The Washington herald., 1915-01-13
RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE.
BY oRIsON SWEET MARDEN.

The boy with wOOdChuCks in his eye
sees wOodchucks everywhere.
The youth who is made of winning ma
terial sees opportunities on every hand.
Many a poor boy has found his OppOrtu-
nItv in a wheelbarrOw, or pushcart, or
bootblack stand. Many a railroad presi'
dent has found his opening as a brake
man on a train, though all that other
brakemen saw in the same circumstances
was the weeks pay envelope.
Opportunities are everywhere. You do
not need to go to Chicago, San Fran
cisco, or New York to seek them. II mat
ters not whether you were born in log
cabin or in a mansion, IL you are made
of the right stuff: wherever you live, you
will find your chance. The life around
YOU pulsates with chances. What Is Tar
more requisite is alertness for opportu-
mites. keeping oneself responsive to the
slightest suggestion.
II you want to do thing very much.
YOU will manage somehow to find way
to do it, The trouble with so many Of
US is that we do not yearn for the things
we think we want to do with that long
ing which brings the means, which pro
duces the creative force that tunnels
mountains and bridges oceans to reach
its goal We wish simply, softly; We do
do not back it up with vigorous action.
And the curse OIL llldCl4Olls VI IeiN NAACl -
is that one becomes Opportunity-blind
Everywhere we see sidetracked wrecks.
people who have waited so long that they
have lost the power to act, have become
blind to the chance and pOwerless to
grasp II.
When YOU are ready to ill a superior
position, you will not need to force an
entrance. The whole world is hunting for
the right man. Do not waste your time
for hunting for chance; just get ready
for it. 1t is looking for you.
Never before in the history OF the
world were there such wonderful open
ings for the ambitious, for the efficient,
as in this new era in which we are DOW
living. They are multiplying on every
hand. Fifty years ago. where perhaps
there were barely q half dozen desirable
professions today there are scores and
hundreds of good occupations. On every
side men and women are exploding the
very excuse which YOU may now be plead
ing for your mediocre life.
A Chicago boOtblack recently won high
honors at Columbia University, as did
newsbOy at Brown University. 4 farmer
boy led the honor men Of Yale Cniver-
sity's graduating class. and a poor negro
was among the thirteen students Of high
est rank. A year before a negro youth was
one Of the honor men of Harvard Uni
versity. while its class orator few years
ago was of the same race. Two years
ago the prize Of honor man at Brown
University was a negro. Think Of these
triumphs for sons of a race that certainly
has no easy path in this country.
The world never before saw so many
and such grand opportunities as exist
today. "On every corner. street. or way
opportunity stands out bold" But the
trouble Is that most of US are dreaming
or woolgathering when a good opporth-
ity goes by and We do not recognize II
until il Is far away. How different an Op-
portun!ty looks. how insignificant when
IL Is coming toward US! How much larger
and more valuable when Il is going away
from US!
The very habit Of being alert for op-
portunities, Of grasping them. and wiring