The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1907-03-07
rs. (. ): z a.:ss sEa saIss
SATURDAY
NIGHT TALKS
( BYF. E. Dawson Rutland Vt.
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BEAUTY OF HTMDRUN.
EIarch 10, '07-(Gen. 16.12-25.)

dcrf1i t-vtiopmeut That day is
counted lost which does not bring to
US some new thing. The first thing
we ask on opening or eyes IN the
morning is, What's the news? and
unless there has been some prod1s~
ious exc ,tc-n2nt overnight. we are
disappointed. We have an appetite
FOR the sensational, aid Il multitude
OF servit0rs cater to our deprayed
taste. We Americans especially, are
acted for our love of the spectacular
All s-rEris:ng and our adherence
OF SLOW coach methods. In other
lands men take tina tu consider and
trcjde afterwards. We decide first
al consider afterwards. We have
Mt so many nlOss-grOWn ruins OF
buildings as the Old World, but the
country Is Strewn with ruined enter
Driscs fram one end 10 the other. We
have little use for horses that can
not trot il t"o minutes, and we an
ticirate the hour when we shall all
be able to fly. On the race curse OF
lie we DO net propose to take any
body's dust. We are the avant
couriers If al c9F;;',,:
and yet we should be a more sue
cessful nation if We had more of the
olI-fashioned graces, and were not
forever in a sweat about something.
It may be beneficial to consider the
career OF one who lived lie Of self
abnegati0n and repOSe centuries
ago. Isaac. the son CT Abraham, was
such & character # there ever waa
q nan who liTal : placid life he was
That man There Is seatceiy d ripple
en- the surface Of his career. From
his birth 10 his death there were not
incidents enough to make headl1ne
in modern newspaper. He was
commonplace man, an actor in no
great public events, yielding instead
Of standing up for Ills rights, as
meek as Moses. He was kicked and
cuffcd about by Ishmael in his youth,
vet he never struck back. He was
led to an altar OF sacrifice in his
manhood, and he uttered no protest.
Even his wife was selected for him
By his - Their, and ne took her for
hCttcr Or worse without cavil. He
was robbed by tAe Ph:listiHes of the
wells which his father had dug and
lie simply moved on to another place.
He was deceived by his own children
on his dying bed, set he gave up his
preferences without murmur. And
yet how much better it was for him,
In his everyday experiences and
pOsthumous fame, than as If he had
fought for his rights, everlastinglT
gQuabbled with his neighb0fo, tlared
up every time he was insulted,
struck out whenever his corns were
trod uopn, and burst his pickering
string in an effort to get even with
his enemies.
It does net always follow that the
man who makes the most noise in
the world is the most useful. Briga-
dieT-gcnerais look nice on dress pa
rade but when it comes to a battle,
the private soldier in dust-covered
khaki does the business. The cork
floats on the top of the wave and
foolishly imagines it is directing the
tide. 1t is possible to spread oneself
out SO thin as to be Of no use any
where. 1t does not follow that be-
cause ones name is in everybody's
mouth that they have reached i'm
mortality. The Weathercock on the
cupola thinks it is the whole thing
because it is conspicuous, it would
mt stay there Ions if it were not for
the mudsills.
The tendency has ever been to
scout the people who live the con-
monplacc life. They are looked upon
as having no ambition, no pluck, 10
desire to improve their condition. If
9 man Sriitten on one cheek don't
have force enough to knock down
/ his antagonist, we say he is lacking
IN grit, he has no spirit, he Will al
ways be the butt of ridicule. It
! seems a pretty hard thing to do, to
pull up stakes and move because you
are crowded by your neighbors, yet
it is not always the worst thing that
can happen to a man to be compelled
to move. In Isaac's case 1t proved to
+ be a blessing IN disguise. He kept
/ his temper, which was good for his
health. and he got the best OF his
. oppos9rs. He proved in that early
age that it is the meek and not the
bullies who shall inherit the earth
A humdrum, commonplace life,
who does not know what that means.
| Three-fourths of those who read
/ these words are living it. Nothing
ever remarkable has happened to
them, nothing ever will. They will
move through their little routine Of
life, until it Is finished without ever
doing anything heroic. Yet these are
TIE very lives that prove their worth.
It is the hardest task in the world to
live q life like that in an uncom-
planning. patient way. Anybody could
do remarkable things if the eyes Of
the world were on them, 1t takes
genuine manhood and womanhood to
BIO faithful to duty when nobody
sees. That life is not a failure which
stands in its place and fulfills its
mission. The locomotive goes snort
ing over the rails sixty miles an hour
and all eyes are fastened upon it.
but If it were not for the plain
rough, homely, wooden sleepers hid
den in the ballast of the roadbed
holding fast to duty, that magnifi-
cent engine would go into the ditch
Some people are engines and some
are sleepers, but both are essential
and equally valuable for the work OF
the world.