The Falls City tribune., 1910-02-25
John Hopkins ID, on "Petering"

Some things begin small and get
bigger. Others begin big aud get
smaller. In the first class are babies.
kittens. diseases. buildings. SINS. Pc
tatoes, and family %sQuabblas. also
several other things. These all be.
gin small and get bigger. IN the see
oud class are autieipations. plum pud-
ding. enthusiasms. resolutions, honey
moons. bo~astings. and flannel under
clothes. These begin big and get
smaller.
There is also a class Of things Of
which you really cannot tell what
they are going to do-grow or shriyel
swell or shrink, increase or diminish.
In this class come men, stocks, bonds,
nations, social schemes, agitations,
revolutions. They may begin small
aud get bigger. or begin big and get
smaller. Some start with a whisper
and end with a oar of artillery. 9th.
ers start with d blare as OF fifteen
German bands and end like the song
CT a siclly mosquito. Some start like
Il race horse and end up like a tired
mule.
Now the latter class is peculiarly
American. We like to start big in
America. When we set out for Klon-
dixie We like 10 it in the
papers in big headlines, and have a
brass band escort US to the station.
When We start a club we like to be
gin with u $50. 600 building, with
Standardization pully weights and
enameled bath-tubs. If We don't start
il big We are sure it will not be a
success.
But We have also a strong tendency
TO peter. In fact, Peter ought to have
been special apostle to the Americans,
for | am sure he would have under
stood US. He proclaimed his courage
and enthusiasm With the %intrepidity
Of a Napoleon, and in a day or two
was chased from the field by a ser
want girl. He petered so everlasting
ly that that particular kind Of per
Torrance has come to be known by
his name wherever it occurs And
it is of quite frequent occurrence
Most men peter more or less. When
they start on Il race they feel a
strong temptation to squirt en- the
first lap. Then when the eXcitment
really begins they have to lie down
and gasp. When Il man starts in
public speaking he usually wants to
tell all he knows in his first speech,
and quite often he succeeds. Then
when the crowd heal his next effusion
they all agree that he has petered.
We lay plans for the biggest cathe-
dral on earth, and after a few
months building we roof over the
foundation and hold a prdyer-meet-
ing for the help of heaven to get us
out of debt. We start for the moon,
but when we get up about one-hun-
dred feet we sit down on a chimney
top and think. We soar up toward
the sun and get no farther than up a
tree. We start to urn the world up
side down, and end by thinking our
selves lucky if We get our dinner
cooked the way We want it. We lift
up our two hundred pound burden
ike a feather, but we set it down On
the first milestone. We start with
three cheers and end with an apology
We do our best work before noon.
In short, we peter.
Now, this is the discouraging thing
about life. And our only hope in
life is based upon those things that
DO not peter. If babies began big
and kept growing smaller it would
certainly make a hopeless job of it
for US all. II our knowledge was
large to start with, and grew less
and less every day we went to school,
we could scarcely blame our teach
ers for being discouraged. If our
love for our friends petered out more
every time we saw them, our social
intercourse certainly would not be a
joy forever.
Peter was not a success until he
stopped petering. Nor will you and |
succeed until we do likewise. The
man who tries to distance competi-
tors in the first ten minutes, and
leave his exhausted body in the road
for them to carry the rest of the
journey, is in no sense a success.
In taking up a burden it is a mistake
to take up one SO heavy that after
the first day you have to drop it
upon another's shoulder. When a
man joins the church he is not a
success if he is SC good the first
month that he has to be a little
worse on each succeeding month.
--- ELL -, H.,