The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-05-25
THE HUMBLE ORIGIN OF GREAT
HOMER SMALL


great men? How have they achiey-
ed greatness Some, when conditions
were favorable. when everything
the world az large-seemed to lend
aid; others. when no conditions were
favorable, when their whole lives
were struggle. and the path to
greatness was narrow. rugged and
toilsome.
Men are always eager to hear the
stories of heroes and great men; of
those who have overcome dificul-
ties, surmounted obstacles, and won
the race in the face of all discourage
ment; the stories of men who, by
their ceaseless and undaunted strug-
giles. have lifted the liberty loving
nations from the depths OF bondage
and oppression, and have brought
them up to the summit of freedom
and independence.
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 before
the success of those who begin with
nothing except the capital of charac-s
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 In
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 matter of ac-
cident and that opportunities come
unsought, has been d;sproved by the
lives of heroes, who have aspired.
labored, dared and achieved: heroes
who knew nothing OF luck and acci-
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 shim out
But let him show a 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 uA-
der the pressure of his strong hand.
Far back In the northern hills Of
Minnesota rises the mighty Miesis-
sippi, a 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 pe0-
pie near the source of this great riv-
er receive comparatively little value
from her but as her mighty waters
pursue their course and she IL join
ed by many sister rivers she becomes
of inestimable 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 il of lit
tie importance to his neighbors, but
as time passes his great deeds and
works become obvious and undenia-
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
nown, for his name is recorded in
the histories of great men, and his
memory is held sacred more and
more by each 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 are
the commonest and rudest; the mere
work done is no measure OF his
strength dwarf behind his steam