The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1911-04-15

Charley Schwab, the steel king, has
been rowing about the world and, hay
ing nothing else to do, he has been
talking some. Among other things
he has been bemoaning the fate Of the
boy who is born with gold spoon in
his mouth.
Somehow, we have never been able
to work up much sympathy for an I'M
fortunate lad Of that sort; we have
always cherished sneaking notion
that we would like to swap places
with him, but wen have to admit that
the argument from history is nearly
all on Charleys side OF the PROPOSE
ton.
Here is a Bit Of testimony which
Charley has placed on record:
"At dinner / gave in Pittsburg to
Count Wittgenstein, the big Austrian
Iironmaster, ninety Of the leading mem
bers Of the steel trade were present,
eighty-five Of whom had risen from
the ranks. That is ABOUT the average
proportion"
AS Charley has ha6 a good deal o.
experience and is therefore qualified
to speak with authority. we shall take
it that his generalization, that is
about the average proportion" is sub
stantially correct, What does it
mean? Nothing else than that in this
great country Of ours, the way is wide
open from the bottom to the top and
that is a tremendously big truth. II
means that the lads who like Schwab
began as farm land and an errand
boy can scale the ladder if they choose
to put muscle and brain into the oper-
alton, shrinking from no hardship. It
means that this is a wonderful land OF
opportunity and that there are no class
barriers that cannot be overcome. It
means that the big chance is to the
boy who begins on the lowest rung
and gathers conquering strength as he
ascends; the boy who by adventitious
circumstances finds himself at the
top cannot hold his own with the one
who gained the point by his own ex-
ertions and necessarily he gravitates
downward.
Can every boy expect to repeat
Schwab's career? Well we hope not.
schwab has achieved wonders in the
field of finance and industry We
shall not pass judgment on his meth
DDS but certainly we shall not hold up
his career as an ideal for the average
boy. There are diversities Of gifts
ana all are not born with an abnor-
NAL money-making faculty. 1t is well
that it is SO for otherwise we should
not have had the men who have done
the great things that have made pos
sible every advance in civilization
The martyrs. the scholars, the discover
ers and scientists, the patriots, philos-
ophers and poets, many Of them living
in obscurity and going down to their
graves "unwept unhonored and un-
sung"
But regardless of the inequalities OF
opportunity. the great fact stands
out written broad in the history Of
cor country and illustrated before our
leyes every day, that the way is opeE
to useful achievement to success il
one line or another and to the rewards
which success brings, and nothing
can hold back the man who Wills TO sc
forward. 1t requires a sturdy self re
iliance, a courage that never wayers
industry that never flags, determine
tion that never wavers, the expendi
ture Of all the energies Of body anC
soul. the exercise Of all the intelli
gence and the use OF all the knowl
edge available. but the open way il
there and the grand prize is to be wor
by him who is willing to pay the
price.
l.
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