Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-01-02
DON'T LISTEN TO
SUCCESS oUACKs
BY John A. Howland

OF enueavor the probability Is that
an overwhelming majority of the
failures would point back as a cause
some mistake of judgement in their
youth
Il made a mistake in going into
this line OF work." is one of the sad
dest of all conclusions to be reached
by a man who feels that he is too
old to start anew in something at
which earlier in life he might have
succeeded. The situation is all the
more pitiable when the person so
discouraged has worked to the ut
termost to overcome those defects
and lack Of qualification which have
caused him to fail.
This leads up to the fact that at
the pres mt time there Is sno greater
quack in all the realm of medical
science than is that sociological
Quack who in so much of popular
current literature is penning his
"nortrums," through perusal OF
which his delpded followers are led
to believe that they are to master
the principles of success in life.
The extremes to which some of
these quack peddlers OF character
nostrums go challenge every princi-
pie of common sense. The young
man who would learn of these shall
low preachers Of success may have
the whole wide range OF human pos
sibilities from which to choose. He
may have the old recipe OF "early
to bed and early to rise" or he may
discover that six hours sleep Is quite
enough for any man. He may have
held np to him the necessity for So
briefly and temperance in all things.
or be shown that some of the great
est characters in history seldom were
without the influence OF liquor, while
they smoked tobacco in every wax
ing hour. He may read to his salts
faction that the only means TO sue
c1s is overriding every human and
inanimate obstacle that presents IT.
self, or have lined out for him that
quiet, considerate, studied sense OF
proportion in all things such as so
well has served thousands OF other
men,
For It is only after certain men
of these crtain tempers and tempera-
ments have succeeded that these So
Geological quacks discover why Il
was that these men did succeed.
Napoleon crossed the Alps because
the Alps were there and he was on
the wrong side OF them! Washing
ton crossed the Delaware TO get on
the other side. Under like oircum-
stances a thousand Bill Smiths and a
thousand John Joneses as easily and
simply might have gone down TO his
torlc fame. The opportunity and
above all the necessity both were
there. and without these neither Ma
poleon nor Washington would have
had chance for fame because OF
these feats.
Considering this chance military
reference, II presents. another point
OF view which the success quack Will |
find hard TO combat to the satisfac-
tion OF the most gullible constitu-
ency.
Suppose that somewhere in some |
OF the schools OF the country a gem /
lus I'm miiitarism should be discov-
cred today. Military tactics are this
young mans gift OF
birth. Old campaigners are dunn
founded at his taste and talent fori
war. They have been years study
Ing those things which To this young |
man seem to have been inherited.
Here. they say, Is the greatest poten-
tlal leader of military forces ever
discovered. II is decided that he
shall go To West Point for training, |
and he goes. But II at West Point
1t shall be discovered that this mem
tay military g-nlus Is only one inch |
under the stature prescribed by the |
regulations this young man will be
rejected.
II is nothing that he has a genius
for militarism. II is nothing that
he is the marvel of some of the great
est of living military men. IL is
nothing that he has an iron eonsti-
tuition. He is one inch too short!
Which ends that young mans hope
Of a military career as effectively as
II both legs were amputated at the
knee.
There are thousands OF cases akin
to thisin the history OF the military
and naval schools where the best
Of fighting material has been an inch