The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-05-26
THE HUMBLE ORIGIN OF GREAT
HOMER SMALL


great men? How have they achiev-
ed greatness? Some, when condition
were favorable, when everything
the world at large-seemed to lend
aid; others, when no conditions were
favorable. when their whole lives
were a struggle. and the path To
greatness was narrow, rugged ana
toilsome.
Men are always eager to hear tho
stories Of heroes and great men: a
those who have overcome dincul
ties. surmounted obstacles, and won
the race in the face Of all discourage
ment; the stories Of men who, By
their ceaseless and undaunted strux-
giles, have lifted the liberty loving
nations from the depths of bondage
and oppression, and have brought
them up to the summit of freed0m
and independence.
We admire the success of men
who start with many advantages,
and. refusing to spend their days i'm
indolent ease, are stimulated to
great exertion by great opportuni-
ties. But we stand amazed befs.s
the success of those who begin with
nothing except the capital of charac-
ter and capacity for hard work and
end on the heights of usefulness and
honor; men who have no encourage
ment except that innate feeling and
desire for success and fame; men
who are striving not for wealth and
Injuries. but for the uplift of the
human race: men who begin life I'm
the lowest depths of obscurity and
finish in the searchlight of fame
There is no mystery about sue
cess; no Intervention of genii or
/ fairies; no luck nor chance. The
theory that success is a matter Of 90
cident and that opportunities come
unsought, has been disproved by the
lives of heroes, who have aspired,
labored, dared and achieved: heroes
who knew nothing of luck and acei-
dent, but who knew all of energy.
integrity, courage and faith.
|! The world looks very hard To- the
poor, uneducated young man; every
body is preoccupied; all places are
filed. He feels that all men are
banded together to keep him out,
/ But let him show little heroic quail
ity and men are quick to make place
for him; let him put vigor, pluck,
honesty and intelligence into his;
work, and doors begin to open IN
der the pressure of his strong hand
Far back in the northern hills Of
Minnesota rises the mighty Missis-
sippi. river noted, not for her
scenery and beauty, but for her
enormous influence on commerce,
/; agriculture and transportation: .
river which penetrates the heart Of
the greatest grain producing section
of the world, and by whose waters
the grain of this section is conveyed
into the Gulf OF Mexico and thence
to all parts of the world. The peo-
pie near the source of this great riy-
er receive comparatively little value
, from her but as her mighty waters
pursue their course and she is join
ed by many sister rivers she becomes
of inestimab1e value not only to this
section, but to the whole world. The
farther she flows. the wider becomes
her bed, the greater her depth, the
more powerful her force, the larger
the towns, the richer the fields, and
! the finer the crops nourished by her
So it is with the great man OF
humble origin; in his early life OF
poverty and hardships, he is of lit
tie importance to his neighbors. but
as time passes his great deeds and
works become obvious and undenfa-
BILE to the people and to the world;
he is no longer the object of con-
tempt and scorn, but is honored and
venerated by all. But this is not the
end of his unceasing glory and re-
nown, for his name is recorded in
the histories of great men, and his
memory is held sacred more and
more b1seach succeeding generation
In the words of Carlyle: An educat-
ed man stands, as il were, in the
midst of a boundless arsenal and
magazine, filled with all the weapons
and engines which mans skill has
been able to devise from the earliest
time; and he works, accordingly,
with the strength borrowed from all
past ages. How different is his state
who stands on the outside of the
storehouse, and feels that its gates
must be stormed, or remain forever
closed against him, His means ara