Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1916-03-30
THE MAN WHO WAITS.

A French philosopher OF the
eighteenth century, in brilliant dis
sertation upon society, said:
"The civilized man, whether he be
the dandy of the bouevards or the
South Sea aborigine, is the man who
can wait. Impatience is the assassin
of the future"
Such words have the ring Of proph-
ecy, for no ultra modern of our own
century could have penned better
epitome of the spirit of this age or
better summed up the difficulties
which it holds.
Civilization, according to this stand
ard, is not a thing OF eXternals, but
of mental processes. Never in the
history of the world has so great
stress been laid upon self-confidence
as the touchstones of success for the
individual. Observe that self-confi-
dence can not exist without faith in
the future. In other words, success
depends upon the ability to plan, to
inaugurate, and then to wait.
A brief survey of the high lights of
the worlds material progress will
show the scope of this truth. The
first step toward civilization may we'll
have been taken when the creature
man reasoned that the sowing of a
certain seed would result in a defi-
mite harvest, When that seed was
sown the period of waiting for the
harvest constituted the test of mans
faith-of his potential civilization.
Probably he failed to hold that faith.
He probably became disgusted, for
got all about his sowing. But when
the seeds grew and flourished and
came to harvest in spite of his unbe-
lief and his inability to wait, he real
lied that he had invoked natural
laws which operated independently
of his failure to believe. Since that
first small harvest, whenever and
wherever it may have occurred, man
has never doubted the future which
! lies between the sown seed and the
gathered grain.
Keeping this view over the achieve
ments of the past, we see that the
processes of human progress and ma
turity of designs are just as infallible
in the aggregate as the laws of physi-
cal nature. Foresight, vision, the
ability to plan and then await the
future, has laid the foundations Of
every stable fortune since the world
began. The weary years which at
tended the exploitation of the great
inventions, the years when a scoffing
public sought to drown the inventor
and his invention beneath sea of
ridicule, are the same years that have
beheld the building of the great en-
pires of the world, and saw in the
end both inventor and empire builder
emerge triumphant above the welter
of senseless obstructionism. In our
own country, the purchase of Louisi
ana, the purchase of Alaska, the de-
velopment of our great northwest,
has taken place in the face Of the
bitter prophecies Of the men who
could not wait.
The greatest trial Of the man of
vision and enterprise is the unceasing
enmity Of those members of the COM
munity who are incapable Of desiring
or seeing the public good. These
people see only the sowing of the
grain, and to their short vision the
process is one of consummate folly,
for they absolutely refuse to allow
the consideration Of the future to be
factor d the transaction.
In the administration of communal
enterprises we find the obstructionist
at his worst. In no other field is his
activity so great a menace to progress
and public welfare. More cities and
towns have been kept out Of their
right to control the public service