University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-04-19
THE TRUE REWARD.

Iut lkt r. KEW AkD.
Lew Wallace once gave Il list a
what he thought To- he the six greatest
novels in the English language. Anon.
them hr included Dickens The Tale OF
Tw" Cities. /, i possible To read
most "f that book and not agree with
" allacr. IL i most difficult Ia read
the closing pages OF it and not agrc,
with him. In those last pages. Dick
ems has given u> Il picture Of Il sub
lime sacrifice. Sidney Carton gives uE
his life that the husband of the woman
he loves may not lose his Ii j. this
act that makes The Tale OF Tive
Cities one "f the >iN greatest novels
in our language.
And Vet i there enough in the rest
Of tn" story Ia make the sacrifice nccr>-
>ary and inevitable. What is the re
ward "t such Il service: Looked AT in
the way We generally consider service
ana reward. the sacrifice j. ont of pro
portion. In our usual terms of reward.
carton could have none. Hy his very
act. he goes ont of this life and hrvond
the reach "t the love and help and SYM
pathy that hi~ deed might elicit from
the woman he loves. We can not see
III hl> conduct any sign of hope for re
ward in the world-to- o-comr-anv amrli-
Grafton al the sins of this life Ii is
Useless To think that he hopes to turn
the wifr> love IL linn. because he gives
her back her husband and takes him
self away. Should he live and let the
husband he killed there would be
greater possibility ri taking his place.
Must We then conclude that there i
no lu>t reward for the man Carton and
that hi> sacrifice i hrynnd reason:
Ne. there i Il reward. good and sui
ticirnt. There i ample reward for the
living Carton. which does not Irtract
from the hcroi>m nf the man and his
deed hut which only adds tn the sub
llmity "f his character We see that
reward in the strength he lends Ia the
head chopped oil too: We >cr i, in The
calm. peaceful >rlilc tha, i upon his
face even after th" cuiil"tinr has done
il work. He finds hi~ reward in the
deed itself. The sacrifice i his true
reward.
And - il i in real life. The true re-
ward i in thr doing We may hope
hr doing something IL gain the esteem
and support of "ur fellow men We
may 'nd We may not. But if We do We
com" /" realize that il i> mot what we
thought il would be. and ii We have
no o,hcr reward. We are disappointed.
The uterior reward i failure. \ SHE
cr>>ful business man was encourarinr
a Young preacher. Il find" said he.
'that. after long wears Of struggle and
effort. the success II my business is not
:. very sufficient reward Those things
which have given me the most happi
ness are the things that have brought
their compensation in the doing" 1t
WAS Thomas Jefferson who said that
ran must look for his reward in the
inner feeling that COMES with the doing ,
n good and worthy deed.
Nor i this reward an insufficient one.
Il l. the reward that compensated Sid
ncy Carton for the giving of his life /
II l. the reward that has compensated !
lll those ur.,- mon II, ,n ,r.S ub,
have worked for some great good in I
he face ot continual di>couracement I
'nd defeat. l. i the spirit Of all for
orn hopes: it i> the Arrangement OF I
Ill defeats in righ, cau-s. In short. +
I l. the only reward that crowns et- 4
"rt. regardless of results.