The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1910-02-24
Lights Along
The Trail

1t Pays to Lend a Helping Hand
and Danish Ignorance and
Selfishness.
Pepper Read Before the Chautauqaa Circle.
In referring to the late Edward H.
Hartman the New York Journal OF
Commerce says: )"What does it profit
q mau, if he gain a railroad empire
such as the world has never before
known, if thereby he wreck his own
health Z" and Hsrper's Weekly in COM
menting on the above seems to me to
have hit the nail squarely on the head
when it says, "it profits man to 90
his work in the world, whatever 1t is
and whatever thea cost to himself.
That is what he is here for. 1t prohte
a soldier to fight his battle even though
he dies in, the moment of victory"
A glance into thelpast would seem to
verify this. 1t was General Wolfe at
the battle of Quebec, while crossing
the river with his army, before achiev-
ing his great victory on the heights of
Abraham, who quoted that beautiful
stanZa from Grey:
aThe boast of heraldry, the pomp Of
power
And all that beauty, all that wealth
e'er gave
Await like the inevitable hour.
The paths of glory. lead but to the
grave"
And though Wolfe never lived to en-
Joy the fruits of his great victory his
achievement will be an inspiration to
the world until the end Of time.
We remember Washington as the
commander OF our little army in the
great struggle of the Colonies for in
dependence-how he crossed the Della
ware i'm midwinter and struck decis-
i've blow for freedom-surely at ebb
tide the lamp of hope within this great
man burned brightly aud its rays ssent
hope into every corner of the thirteen
Colonies.
At the mention of the name of Lin
coin we recall to mind what a great
big heart he hal. Jefferson Davis de.
clared that next to the surrender OF
Appomatox, the murder of Abraham
Lincoln was the darkest day In the
calender for the South. Why? Be
cause Mr.. Davis had come to knowl
edge of the msgnanimity of Mr.. Lin
coins character and the generosity ol
his intentions.
We honor Grant for his perseverance
in the great struggle which engaged
the ardent devotion of substantial!
the entire white people of the Nortl
aud remember how grandly he stoot
between the Confederate soldier and
surrender that might have been mos
dishonoring to American manhood an
most humiliating to our national an
nails.
The lives of Wolfe, Washington
lincoln and Grant and the life of ever
great and useful man, lis an inspiration
help, a light along the trail, and tn
rank of q man depends on the clarit
and power of the light which shine
from him on his fellows and his TIM
As we look back over the long cours
of history we are able;to see the way b
which we have come, because so man
men and women have lighted the darl
ness of ignorance. Looking back fro
the brightness of today we can tra'
the waxing light to it's far beginning
We can see the lamps lighted in tt
valley of the Euphrates thousands
years ago, the lighting of the lamps
the great Universities-at Paris, O
ford and Cambridge.
The first intimation of the Ne
World to it's discoverer, was fai
point of light on its shores. Now fro
Cambridge, on the Atlantic to the UI
versity of California at the Gold
Gate, the torch of knowledge has pat
ed until there is light across the CO
tinent. Today there are lamps In
our hands that are to be filled wi
knowledge and the precious things