The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1911-07-28
Winning Your Success.


to live in Fourteenth street, New York
He rode horseback good deal and wore q long
black cloak IN bad weather One day he mounted
his horse and rode uptown TO visit a music teacher
whom we Will call Mr.. Van though that is not his
name.
The patent medicine man was then 70 years old.
He osmounted from his horse and went into the
musician S studl
Mr.. Van, he began, twill you promss not to
laugh at what am gong TO ask?
MI. Van promised and waited
am over 70, said the medicine man. land all
my life have been a 10 er OF music. have fine
organ in my house. often invite singers and play
crs to come and perform for me- Now, have list
eneu t. Music all my life and | love it. Do you
think am too cid begin the study Of harmony
that can understand the rules which the great mu
slcians follow when they compose?
Mr. Van did not laugh. Ia fact, he was as deeply
touched as any man ought to be who is asked by
old to help him spell out the mystery of things.
mo, indeed, he answered. Come to me as Of
ten as you can, and will study harmony together
You will learn much about it any else cam.
So the old man in the long cloak mounted his
horse again, younger in heart by many years. He
bought lis books and his music paper, and set to
work. He was rich and well known, but in the pre-
sence Of the music he loved, and Of the man who be-
gan to teach him, he as humble as little child.
He kept at his studies. as Mr. Van declared him to
be one OF the best students he ever Lad.
So much for the patent medicine man.
The great musician, Ebenezer Prout, began to
study Russian when he was over 60 met him la
ter in his life, and he had fine grasp of it.
tits certainly curious when people OF middle age,
and later get the idea that they to old to accom-
pish things. They are never too old 20 begin any
thing unless hey are comfortably fixed in indolent
habits Every man over 90 ought to say this to him.
self every morning; say it aloud so that hecan hear
it. and then say it to himself, silently so that ne can
trust himself and believe it.
Benjamin Franklin kept on applying himself to
new studies as long as he lived, The famous school,
MASTER Dr. Arnold, when in middle life, determined
4Nl bot hoe rAnd 10
authors of that language in the original
Samuel Smiles tells us th-t James Watt the IN
ventor, was over 80 when he began to study French
German and Italian.
pressed because he had exhausted all the French
courses given in university. He had mastered
them in his spare time After another winter at his
business, he went to Paris and spent a summer TO
extend his studies He spoke French like native
Evening schools are frequently attended by people
well along life, in whom the spark of sef-develop-
ments still alive.
A man or woman is not old until that spark is
dead.
Many men and women whose children have grown
up married, and left home, spend the winter even,
ings in earing little of the treasures of books and
education by reading. know man ana ms Wiie
who have done this for eight or ten years Not only
are they learning something but they have found
new basis for cOmpanlonShp.
While this desire to learn is always striking in the
old, it is sometimes even more so IN younger people,
There is young man-or there was few days ago
carrying sandwich sign in Ninth street New
York. Now, sandwich sign is heavy on mans
back and shoulders, but it should not rest heavy on
his mind so this youth thinks, for as he walks with
the announcement of the restaurant above his head,
he reads BOOKS Sc as to get another kind OF an
n0uncement into his head.
If you want to learn begin. That is rule NO. l.
Ify you begin to be busy keep right at it. That is
rule No. g
If you keep at it you will have good time and
the look in your face will change. That is the re-
suit of rules and2.
We can quite well imagine that as an old man i'll
long cloak riding horseback through Fourteenth
street would make the sight-seers laugh, But
wonder if they would laugh if they knew what was
going on in the old mans head? Apure desire to
know something about beautiful art.
The next time you see a curious specimen OF man
KIND going somewhere, wish him success In your
heart. He may be looking for teacher