Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-11-11
Americas, Ga, November IL, 1909.
AMERICUS NEEDS A LEADER

AMERICUS NEEDS A LEADER
Americas needs a leader Did that
fact ever strike you If not, think over
the local situation and see if You do
not agree with this assertion?s
Not leader in politics. Heaven
knows almost every community suf-
| fers from surfeit in that direction.
Not leader in religious matters. 1t
has consecrated men and women
working along those lines and giving
an impulse to the spiritual life of the
community. But leader in business,
a man with such initiative powers that
he can infuse the spirit of ambition
and determination into the city at
large, one who is possessed of SUI
| ficiently great self sacrificing spirit to
give literally of his time and energy
and money to the work of pushing
Americas to the front and keeping it
there. A leader who can plan wisely
and broadly. who can carry conviction
with his words, who can diffuse his
own personal enthusiasm among those
with whom he comes in contact, one
who believes in the possibilities of
| Americas. and firmly believing in them
can make others believe and unEe
with him in materializing hopes into
concrete enterprises. This is the
character of leader Americas wants,
and it wants him badly.
There must be leaders in everything.
No army ever marched out to battle
without its leaders. No great enter
prise was ever projected and carried
through successfully without it's lead
ers. Every organization the world
over has those who are known as its
leaders. Without such men they are
helpless, impotent, unsuccessful. The
community is no different. It cannot
achieve without leadership The rud-
derless ship at sea is hardly more
helpless than the town without lead
er. The successful town is the one
that has a leader, recognizes his lead
ership. follows him, backs him up,
and under the impulse of enthusiasm
and confidence sweeps away obstacles
and marches on to industrial and bus
mess victories
There are men in Americas fully
capable of being leaders, men of
strength OF character, breadth of Wis
ion, abundance of energy, fxedness of
purpose magnetic of spirit-men who
possesses all of the qualities of leader
ship il they would but exert them, if
they would be only willing to make
the self sacrifices implied in leader
ship, to take on themselves the obliga-
lions of public duty even at some tenn
porary losses of time and money %
themselves. Leadership requires at
once the assertion of self, and the re-
nunciation of self, the assertion of the
powers that beget confidence and SYM
pathy and following, and the renun-
citation of the selfish personal interests
that clog progress and create suspie-
ion and distrust and drive away men.
Surely among the stalwart characters
of Americas business life there are one
or more willing to take the reins and
drive, willing to assume the initiative,
willing to give the propelling force,
willing to draw together the discou-
nected elements of the town, weld
them into one harmonious whole, and
make them an irresistible force behind
every project that tells for the future
good of the city.
The work of leader may be ardu-
Gus, but his mission is a grand one,
and the public recognition that ensues
is reward any man might aspire to
obtain. Is there not someone here
strong enough to play the part sue
cessfully, with native powers adequate
for the task of awakening Americas rs
it should be awakened, arousing
wave of enthusiasm among it's people,
concentrating and directing their en-
ergies, and insuring the future growth
of the city? 1t can hardly be believed
that plenty of such material is not at
hand. All that is needed is the will
lingness on the part of any one of a
half dozen who might be named to
subordinate self for time for the
good of the entire city.
Give Americas leader and we will
have the cotton mill, and we will have