The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-24

\ what liz the value sof an ideal
Have you ever attempted to estimate
:1t1 WORTH Have you evor tried to
neaaure its value in dollars and cents ?
81 you would know the pecuniary
value in dollars and cents? IL you
would know the peculiarly value OF
IN ideal, go into the home of some
man OF great wealth who has an
only son; go in that home when
the son. has gone downward in a
path of dissipation until the father
no longer hopes for his reform, and
then ask the father what an ideal
would have been worth that would
have made a man out of his son
instea1 of a wreck. He will tell you
that all Of the money that he has
or cout3 have he would gladly give
for an ideal OF life that would turn
his boys steps upward instead Of
downwardx
An ideaf is above price. II means
the difference between success and
fasIurc4-the difference between q no.
BILE life and disgraceful career and
It sometimes means the difference be-
tween life and death. Have you no
ticed the increasing number OF sui
cides? ] speak not of those sad
cases In which the reason dethroned
leaves the hand no guide. but rather
OF IAOS6 cases, lHGEtdSiIls III
Der, whore the person who takes his
life finds nothing worth living for
When ] read of one of these cases
ask myself whether it is not caused
by a false ideal of life. II one meas
ures life bS what others do for him
he Is apt TO be disappointed. for peo-
pie are not likely to do as much for
him as he expects. One of the most
difficult things in life is to maintain
the parity between ones opinion of
his own merits and the opinion that
others have of him. If. | repeat,
man measures life by what others do
for him. he s apt to. be disappointed.
but If he measures life by what he
does for others there Is no time for
despair. If he measures life by its
accommodations, these usually fall short
of his ex pectations, but II he meas
ures life by the contribution which he
makes to the sum of human happi-
ness. his only disappointment is in
not finding time to do all that his
heart prompts him to do. Whether
he spends his time trying to absorb
from thu world. only To hav* the
burden If fe grow datlv heavier, or
spends his time in an effort to accom-
plish something of real value to the
race. depends upon his ideal
The ideal must be far enough above
us to keep us looking up toward 1t al
the time, and il must be far enough
IN adva.,ce of us TO Keep us struggling
toward II TO the end of life. II IS
q very poor ideal that one ever fully
realizes, and it Is great misfortune
for one to overtake his ideal, for. when
he does. his progress stops.
The ideal Is permanent, II does not
change Therefore Il is SO important
that the Ideal shall be worthy one
! speak as a parent TO parents. and
teachers will endorse what say. when
/ declare that one of the MOST in1por~
tnnt things in dealing with the young
Ia to get the person 10 take firm
held CT a high ideal. Give one food
and he Niil hunger again; give him
clothing and hts clothing VII wear
out. but give him a high Ideal and
hat ideal will he with him through
every waking hour, lifting him 70 n
higher plane IA life and giving him
lrna1er conce ptfon OF his relations &c
his Fellows. rlans may change; cir
tumStan-es will change plans, F,aeh
ono OF us can testify to this. Even
ambitions change. Tor circumstances
will change ambition. II you will far-
dom n reference to my own case. !
have had three Smbi.iorS--two so Ear
hack tina I etn scarcely -eraeu.hsr
them. and one so recent that ! can
hardly forget II. My first ambition
was 10 he a BAPTIST preacher. when
! was N snail boy, If anybody asked
me what intended 10 be. ] always
replied "A Baptist preacher, but my
father took me one evening 20 see an
Immersion and upon reaching home
asked him II II would he necessary
to go down into that pool or wafer
In order TO be a Baptist preacher. lie
replied that II would. and 4 ~ a
tradition in our family that never