But
watch him as he leaves the mOcking
crowd. See that stern look on his
face. That indOmitable will within
him has asserted itself See him again
as ne stands by the sea-shore shouting
at the roaring waves in order to accus-
tom himself to the angry roar of his
fellow citizens voices. He speaks
hour after hour with pebbles in his
mouth 10 cure his stammering. Day
after day he gesticulates with sword
points at his shoulders to break that
awful habit Of Struggling. He is de
termined TO be an orator. His fellow
men must recognize him as such, and
they did for by and by he re-entered
the forum and addressed the populace
Of Athens, and with his swaysive ges-
lures and thunderOus voice he "mOv-
ed the masses as the wind moves the
forest leaves and they raptuously
him with the palm as king
Of orators a title which twenty-odd CEN
turtles have been unable to take from
the brow Of Demosthenes Of Athens"
\ little over a century and a half
ago a poor orphan boy stood upon a
slight knoll from which he could view
one Of England's loyeliest landscapes.
The villages, the magnificent parks Of
ancient oaks and elms, the pastures
with their herds Of cattle and deer,
and the fields Of waving grain were
all spread out before him. There was
the river winding its way down the
valley which appeared to the boy like
u NllNtI IlhUOu tdlNlt0Hll AAlbM ~ hpWh
among the green and wooded hills
which rose one behind the other until
they grew faint in the distance, and
the white houses down the valley yon-
der appeared as scattered pearls in
setting Of emerald. The poor grand
father by whom the boy stood, said,
"My boy at one time all that magnif-
cence belonged to your ancestry, but
now il is LOST No wonder the boy
was sad-nO wonder the hot tears
gushed into his eyes. But presently
his expression frightened. His little
muscles seemed to stiilen into steel.
He turned to his grandfather and
proudly exclaimed "Grandfather, ]
,CW net be master of that vast estate
lowered in front of him
but these he trampled under the pom
ierous foot Of determination and pass
I'd on toward his goal. He grew up
10 be a brilliant young man-mOved To