The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-06-21
HIDDEN POWERS
Ny LAURA KINGSTON

Most men and women possess powers they don't dream of pr. Barnardo once remarked. "Thev don't know what they can really do. They don't try themselves. They think 1t would be terrible Ia have 10 do certain things. and they shirS them. But those latent and unsuspected powers worry them. They had a dim sense somehow, that they arc not quite playing the game. but they don't under stand how it is. Put man or a woman in some difficult position. out of which they can only extrieate themselves by ex- erting All they have in them. and they re- member how they got out of it with de- light for the rest of their lives. Don't people enjoy telling you. I never thought should do 1t but I did?'" ]"
 They do. They find that that seemingly horrible dilemma brought out in them powers that they never suspected they possessed. They are delighted Quite right, too.
 People do rise to occasions In manner that surprises no ono more than them- selves. One of his great officers used to tell of the great Duke of Wellington, l that one night when he was asleep in his tent-it was in the middle of one of l his grent campaigns-ne was awakened and informed that one of his officers
 
 shown In. and the great duke sat in his bed and listened to his report. The officer l brought him bad nows. His troops were hard pressed. He did not know what to do. The duke listened patiently till he he'd finished, and put a few questions to him.
 Tt seems to mo, he said at last that you are In n delse of a pickle I'll leave 1t to you 10 get out of it."
 Then he lay down and drew the bed clothes over him once more Tho interview was over and the officer went off to do hls best. He got out of the pickle" all right. The duke knew his man-that he was the one who would be able to do bet ter things than he himself expected. When they met later he congratulated the of-' fieer on his work.
 Just think what an opportunity you would have lost If I'd got you out of the mess myselfi" he said
 Most of us are timd lot, desperately anxious to ''serape along without taking more responsibility than we can possibly escape from. Sometime since the head of big manufacturing firm wrote to the papers complaining that when good po- sitlon fell vacant in hls firm he always noticed how the incompetent persons rushed for 1t. and how the persons he would wish to filling it never tried to secure 1t.
 On one occasion he had q situation WpIin S5uou Il year. dnus naNlnb an emplDy0 in the firm who was getting only S120o and who was Just the man for the job, he of fered it to him. The chosen one turned quite pale. He expressed his delight at being thought worthy of such n position while he was clearly terrified by the of- fer. He begged to be exehsed however, as he felt he should never be able to manage it." Then he backed out
 An hour or two later he found on hs desk a letter from the chief informing him that the $S000-ayear post was still open for his acceptance, but If he did not accept 1t he would receive q months no- tice of dismissal from the post he oceu- pied In desperation he accepted the pro- mction and to his amazement found hm- self an unoSalifed success.
 That man l.~teags to the timd I shall ne''er do it army" declared the employer. Tt Is wonderful how large 1t Is today"
 When tho necessity comes to do thing the person who has been convinced hither. to he will never manage H." finds some how that he does. T must" has a remark ably nylgorating and inspiring effect. Don't we all put off doing things We dread doing until the last moment? It is n ridiculous habit. We have not the en- ergy to walk to our train till the time thought that 1t will be serious matter if we don't catch it carries us over the ground in amazing manner. We are quite surprised. Necessity is our stm- uius.