Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-09-25

| Wish you would repeat those
last lines again" he said at least,
and | come not within sight of the
castle of my dreams. Isn't it mag
nificent? The whole philosophy of
calm, untroubled, gentle and help
full life breathes out in those simple
words. Read it again"
| / repeated the measured phrases
and again the silence spread over us.
Later we talked. not Of greatness and
the pomp and circumstance of march
ing events. but of the common hard
ships of life and the daily trials and
temptations of common men. AS we
LETT the huge marble building that
commands ST. Paul from its remark
able vantage point. John Albert
Johnson, plain American. summed up
his measure of life in words which
it will be impossible to over forget
1T is my conclusion" he said,
that the bitterness of poverty. the
terrible drudgery those who rise from
the bottom must experience the bit
ter lOngings and the heart aches for
the things we want, want with heart
and soul. and always find just beyond
us. comprise the test of fire to which
far-seeing providence subjects
those who are destined to succeed.
And whether real success is possible
without this suffering | doubt When
people call me governor and show
respect, II pleaSeS me, but my mind
inevitably revertS to the time when
no one Gignified me. and ! wonder
why and what these things mean. So
much in life we none of us under
stand. But there's a purpose, and
those of us who have the desire to
accomplish work in the world can
only remember that there is no honor
not founded on worth, and no respect
not founded on accomplishment. And
above all. to help others to life. to
hope. to see the greatness of the flu
ture and to strive for a share in the
accomplishment of something which
is new and needed in this world, or
which is worthy because it contrf-
butes to a broader understanding of
life and it's problems
To have fought poverty is a mag
nificent heritage. | do not envy the
rich. Their affluence has cut them
off from the greater thing in the
world. to know how the average.
commonplace, unsought and union
Ored man lives, what he feels. what
he thinks. There is but one end of
life which is worth and that is to
conquer. to conquer adversely. pain.
envy. regrets. ambitions. and the OBJ
stacles which are put in our path to
develop our fortitude. our courage
and our brains
We paced along the street. John
Albert Johnson with his peculiar.
swinging stride. Finally he turned
TO me with one of his rare. quizzi-
cal. delightful smiles which so fire.
quently Illuminated his rather sad
and serious features. and said:
Come on. | want to buy a cigar,
a darn good one. It's one of the
pleasantest things | do, because I
never put my money on the counter
and get one of those full, rich, delic-
iOus Hayanas. without remembering
the times when 1 would have been
glad to smoke a fine perfecto and
give one TO friend. but had only
niCkle or dime to bless myself
with"
This was the character of John
Albert Johnson. | do not think it
is necessary to say more. The worth
of the man. his struggles and sue
cesseS, his attitude toward his fell
lowmen and the attitude of his fell
lows toward him are sufficiently eX-
pressed in these quiet remarks after
the brunt of the days labor was over.
He was the son of a washerwoman,
Il mother whom he delighted to hon
or, to whom he was not only the sole
ray of hope and sOlace, but the sole
support. She died three years ago,
but not until the washerwoman' son
was the first citizen of one of the
great CONFERENCE.-The of the nation.
She was brave and determined and
fought good fight against the early
pangs of hunger. adversely and sod
den pain. He had little education
but that he gained through the most
uuremitting toll. 1t came through
. cumbersome channels. masses of dis
iOinted. unwieldy knowledge in the
abstract, but a powerful and virile
mind correlated the facts, assorted
and classified the information and
stored il against the day of his sue
cess. He became a drug clerk gain
ing there the greatest triumph #
, his life. and that was not when he
/ was sworn as governor of Minnesota
/ but when he carried home to worn,
! tined and devoted mother. his first
/ salary. a meager sum, but enough to
make the difference between the ter
rible drudgery of toll for bread, and
| Il quiet chair in kitchen where
there was enough. if there was not
! plenty. He became a country edi-
tor. later a legislator. and then sud
: den candidate for governor, who as
tOnished his entire state with his
! ability. his generalship, his brilliance