Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-07-24
rlonterey, Va. Friday, Jaly74, 1905

the opportunities of life! Yet to
be ready for them is the secret OF
success.
1t is said that in one of the Greek
cities there stood long ago a statue,
every trace of which is now gone,
but there is still in existence an
epigram which describes it, and ne
who reads the words can discover
the lessons which the wise old
Greeks meant that the statue
should teach the passer-by. The
epigram is in the form of CONVEX
sation between a traveller and the
statue:
"What is thy name, 0! statue?o
Il am called Opportunity"
"Why art thou standing on thy
toes?"
"To show that l stay but mo-
ment."
"Why hast wings on thy feet?"
"To. show how quickly | pass
away"
"But why is thy hair so long on
thy forehead?"
"That men may seize me when
they meet me-
"Why then is thy head so bald
behind?"
"To show that when / have once
passed l cannot be caught"
We do not see such statues to
remind us of the passing opportun-
tiles, but we recognize that the
present day and age is a flood
tide" which ought to "lead on to
fortune" in many instances but
that the opportunities are being
neglected or wasted.
In thinking over this subject we
naturally have in mipd those young
men or boys whose inheritance is
nothing more than strong muscles,
good health, will and a desire to
be or do something.
No matter how high his aims or
aspirations, there is no power on
earth to stop him short of the goal
of his ambition if he possesses the
needed pluck and sincerity of pur-
pose, In fact, he will meet with
encouragement and help at every
step just as soon as men are con-
WINGED that his ambition is of that
holy, laudable sort which the world
is so quick to recognize.
1t is an age of almost unlimited
educational opportunities. While
it is true that a college education
is not essential to eminent success
along many of the most useful and
honorable lines or callings, yet the
poorest boy may aspire to any OF
the professions attainable only
through these higher channels of
learning and feel assured of sue
cess, if he wills it and perseveres.
1t may require more time than in
the case of favored sons; it may
call into play all his patience, tact,
and perseverance, but he can "get
there" in spite of fate or circum-
stances.
What is true in the premises in
an educational way is equally true
along industrial or commercial
lines. The opportunities that have
come to the wage-earners of High
land during recent years have often
been discussed, and the failure OF
so many to appreciate and improve
them has been a source of regret to
the sober-minded and those of ma
ture age. In thus citing a famil-
lar and local instance of this sort
of failure, the thought may be
made more impressive and perhaps
some one may be induced to "bout
face" and seize Time by the foress
lock.
The wages paid to day-laborers
along the border line of the two
Virginias during the past ten years
have been such as to enable the
average working-man, if he had
been so minded, to have accumu-
lated during that period the snug
sum of $1,000, with a handsome
little margin for incidentals. This
statement is based upon the pre-
sumption that such men are usual
ly strong, enjoy good health and
lose but little time, as many OF
them do. The large number who
have sought employment in the