The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1907-10-10
MEN OF POWER.

MEN OF POWER.
It cannot be said that men of power are
always sincere and honest, but they are
invariably actuated by strong purposes,
and to a greater or less degree reconcile
their consciences to their conduct. Thus
they, at least, appear to themselves to be
right in what they do, and acquire that
confidence in themselves without which
thew would be weak and irresolute. Power
in man has been represented as both
strength and force-one being typified by
the oak, the rock or mountain, the other by
the cataract, the tempest or the thunder
bolt. Jules Grevy was man of strength;
he possessed resisting force like the oak;
Danton's power was of different nature.
It was destructive force like tempest.
A strong nature becomes dangerous unless
guided by both conscience and sympathy.
Burke says: "All persons possessing any
portion of power ought to be strongly and
awfulIy impressed with an idea that they
are to account for their conduct in that
trust to the one great Master, Author and
Founder of society," This relates to
temporal power, but applies with equal
force to that strength of character which
makes man of power, though he may
hold no office and have no authority. He
holds his personal qualities in trust and
should use his Influence over men with
justice and consideration. Hazlett took a
very wrong view of this subject when he
wrote 'Want of principle is power. Truth
and honesty set a limit to our efforts which
impudence and hypocrisy easily overlap"
Although instances in the lives of individ-
ual men might be cited to give support to
this assertion, the exact opposite would
appear to be more nearly the fact if the
worlds progress should be considered.
The very title-a man of power-suggests
to the mind soldier or ruler of men, but
modern history teaches that there are other
men of power besides those who are found
on battle fields or thrones, and these men,
whose type is the oak, have successfully
resisted the soldiers and made possible the
steady advance of the world in civilization.
1t may be true that the men of power with
whom history used to deal so exclusively
were marked by want of principle, but they
were less influential in the long run than
the men of power who were guided by
truth and honesty. What is true of the
men of history, upon whose course and in
fluence we can look back with understand
ing, is true also of the men who are now
making history, but of whose conduct we
are less fitted to judge. Those whose
power has been gained by self-mastery
and by efforts to advance humanity, though
they may not attract as much attention as
the aggressive men of power whose con-
sciences have been blunted or who are
without sympathy for others, will never
theless prevail in the contest that is always
going on between the two forces. A glance
at society as it is organized to-day will
show, perhaps, a few strong men in each
community pushing themselves upward,
with little regard for others-endeavori
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ambitions, and reckless as to the means
they employ. But they are insignificant
in numbers and in influence when COM
pared with the men of power who are guided
by conscience and love of truth and
honesty, and whose efforts are directed to
the elevation of humanity, the relief of
distress and the protection of all the people
from those who would debase or plumber
them. Consider the institutional and social
activities of a great city. Those that make
for good are vastly greater than those that
make for evil. But we are not accustomed
tolook uponpatient missionaries and teach
ers and philanthropists as men of power
They are not so aggressive as the politi-
clans, who in our day and generation take
the place of the soldier element of former
ages. And yet for real power we must
look to those who are guided by conscience
and sympathy, who are steadfast in faith
and who are strongly and awfully i'm
pressed with an idea that they act in trust. -
Contemplating the history of humanity as
whole and the utmost steady development
that has taken place in civilization, it is
clear that the selfish, the false, the brutal
have given way before men of greater
power, who loved truth and honesty and
fair dealing.
AN INCIDENT, AND HISTORY.