Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-27
Sunday Morning Talk.
The Challenge Of Hard Tasks.

They always give me the hard Jobs"
The speaker was q workingman who for
the last eighteen years has been engaged
In the monotonous and difficult work OF
drilling wells. Those who know anything
about this occupation understand that II
is tedious and often difficult employ
ment. fraught with the liability Of losing
tools and subject to frequent Interruptions
when unforeseen obstacles arise. But this
man has SO mastered his business that he
is always sent for in preference to all his
mates in a large gang when things go
wrong or conditions become exceptionally
serious His words as here chronicled
might seem to the reader Of them a COM
plant, but as I heard the tone and saw
the look on his face realized that here
was a master of his trade. manifesting q
perfectly 5ustifiable pride in his own ca
pacities.
Would that hard tasks were always thus
received and thus relished! But this age
Is prone to look for easy Jobs. Most OF
us want more wages. more leisure. a soft
snap" But after all. the honorable posi-
tions are the hard positions. Take for ex-
ample the highest Office to which any
American might aspire-the presidency OF
the United States How delightful to be
a candidate, to be constantly in the lime
light. to see your name oft repeated "
every newspaper. But there never Naa
time when the task of being President
was SO hard or involved such heavy Ne.
sponsibilities. The men who at this mo.
ment may be expecting to be chosen prob
ably realize the seriousness Of the task
and the thought of it sobers as wen as
inspires them. an Iiis
All who would live worthily face din.
cult work. II they do not find It at the
office or factory they will find II at home
or In school or In the community. The
vk1@ rlAssa
in truth and righteousness, the scholar
who would stand high In his class, the
teacher who would lead along backward
and hayward pupils. the citizen who
would put an end to municipal cotruptioh
and ring rule-all these have committed
unto them hard jobs and they SHOULD
glory In them rather than lament, -
Still more important is It to perseyers
until the hard task becomes measIrablS
easy. until the complicated problem n
approximately solved. We all are In dan.
ger or becoming cutters. or Of being AZ
verted from the dinicult things. In that
respect we differ from the late Gen. Arm
strong. the founder Of Hampton Institute,
IN Virginia. Said fellow general re.
garding him. For most people an obstacle
IS something In the way to stop going on,
out FOR Gen. Armstrong 1t merely meant
something to climb over. and II he could
up as high as possible and then crow"
sound counsel 1t was that President
Roosevelt gave the other day to the vic.
tors returning from the Olympic = lmes In
London: Enjoy being heroes for ten
days and then settle down again to work.
Don't let me meet any Of you twenty
years hence in a seedy condition, with no
other title to hand than that cnce you
took part in the Olympic games Ge
Yes. II Is easier to be q hero once than
a true earnest worker all the time. But
far better than the short-lived applause
Of the crowd is the consciousness that one
Is doing steadily. week In and week out
the hard Job assigned to him. -;
THE PARSON.i: