The Dickinson press., 1915-12-11

~ COUNIY, NOkTH Dl
rate u W Importance and to en-
phasize things which are not import
ant. We are apt to the sue
cess OF life and the value Of life by
years, n acquisition and prominence
When the only question should be,
u ne do his work? Did he stand
tlrm Was he kind and was he 10y
al! There is only one thing in this
world which is eternal and that is
kindness and influence, and we can
not tell how far love can go or how
influential a seemingly petty thing
may be. Many a babe of a. few
years Of age has influenced lives and
eternity. Personally I can remember
n know that one of the most
potent influences in my life was an
English sparrow. I came to America
When a lad OF fifteen years of age. I
was an orphan. I had no friends or
money. had not a relative on the
CONTINENT. was so homesick that I
could have committed suicide without
n~eSltatlon. l was ready to give UP the
nght when n day my attention was
attracted to a little sparrow that was
pecklng for a living upon a busy citv
street. Far from the green fields
and the sheltering trees-in the midst
OF the hoofs and the wheels of the
traffic. Alone on the streets of a ter-
rl1ylng city, yet plucky and unafraid.
The sparrow reminded me of home.
Out II did more-it reminded me of
my family and of the self-sacrifces Of
the past. 1t reminded me of men
Wno a stood firm in the fire swept
trenches. 1t reminded me of men
and women who had gone to the scat
iold n to the gibbet because of
their faith and of their belief. Was
l alone of my family and of my clan
to surrender and to hide my head?
II a little homeless sparrow could
light it out, so could 1.
You cannot measure lives by sue
cess. One brave man in the trenches
otten furnishes an example which
hundreds of generals cannot give.
One brave man or woman who in the
midst of adversely still smiles and
holds high the head is worth manv
books. One kindly word-one hand
c!asp-one Hello Bill" at the right
time has saved many a soul. One
man, who though crushed, knows not
defeat and is bigger than circum-
stances, is worth more than MANY
sky-scrapers and many monuments.
These things are immortal. To live
IN mankind is far more than to live
IN a name. You remember the story
OF the traveller who returned to visit
a familiar and mighty river of his
poyhood days-a mighty river once,
u which since then had been drained
Tor n purpose of irrigation. When
ne returned he found nothing but
dry channel. Where is the river2 2"
ne asked in disappointment, and the
answer was "Yonder in the ORANGE
groves" His disappointment van
ished: The river, it is true, had lost
its identity and it's life but it was
living again in the flowers and in the
sun-kissed fruit.
L often think that the highest honor
is to lie among the unknown dead for
1t is upon the heroism of the un-
known dead and of the private SOL
d!er whose name never gets into the
dispatches that civilization is based.
We have in u order a true de-
mocracy; Our greeting is simply
"Hello Bill" We believe in God and
ne is the Father Of us all. We be-
long to one clan. 1t is we'll to con-
slider the democracy of death. It is
well to consider the democracy of the
judgment that shall be passed upon
US. What after all is a successful
life? Which of our departed broth
ers shall we honor and remember?
What will be the examination for adj
mission into the great university of
the heavens?
What we really need today is hero
ism and loyalty in the everyday bat
tie of life. It is a comparatively
easy thing to be firm upon the battle
field. It is more difficult to fight the
everyday battles of life singlv and
alone. In the everyday Struggle
there are no sounds Of martial mIsic.
no plaudlts of the crowd, no thrilling
nayonet charges, only a mastering
The plaudits belong to the
second llne-to the army of occupa-
tlon-at is the first line that breaks
the way. 1t is an easy thing to fol-
low the crowd. It is an easy thing
to swim with the tide. It is more
difficult to head desert wanderings-
to lead ones soul, ones cause, ones
clan. But the heroism of war can
be made universal in the times of
peace and the permanence of civili-
cation and of popular government
demands that this be done. There
can be heroes in everyday life and in
the marts of trade as well as upon
the decks of the Titanic. In self re-
spect and unselfishness which scorns
to degrade itself by taking the place
Of women and children in a life-boat
can and will show itself in the every
day battle Of life. We need Individual
loyalty and ~self-respect which will re-
frain from that which is heartless and
dishonorable. We are 80 apt to for
get that the salvation of America and
of ourselves as a patriotic order de-
ponds entirely upon the individual. It
is on "Bill" In the workshop and
not on "Bill" in the Legislature or
In public office that we must rely.