The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-06-10
The .Clas. Grafton

en- class orator by his mates. His
subject was every Day. and he
spoke as follows:
In the history of man and mans
progress, every age has been marked
by some characteristic problem. Prim-
tive man found his In The effort to-
reformation the questions of religion
and political liberty have been con-
stantly before us. But above and be-
yond all these, in all races and in all
times, has been the problem OF self
advancement The law of the jungle
has been our law Get there the
slogan. In every human heart there
turks the desire for worldly success.
But the path which leads to worldly
success is sleeper and more thorny
today than ever before. Never before
in the worlds history was competition
in every calling and pursuit So fierce
as now Never did success in more
than a moderate degree demand for
its attainment such union of ply
steal and intellectual qualities-of
alertness, activity, . persistence, bold
ness, and decision.
To those who have achieved sue
cess, all honor and praise is due.
They are the few among the many.
But it is to the great mass Of men
that 1 would speak today, the great
mass of every day men, they who con-
stitute the invisible fidelity on which
the solidity of human society so
iminently depends-.hey who toll on
where the trumpet never sounds.
In some great orchestra, watch the
first violinist. He is all pomp, fire
and enthusiasm. See his commanding
air, how he waves the bow and silent
1y guides the harmony. His soul is
uplifted, borne to the heights by the
applause of the multitude and the dig
nifty of his position. But what of the
patient careworn man standing by his
side upon lower platform? The man
who plays the second violin. Does
he 100, not have his share in the
grand symphony?
World 10 an Orchestra.
The world is an orchestra and men
are its players. All Of us are playing
some part In the production Of iifes
harmony. Some fired by the sym
pathy of the onlookers are playing
first violin. Others feeling that they
are but second fiddlers are drudging
on as the treadmill horse plods
through his weary aimless task.
But what Of the second flddlers In
the orchestra of life? What right
~ nj m
them as failures? Perchance with the
same opportunities they zoo might
have led the orchestra.
Hands that the rod OF empire might
have swayed,
Or walked to ecstacy the living lips,
Some mute inglorious Milton,
Some Cromwell guiltless OF his coun-
try's blood"
They constitute the great company
who work outside the sphere of the
limelight. They are the workers on
whom we all depend, but whose hon.
est services are rarely sung. They
do their part In the life work.
The whole world is a great ma
chine, working wheel on wheel, cog
on cog One little cog that slips is
enough to wreck .he whole machine.
we all have our work to do and we
must do it well else we will upset the
grand scheme of the universe. There
fore, If our lives are of necessity
cast in lowly places, let us not In
foolish romantic fashion think We are
not suited for our work. 1t is not the
place we fill bu. the manner in which
we fill it. Honor and shame from no
condition rise. The secret OF life
does not consist in doing what We
like, but in liking what we do.
The moments in a mans life, when
Alexander-like the world has no
more prizes to be coveted are few In
deed. What man wants is not talen..
but purpose; not power to achieve, but
will to labor. It is no mans bust.
ness whether he has genius or not.
Work he must, quietly and steadily.
and the natural and enforced results
of such labor will be the things God
meant him to do and will be his best.
Measure Of His Doing.
II he be a great man they will be
grea. things, If he be a small man,
small things; but always If peaceful
|ly done, good and right, always, II
restlessly and contemptuously done.
false, hollow and despicable. Enobie
your smallest duty and by So doing
Won will challenge the respect OF all
whose good opinions are worth having.
There lives not man on earth who
has not the power to do good and
what can emperor and author more
than this Our lives no. great in
themselves and cast in lowly places
may be an inspiration for good in the
lives OF our everyday associates. We
al, lave some mission, II only to bring
cheer and happiness to those around