Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1915-03-26
DR.. Marden's:
Uplift Talks
BY oRisoN SWEET MARpEN.
THE GREAT SECRET OF ACHIEVE.
MENT.
Copyright By Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate

A cobbler, when asked how long II
takes to become a good shoemaker, an.
swered. six years-and then you
must travel" That cobbler had the ar.
list soul. / told friend the story, and
ne asked another cobbler the same
question: How long does it take to
become a good shoemaker" "All your
life, SIR" That was still better-he
was Michel Angelo of shoes!
Persistency Is characteristic Of all
men who have accomplished anything
great. They may lack in some other
particular, have many weaknesses or
eccentricities, but the quality of per.
slstence is never absent from a sue
cessful man. No matter what oppo-
sition he meets or what discourage
ments overtake him, he is always per-
slstent. Drudgery cannot disgust him,
obstacles cannot discourage him, labor
cannot weary him. He will persist, no
matter what comes or what goes; it is
a part OF his nature. He could almost
as easily stop breathing.
Money. position, Intermediates are
no match for energy and perseverance.
With what delight we read Haw-
thorne's Scarlet Letter." probably the
most powerful romance that ever
came from an American pen. 1t seems
impossible that such beauty of diction,
such facility of expression and deli.
cacy OF touch could be elaborated by
any amount of drudgery. Butt the
notebooks of this shyest and most
Dashful OF mortals reveal the secret
OF his genius. Drudgery, drudgery,
drudgery. Is written all over his ef-
forts. Nothing was too trivial for rec
ord in his notes. Everything he saw
or heard or touched or felt was i'm
prisoned In his notebook and com.
PEELED to pay tribute to his fiction.
Thousands of men have been fail
ures In life because they did not 20
quite far enough. They did not quite
learn trade to the point of efficiency;
In other words. they stopped just this
side Of success.
The patent Office in Washington is
full OF contrivances which are almost
successes; II the inventors had had the
persistence to hold on a little longer.
they might have achieved the longed-
for success and died rich instead of
poor.
A poor boy started out, determined
to visit every Office and place of bust
ness until he found a situation. no
matter how long 1t might take. After
persisting in this for time which |
would have utterly discouraged most |
boys. he called at an office, where he |
was told they never took boys who |
had had no experience, and was asked |
who sent him there.
The old gentleman was so pleased
at the boys pluck when he told him
that he was calling at every office and
should continue to do so until he found
situation. that he told him to 20
home and write him a letter in his
best hand. and he would see what he
could do for him. Many a boy has lost
situation by bad handwriting, bad
spelling, or an unbusinesslike letter.
But this boys letter was neat, concise
and intelligent, and he got the situa.
ton. He proved valuable and has been
with the firm ever since.
Keep at 1t. whatever your work NAV
be, with a logged determination. Set
your teeth and say. Il will" Let ymr
motto be, "Tenacity of purpose,"
When you hear 1t, it should act on Won
as the bugle call does on a war horse.
Failure is the final test of persist.
ence and Of an iron will: II either
crushes a life or solidifies Il.
II you have not this persistence nv
nature, you must cultivate 1t. With IL
you can succeed. you can make diff.
,ulties bend. you can make opposition
give way, doubt and hesitancy WELD
o confidence and assurance. Without
the more shining qualities of nature
vii not insure your success, and will
cry likely, bring nothing but failure.
us lesson after lesson with the
scholar. blow after blow with the Ia,
'orer, crop after crop with the farmer.
picture after picture, and mile after
nile with the traveller. that secures