The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-12-23
DORMANT FACULTIES.
Support for Adam Smiths Saying That
The Philosopher Is Often Hidden
IN the Plowman."


in the Plowman"
Or Madison G.. Peters thus interest
m-Iy discusses a question of considerable
Importance to mankind:
To make the most of life, to seize OPP
porjuuitiu= when they come. all your fac
uItlcs must be trained. Every man is
born into the world with many parts
ro hc utilized along certain lines. but
the trouble with most people is that they
allow many of these gifts to lie dor
mant and only think Of cuItiyating those
which they imagine absolutely necessary
To gain Il mere livelihood.
\ man may Ice an adept ut the pillow.
yet have hidden and unframed faculties
which might enable him TO grace the
chair of a university or soar to the high
est plnnaClcS OF craftsmanship and gov
eminent. Adam Smith has truly said:
The philosopher is often hidden in the
pluwmau,'
Most of the great men of the world
were poor boys and had they neglected
the Cod given gifts that were theirs
would have remained poor and unknown
all through life.
Carlyle was born of humble origin in
a little Scotch village and had scarcely
any opportunities lie would have re
manned a scuIhon had he not cultivated
the faculties which made him the great
est man Of letters IN his time,
Elihu BurrItr. Whlie welding the
hlacksmItil's slcdgc was cultivatiug his
mental faculties, with the result that he
became one of the most learned scholars
IN America and was consulted by sa-
wants of two hcmisphcres.
Dwight l.. Moody was selling shoes in
chicago, huI lp realized he had other
talents hc~do> "a salesman He fustprcd
and nururrd them and they made him
the greatest rNang, dst rtucc the days of
Paul
Thomas Upton was poor Irish lad
| apprrntIccd to grocer, hut he saw in his
mind eye greater future than weigh
ng soap aud sugar lie developed his
talent for making bargains, and has be
come one of the greatest merchants in
the world.
Thousands of eases might he cited of
men who commenced lie in one direc-
ton aud apparently with only one asset
in the WHY of talent. but who discovered
the richness of their hrthriEht in time
and utilized it To- their progress.
lie who mas only one faculty to fall
back upon in the race Of life is heavily
handicapped and the chances are he will
lag behind and fail to reach the desired
haven of ambition. such a person is
like mariner east adrift on the ocean
with hut one oar to propel and guide
his boat If he loses that car he is
tossed about. th" prey of winds and
waves. With two or more oars he could
have reached land safely.
II you have only one stick to depend
upon, the stick may break nj any mo
mcut and leave you helpless The mil.
luualrc of today may he the pauper of
tomorrow, and the Samson who exults
in his strength may be shorn of his
power in the twinkling Of an eye.
bankers have had TO leave their count
ing houses. merchants their desks, art
lists their easels, and preachers their pull
pits. OF these the ones who had trained
all their faculties were AT no loss for a
living, the ones who had not became
derelicts on the human sea and were
washed on the shores of oblivion.
Gladstone Numbered his orations in
the halls of Parliament, oratiOns AT
which the world marycled and he read
the simple lessons in the tones of hum.
BILE parishloncr in the little church at
llawardcn While carrying on his shoul-
dcrs the affairs OF earth's mighticSt
empire, he showed his versatility by
Greek controversies and arguing minor
points of agriculture with the farmers on
his estate, He could translate Homer.
scan Latin verse, quote poetry in Italian,
Spanish dramatlSts, and at the Same
time tell the humblest laborcr the best
method OF telling Il tree and the proper
kind of aN to use IN cutting 1t down.
He once showed a tcamstcr how To
drive II beer wagon up Iudgate hill with
the least friction on the wheels and the
least pun to the horses His vast. tccm-
ing brain took in everything. He neglect
ed nothing; lac had his faculties sharp
cncd to razor edge all the time. hence
he was able 10 cut and disscCt every
problem that came before him. He did
not look out on life through a kuothule,
but stood on such vantage ground that
his range of vision cncompasscd all.
Faculties when not brought into play
become like unused muscles, soft aud
tlabby and Of practically no service.
There is a great difference in power be
tween the trained athletic arm of the
blacksmith, with its thCws aud tcuduus
hardened to a steel resistance, and that
Of a young girl twiriug her thumbs In
ldleneSs or resting her elbows upon silk
cn covered knees.
Use strengthens, develops, ana confors
stamina ana Resisting powers. II mem
hcrs of the body are not used In time
they viii become atrophled and finally
fall of. Results can only be accomplished
through use. The trained ASTRONOMER
accustomed TO usr his optical vision, cain
see AZ glance with The naked eve what
others cannot perceive even fhruugh Iku
most powerful telescopes. The wurr
distinguishes shades uud colurs which ap.
pear hut blurred mass tu the urduHrs
observer. The poet cam scan limos %
beauty wh"r" al Is dull aud urusaic tp
MIN whose uur,rurjy" reasoning haE u.t
been refined TOR educated to distinguish
the gold from the druss.
\ child may be born With natural gifts.
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