The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-12
THE POWER OF IDEALS.
ny ORIsON SWEET MARDEN

! Lawson says: My advice to ali those
just starting to travel life's turnpike is:
Don't start until you have your ideal.
Then don't stop until you get 1T
| II is Of the utmost Importance to choose
our ideal early In life. a high and beau
tiful ideal. that shall be our pole star,
the highest. brightest light We know
| In Hawthorne's story The Great Stone
Face" We have an impressive ilIustra-
| ton OF the power OF an IDEAL Ones
memory holds a vivid picture OF Its hero.
whose mind had dwelt from childhood on
| the local tradition that a man child
| should be born whose face would resem-
BILE that of the mountain profile above
the little hamlet of his nativity and that
| this child would eventually become the
| leader and saviour OF the people So
| wholeheartedIy did he believe the legend
so earnestly did he long for its fulfill
ment. and so constantly did his eyes
dwell on the prophetic profile. that I'M
consciously his own features changed un-
Ill. outwardly as well as inwardly. he
completely embodied the ideal which his
mind had absorbed.
OF course We all have ideals OF some
kind when We are young: but how many
Of US keep them even till middle age?
What young man has entered into active
life without an ideal before him OF what
he is going to do. and how the world is
going to be betterCd b. him? What
young girl but who. leaving scnool. life
smiling before her, dreams of the ideal
love she will find. the ideal happy home
she will make. and. the beautiful work
she will do In life 4ith the ideal nan OF
| her girlish dreams by her side? But do
the youth and the maiden hold these
ideals throughout the years, with the
strength OF conviction that overcorucs
all difficulties. or do they abandon them
with the first disbursement and settle
down into a commonplace existence with
interest in nothing above the material?
One OF the greatest aids TO she preser-
walton of the youthful ideal in all its
freshness and beauty is to recall fire.
quently. daily. the moral heroes who first
gave one a glimpse of ones possibilities
and aroused ones ambition. Read the
special books. or particular chapters
which fired you to emulate some noble
character. Renew yourself mentally by
visualiZinG the life and work of men and
women who have wrought nobly for
humanity.
Think of the washingtons. the
Franklins, the Lincolns. the Emersons.
the Ruskins. the Florence Nightin-
gales. the Jane Adams. the Susan B.
Anthonys. the Frances Willards and
you will be strengthened to resist the
debasing influence Of the fierce COM
petition for wealth and preferment.
even for mere subsistence, which in so
many instances, pushes out of sight
the aspirations and ideals OF youth.
Keep constantly IN mind the grand
characters. who's achievements
aroused you to noble thoughts and en-
deavor in the spring time OF life. and
your standards will never drop. Char
acter always develops according to the
pattern within US. No artist could
paint the face of Christ with the
model Of Judas before his mental Wis
ion. No great character can ever be
built with low. groveling ideas in the
mind
The constant struggle to measure UP
to n high ideal Is the only force in
heaven or on earth that can make a
life great beautiful and fruitful. II
we would ever accomplish anything of
worth, IL we would ever establish our
oneness with the Creator and accom-
plish the work he sent US here to do
we must live up to our ideal
with eyes fixed on this ideal. We
must work with heart and hand ana
brain: with a faith that never grows
dim, with a resolution that never
waivers, with a patience that Is akin
to genius, we must persevere unto the
end; for, as we advance, our ideal rs
steadily moves upward. 1t Is part
of the divine plan of the universe that
IL should always be In advance to
lead us from height to height. But
no matter how high. II is always in
separately a part OF each day and the
duties of each day.
tCopynsht. igs)