Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-11-05
Women and
Their Interest
Out Of the Rear Car
BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX
Copyright, 1e1s, by Star Company
| A man past middle age descended
from an incoming train in a narrow
passage leading to a large depot. He
lhad occupied a rear car, and more
than one hundred persons were in
front of him when he reached the pas
sage. Only two persons could walk
abreast. and the train on the other
made it necessary to keep to the mar
row exit.
The man had important engage
ments awaiting him. He was we'll
bred. gentleman and considered the
! little courtesies of life
Yet without violating one of these
he reached the depot, and the troll
Hey car first of all those hundred per-
sons.
himself of them.
| \ woman in the line at his left
dropped her parcel and stopped to re-
cover 1t. He slipped in front of her
without delaying any one in either line
of march.
A man on the right paused to shift
his baggage from the right hand to
the left, and this made another open
ing. Still another held up the whole
procession to question a train official
( leaning from car window, but in
stead of stopping with the throng our
traveller pushed ahead and found a
clear space, which soon enabled him
to reach the trolley car two or three
moments in advance of the first man
who had descended from the train.
He had moved rapidly, quietly, de-
Gently and without once inconveni-
encing a fellow traveller.
! No doubt scores of passengers from
the rear cars explained their tardy
arrival home, and at places of busi-
ness, as due to the procession in front
] of them.
This same man had begun life in
the rear car. He had been a poor
child on a Western prairie without
influence, and with meager oppor-
tunities for education.
Yet by this Unborn trait, this de-
termination to watch his opportunities
| and push ahead, he obtained an edu-
cation and a desirable position in life
before middle age obtained it
through his own efforts.
| Many of his old comrades are living
in the same meager environment of
early youth. believing they were him
dered by fate from attaining success.
| The regard the good fortune of their
old acquaintance as stroke of luck
He was born to the lucky" they
will tell you. Things naturally went
his way
But they went his way merely be-
cause he watched his chance and
slipped ahead when the opening came.
These chances come to every one of
us along the highways of life. If we
are not on the lookout the line closes
up before we see the open space.
Svery day live 1 perceive more and
more clearly how the real success of
life comes from within and not from
without.
An intense, answering, fixed pur-
pose dominates all conditions. The
mind which concentrates itself upon
the one idea, must do this thing, does
lit eventually, no matter what OBJ
stacles intervene.
The mind which says THE process
sion is so long ahead of me it is use
less for me to try to hurry; I must
! just jog along" that is the mind which
never gets beyond the jogging pace.
The procession is always ahead.
A score of times it separates. opens,
clears. but the man who says 1T is no
use'' is not watching and does not see
his opportunities.
And he dies at the rear of the col
umn, believing The has had no
| chance"
We all have it. Few use it. Fewer
| still seize it,