Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-05-14
Self-lmprovement.

pertS whose eyes are. directed toward
the tournament for the worlds cham
plonShip, is the most fascinating of
sports for intellectual men. Herbert
Spencer is credited with Wtll-knOWn
remark to a shallow youth who could
play pretty well. The philosopher had
been playing Il rather exciting game
with the inconSequential person. and
the good practice" of the STRIPPING
had trumphtd over the crude
game of the towering intel
lect. Sir" said the great man
billiards, TO play good game of bill
lizards is the mark Of a wel-rounded
education; to play too good game is
evidence of an ili-spent youth
The point of this incident. apart
from the fact that sagcs may be bad
losers, is that practice and effort will
produce striking results even where
the material is poor
Billiards attracts a certain east of
minds not merely because il is a beau
tiful and interesting game in itself,
but because il is conSpcuouSly
game in which actual skill founded on
natural ability and practice, counts
for everything, ANA where chance is
reduced to the very minimum.
If the youth of the land in playing
the game of life We're to follow the tao
tics of the marvellous billiard players
who have attained distinction, they
would in almost every instance make
their marks in the world Billiard
players say little about hard luck, or
, ~ IL MI FIT. NJ.
ditions which confront them; they dc
pend on constant practice and unre-
hitting effort at self Improvement.
But the effort and the persistence
must be there.
Readers Of kingsley'S Water Ba-
hieS" will remember the episode OF
Tom and the LobStcr'-the real deep
water lobster that was caught in the
fisherman trap or lobster pot" The
fell sea otter, implacable foe to Tom
and his cruStacean friend, appeared ON
the scene and proceeded to rob the pot
with murderous intent The offers
head Went in the opening above, and
The lobster, under the prompting of
Tom. seized the otter by the head, and
after Il furious struggle drowned the
marauder. The fisherman from above
| was hauling at the pot with lobster,
otter and all. Tom thought ii WAS
time to quit, ana adjured the lobster
| to let go. but the lobster would not.
1t held on like grim death, and when
| the fisherman grabbed for the prey the
| lobster struggled to escape, and did
pitch into the sea again. but il lett
| its claw behind it, Tom asked the
lobster why he never thought
Of letting go. lie said very
| dctcrminrdly that 1T was a point ui
honor among Holsters" And 50 it is.
| The determination ANA the capacity
| To hold ON and to make neVer-cnding
| effort are the great secrets of sue
| cess in Self-Cuture, advancement, indi-
| vidual self-fmprovcment ana growth
| Of every kind. 1t is Il mistake to tell
| all young men that they can ''achicvr
any heights by trying" because diff
| ferent men have different capacities.
An admirable book known now the
world over is Samuel Sunless "S;rIf-
| Help" but the author was too en-
| thuSiaStic. His object. which cannot
| b." too highly commented. was to con
vince MS that no door is closed to effort
ana labor. Milton, Sir isaac Newton,
Burke, Michael Angelo, Abraham
Lincoln and. in Il word, nearly all the
| most famous geniuseS of history are
held up as examples of hat may he
attained by labor, ana the IMPRESSION
is left on the reader that if every
artist only works hard enough hr can
learn to paint like Michael Anlrlo. or
that any man. if he be rs Studiuus as
Milton or as persistent us oliver tr0m-
well, may set Tie W.vld ON fire like
them.
All careful men know better than
that. Hrredity counts ion much; cnvi-
rormcnt Influences destiny. Onc man
is born with tremendous nervous ana
mental energy; has a larg" heart ANA
Il mighty frame, and moral tendencies
which exert their force all his life to Il
certain extent. Another comes into the.
world With a feeble equiv mcnt and his
surroundings i'll his early years. over
which he has had not the slightest con-
troll, play their mighty part in making
the man; but. without overStating the
case for patient and constant cndcavor
it is apparent that the difference be
tween any mans worst and his own
man III 4 thousand years has the ma
tive power ana The opport unty which
Abrah ham Lincoln possessed ana used
to the admiration of the world. but if
men of only the most mediocre talents
We're to cultivate ;heir powers as
Lincoln did his this would b. a different
country.
But how are they to be got t. make
the effort ana to believe that effort is
Of use, or even to wish to make the
effort. That is a question asked by
some of the strongest and most acute
thinkers Of this time. The first step is
TO believe in ones self and IL accept
the gospel Of the fruitfulnesS Of effort
The ancients had Il maxim about self
reverence which is thus amplified by
Milton
The pious and just honoring Of our
selVeS may be thought the radical
moisture and fountain head from