The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-10-11
SETTLE YOUR PROBLEMS
WITHOUT OUTSIDE AID

The other night l went to see a
play in which a weak willed husband
who for years has been under his
wife's thumb" has been in the habit
during all those years of asking any
one and every one what he would do
if he were in case similar to his own
81 say, old chap, would you be ciph-
err in your own house?" he is con-
stantly asking in pathetic tones.
And his various friends do their
best to enlighten him as to the steps
they would take to remedy matters,
The poor man conscientiously tries to
bring about a change in the existing
condition of things, but he is far too
weak to do anything of the sort. So
he merely makes loud voiced protests
which are absolutely without effect,
for he hasn't sufficient will power to
choose a way of his own for bringing
about the desired change, but sets
about trying to bring it to pass in the
way he thinks his friends would do.
And that's just why he fails; he has
asked other people what they think
he ought to do, and is so engrossed
in trying to do it according to their
way that he never has found out a
way of has own. If he had, he no
doubt would have successfully man
aged to assert that those who depend
on others to mark their path for
them can never make much impress
sion upon life.
After all it's great thing to have
will of your own" and a greater
thing still to have sufficient deter
mination and perseverance to be
able to cary out that will in your
own way.
True most of us have been told
from our youth upward that it is
shocking thing to like to have your
own way. But is it after all? For
surely the only alternative is to adopt
some one else's way; and what can
be harder-and often more unproflt-
able-than that? 1t means that the
infinitely difficulty task of trying to
understand the various personal in
clinations of some other individual
and the thousand subtle causes which
determine that individuals actions;
and to what end?
Perhaps our own way" may not
be specially good one, and may, in
deed be "a poor one in the abstract,
yet, being our own, it has as much
better chance of success than an at
tempt to go about things in some
otner persons way, even if that way
be better than our own.
And here lies the magic of success;
to believe in ones own powers and
ones own way of using those powers
If we go about the world asking all
and sundry for advice, and blindly
endeavor to follow that advice, with
out stopping to look at matters from
our own individual standpoint, and
acting in our own way, we merely
shall go through life in such a stumb-
ling. chaotic fashion that in the end
we shall achieve nothing.
There is some definite path in life
marked out for each one of us to fol-
low, but we cannot any of us hope to
carry out our life's destiny by leav-
ing the shaping of our course to
others. If we would accomplish
anything worth doing, we must find
out for ourselves what our lifes work
should be, and not only find it out,
but brace up to our energies to car
ry it out and not be led aside from
the straight course because other peo-
pie think they have discovered some
better way" than our own by which
we can accomplish our life's purpose
| Matthew Arnold tells us that true
knowledge is to "know the best that
has been thought and said in the
world" and the nearer man OF
women approaches to such know.
ledge the more the more conscious
does he or she become that their own
chievements-in whatever sphere
they may be-fall far short of what
is really lasting and great. All real
ly great" men and women feel the
truth of this, and, as their knowledge
extends, their power of seeing theil
own limitations increase.
Not long ago l heard a woman
talking to certain celebrated violin
list.
How long do you think it takes tc
learn the violin?" she asked
The great man smiled.
"Ah. madam" he said, 81 have
been learning all my life, and now
am just beginning to realize that
cannot play!"
There was no egoism here He
was wonderful player, but, as his
knowledge had increased, SO had his
realization of things he had to learn
He did not say; 81 can play splen
didly now; there is no more to learn
Rather did he say: 81 have grown
humble, and seek to learn the thing!
| do not Lnouy -