Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-04-03

AS was announced In last week
Herald Maurice Ziegler was awarded
first pie and Katherine Meyer second
prize in the Judge Mills oratorical
contest held in this city on Friday
evening, March %. Misses Gladys
Lisherness and Mary Webb also de-
livered excellent orations upon the
same occasion. We publish herewith
in full the two orations upon which
the prizes were awarded:
CECIL RHODES
BY MAURICE zIEGLER
What is successful man. The
answers to this question would un-
doubtedly be varied and indefinite
and the great trouble would be--by
what means are we to measure truly
successful man? In narrow sense,
a man who had accumulated con-
siderable property. may be said to
have succeeded in life. But is this
alone the only goal which a man
must attain to be called successful
Has he fulfilled the purpose for which
he was created? Judged by the
standards of this age, when it can be
almost truthfully said that the
almighty dollar is our highest aim,
this definition may suffice. But in
the truest sense. the man who has
succeeded only financially is not a
success, unless he has put his money
to some higher and nobler use than
merely the furtherance of his own
selfish ends. Today, the wealthy
class is generally despised and looked
upon with disgust and contempt by
the masses. Why Merely because
of their wealth. And in many cases
this attitude is not unjust Too
many of our millionaires have &C.
quired their immense fortunes with
out sufficient regard to the methods
employed and the rights of others.
Too many have accumulated wealth
for the sake of the money only, and
the added pleasures and luxuries
which it brings But there is
another class of rich which we are
forced to admit is in the minority.
That class is composed of the wealthy
men who use their money and in
fuence for the betterment of their
fellow beings. They do not strive
for the accumulation of an immense
fortune for its own sake, but for the
advantages and good which are to be
derived from its proper use. In their
hands money is only a means to
greater end. Such men as these are
not only successful in the narrow
sense. they are successful in the true
sense of the word. They are more
than successful. They may direct their
money and influence In such a way
that they may be called great men
It is Of the life work Of such a man
that am to speak.
There are few men, not born in
the list of kings, warriors and
philosophers, who have the power to
change the maps and destinies of
humanity. Fewer still are those who
labor unselfshly for others and
accomplish things in life that lasting
ly endure-Among that chosen few I
do not hesitate to put the name of
Cecil Rhodes
Of untiTing energy. masterful fore
sight, wonderful power of organiza-
tion and an indomitable will, he
was a great factor in the advancement
Of the cause of mankind Going to
South Africa as poor boy and with
out health, be worked as a laborer,
took advantage of opportunities, used
his brain and acquired fortune at an
early age.
Let us look for some of the
qualities which forced him beyond
his fellows into the front rank.
What was the endowment which led
him from simple life to a voyage of
fame and power2 He was a quick
thinker, impulsive and sympathetic;
he had a wonderful imagination,
good judgment and came rapidly to
decision. All this, combined with
his charm of manner, made him a
most fascinating man. Rhodes began
picking up opportunities which he
saw sooner than his fellows and it
was not long before he controlled
a large share of the diamond mines il
Kimberley. A few years later he
was at the head of the great De Beers
syndicate, which controlled the
diamond output of the world.
The date 1877 is an important one
in the history of South Africa. In
that year Rhodes left England for
South Africa, broken in health. with
no position and no money. Who
would have said that this young man
was in the next quarter of century,
to profoundly change the map and
history of Africa. of the British
Empire and perhaps indirectly of the