Norwich bulletin., 1911-11-23

heart of the flask it is rapped to loos- en and separate it from Inc sand. And this suggests that the pattern and castings or character are not intended to remain in the human flask; that they are detacnabie and separate and intended to be taken out for use else where. The rapping makes the mold larger than the pattern to allow for the inevitable shrinkage Of the iron in cooling, just as the large enthusi- asns of the soul under the spell of the noble influence of friendship and religion often shrink when the warmth of the first heat of them passes.
 While the molds are beins made ready the furnace IS preparing the iron to be cast-pig and scrap, the former to give bulk, the latter for the sake of strength and quality. Isn't this like the stuff that gees into character east ings? The bulk of it is the man him. self just as he is, with all his rough ness, while to this is added the finer stuff, the scr4ps of other personalities --perhaps a memory of his mother S word from the lips of a father or friend, the example of some hero-and with every bit of such scrap added the iron of character gains quality and strength.
 And when the heat is ready to be poured, then begins the test of the holders work. His molds are in place and the iron is ready. It like the way the human IlaSkS stand walt ing for the heat of temptation to test their value and to turn the work of preparation into wages. I have seen men carry and pour the molten iron under immense difficulties, not waver- ing even when through someone's s5 fault the spattering fire slipped down into an open shoe and ate i $ agoniz- ing way into the cuivering flesh. If only men could respond like that when the time comes to pour character; standing without flinching in the heat of temptation, in the agony of strug- gle with the fiery trial heat pouring steadily into the prepared mold, there would be fewer rejected castings when here today could stand fifty or sev- enty-fVe per cent. loss of castings each heat you pour? And yet are we not often content with only an occasional fair casting of character? We ought 70 demand better perc entages of our selves when we are after far more important results than iron castings.
 Some of the work calls for cores, which are carefully set and adjusted in the flask, but which have utterly dis appeared when the casting is cool. There are a good many things that help to make good character castings which disappear in the process; the money that goes for an education, the time that is given to rest and recrea- tion, the strength that helps another in need, the sacrifices that hold up some
 
 These cores are consumed in the fierce heat of the pouring of character, but the holes left by them are part of the original pattern.
 Attached to every casting is the sprue of it's pouring, like that from the channels through which caracter is formed. These are broken off as of no value to the casting, just as a man often finds that lot of things that stick out of his life are not really necessary to his real usefulness, and are better broken off and left behind.
 The castings are rough and dirty, even those that pass inspection as fit for use. Some that are too frail for the tumbling barrel with it's gouging stars have to be plckled; just as every character is criticised sharply and somewhat acidly. though it may not be rough-handled in the finishing.
 So the castings are. nodded and poured and finished; but not to lie around the foundry. The reason for making them is found when they are assembled and fitted into their proper place in the finished whole I wonder if you men have ever followed your work a step or two beyond the pay en- velope, and been glad to have had share in making q home comfortable by one of these heaters, a hospital a real shelter for fragile lives because it was warmed by the boiler one of whose sections you yourselves molded and poured and fitted together. This is the real meaning of character and the heart of what I have been trying to say to you today-that however sue cessfiIily you mold character and how ever heruically you pour it's many heats, the results will be only heap of castings unless they are assembled and set al the business for which they were made Let every man of us fol- low >each step of the process in iron or chara cterr with our very best of strength and skill and diligence; but let us not stop till the castings are assembled and busy in their own prop CT place in this world, giving warmth and cheer and comfort and help wher- ever these are needed.