The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1912-07-19

haven't gotten on in the world as rap
idly as you would like? Are you in
clined to blame 1t to bad luck, or
perhaps to some personal handicap?
If so, are you sure that you have
drawn as you should upon your own
resources Of energy and determine
ton, asks the Duluth Herald
Determination, coupled with in
domitable courage, can work magic.
The man who sits down to bewail
his fate because fortune goes against
him Is certain to fail because he is
inviting failure. The man who falls
back in despair whenever he encoun-
tiers an obstacle is booming himself
to defeat.
But the man who summons all
his energy to his aid and refuses to
admit defeat, who finds in handicaps
and obstacles only new incentives to
brave endeavor conquers the world.
You who are downcast because of
what you term bad luck, or because
some physical handicap has made it
hard for you, consider for a moment
the case of Helen Keller.
Helen Keller has been appointed
a member OF the board of public well
fare in Schenectady, N. Y, thriv-
ing community which lately fell into
the hands of a Socialist administra-
ton, which is, by the way, making
good. She has been appointed to this
responsible and important position
because of her fitness for it.
Yet few human beings ever faced
a more relentless fate, or even kept
their courage under handicaps more
deadly than Helen Keller.
Miss Keller was born blind. She
was born deaf, and she was born
dumb. Avenues of contact with the
world that are commonplace to most
of us were closed to her. A person
born blind may learn by hearing A
person born deaf may learn by see
ing. She was born both deaf and
blind, and dumb in the bargain.
The only avenue through which
knowledge could reach her was the
sense of touch. All others were
closed forever. Yet through that
single avenue Helen Keller has mas
tered wide range of learning, clas-
sic, literary and scientific. She has
brought herself to a sympathetic
understanding of almost all that goes
on about her. She widened her
thoughts, her hopes and her interests |
until they extend into the activities |
of politics and of civic enterprises.
Says the New York World: Miss
Keller has made her way upward by
steps so sure and so silent that it is
only when the tremendous handicap
of her life is considered that the in
nate strength of her will and the
clearness of her intellect are re-
vealed But now the public reward
comes. She who is deaf is to sit in
she who is dumb is to ad-
wise; she who is blind is to lead in
city of magnitude and enterprise"
Handicaps? The world is full OF
them, and 1t is good that it is so.
Providence put them here to test
your mettle, and in order that you
might harden and shape your charac-
.er by contact with them.
There is but one handicap that is
fatal, and that is self-imposed.
You may be born blind, yet see
Visions that shall illumine the world.
You may be born deaf, yet hear ech-
pes of human harmony that shall
make you leader of men. You
may be born dumb, yet speak words
If wisdom and guidance that will in
spire the hearts of your fellow men.
But If you lose courage all is lost.
Courage, and the determination to do
Ill that you can for humanity, will
tight and destroy thousand hand
caps.
But If you lose courage, and hope
goes with it, you are done. There's
40 fight left in you, and a straw cast
by fate, that a brave man will not
feel, will crush you Wichita Eagle.