The Washington herald., 1915-01-26
POSSIBLE SUCCESS TO ALL
By oR1soN SWEET MARDEN.


Speaking of his success as an athlete
and sportsman, Mr.. Roosevelt once said:
ANY hardy, healthy man, fond of out
door life, but not in the least an athlete,
could lead the life have led II he chose
and by choosing I, OF course, mean
choosing to exercise the requisite indus
try, judgment and foresight, none of a
very marked type"
Choose what you will, within the limits
of reason. and by the exercise Of the
average ability you possess, you will in
time reach your mark.
Many young people get the impression
that success consists in doing some mar
velous thing that there must be some
genius born in the man who achieves 1t;
that otherwise II would not be possible
to him. The youthful mind throws a
halo around the successful character: in
vests 1t with the superhuman attributes
which common mortals do not possess.
II is almost impossible to convince an
ambitious boy that his hero Is not a
superman, a sort of demi-god endowed
with divine possibilities so far above his
own that it would be useless for him to
try to initiate him.
How often in trying to arouse the am
billion of young people have 1 been met
with the objection, "oh. but I am not a
genius, 1 have only just common. ordi-
nary ability" or IF l only had the
genius OF a Wanamaker, a Roosevelt. or
a Lincoln, might accomplish something
in the world. But am merely an aver
age boy, and / am not quick to learn.
have only a common school education,
and never expect to fill n big place in
the world.
How few of us realize that trHe sue
cess, which includes happiness, Is not
arffNr hxrf 1igh-
ment of some great thing; that il does
not consist in being wealthy, famous, or
powerful; but that il is the crown OF all
who honestly. earnestly do their best and
live the everyday simple life, with all
that 1t involves in the practice Of the
commonplace duties of every day.
It is by the exercise of the common,
homely virtues; it is by trying to do
everything one attempts to a complete
finish: by trying to be scrupulOusly hon
est in every transaction; by always ring
ing true in our friendships, even by hold
ing a helpful, accommodating attitude to-
ward those about US; by trying to full
fill to the best of our ability the obliga-
ton to be noble. to be loyal to our high
est ideals-it is by such things as these
that we make successful lives.
1t is in bringing to its full perfection,
each ordinary ability, that the perfectly
developed, perfectly balanced man or
woman is evolved. II every human being
would once get a good view of himself,
could see clearly his latent possibilities,
and should then apply himself to their
cultivation. civilization would push to-
ward the millennium with giant strides.
We can all form habits which make for
success, in trying every day to put a
finer spirit into our work, TO be more
systematic. more efficient. more prompt
more faithful in every detail. We can
make a greater effort to curb our tenn
per, to be more considerable, more cour-
teous, more lovable to those about us.
In straining for effect in the struggle
to do something great and wonderful,
we often overlook the supreme impor-
lance of the common virtues and so miss
the little successes, the sum OF which
would have made our lives sublime. And,
after all. this straining and struggling
for the larger, the more SNOWY things.
how many at the last discover to their
horror what they have missed on the
way up, what sweetness, what beauty:
what loneliness. what true success they
have lost in the struggle for the false.
In the last analysis, there is no secret
in the greatest OF all successes, the build
ing of a noble character. 1t is achieved
quietly, without noise or straining, by
the natural exercise of the commonest,
most everyday qualities.
fCouyrirht 1913