The Washington herald., 1916-06-28
Where Your Strength Is.
BY oRIsoN swETr MARDEN,

II has been said that most of the people who
fail in life do so because of the lack of some
quality which is but one-forty-second part
of all the mental faculties. In other words, al
though we may have forty strong mental fac
ulties qualities, if are deficient in only one
quality-let us say sef-conhdence-we are more
than likely to fail; for the man woman with
out self-conhdence is the plaything of chance,
the puppet of environment, the slave of circum-
stances.
Lacking self-confdence, we have not the
courage to stand alone to be independent in
thought act; we timid as the mouse
in the fable, always afraid to trust to our own
powers.
This little mouse, so runs the table, dwelt
the abode of a great magician and was
kept in such constant distress by its fear of "a
cat that the magician, taking pity on it, turned
it into a cat itself Immediately the little
creature began to suffer from fear of dog, SO
the magician turned it into a dog. Then it
began to suffer from fear OF a tiger, and the
magician turned it into tiger. Then it began
to suffer from its fear OF huntsmen, and the
magician, in disgust, said: "Be mouse again
AS you have only the heart of a mouse it is
impossible to help you by giving you the body
of nober animal"
Every day sends to the grave obscure men
who have only remained in obscurity because
their timidty, their lack of self-confdence, pre-
vented them from making a first effort If they
could 6ave been induced to begin; if they had
trusted in their powers and dared to forge
ahead, they would, in all probability, have gone
great lengths in careers of usefulness and fame
"If l had influence, some one to give me a
lift know l could get on" How often we hear
this cry from backboneless people afraid to trust
P,t tbs,y a,r,iSt al
No matter how high they were boosted, like the
tmid mouse, they would still fear to trust their
strength. You can't get power from the
outside; it can only be developed from within
If you don't generate strength yourself one
else can do it for you.
There is only price for real success
that which pay ourselves. No other will
be accepted. That only is really which we
actually conquer ourselves not that which an
other gives, which our fathers or relatives con-
Quered for US. That which is merely left us
in a will is not ours in the truest sense, and can
not be until are able to conquer it just
as fathers conquered it Things are ar
ranged so in the realities OF this world that
certain gifts impossible.
One of most successful business men,
who began life as day laborer in reply to my
question, How do you explain your rapid pro-
mouOn! SdlQ: IN the nrSt place, l always
stood my feet-always relied on myself"
When you depend yourself you know it Il
only your merit that you will succeed. Then
you discover your latent powers, awake to your
manhood, and your mettle to do your at
most Depend on yourself is good life motto
a great believer in sef-reliant manlness
The world is often amazed at the marvellous
achievement Of very ordinary person who ha.
tremendous self-faith. The example of loan OF
Arc illustrates the great law, just as the falling
OF the apple suggested to Newton the law oi
gravitation.' 1t shows that under ordinary con-
ditions we use only very small percentage oi
our possible power; that we do not begin to dc
the things we could do if we were inspired by
great faith, by supreme self-confdence
When a man really believes in himself when
he feels that he do what he undertakes, his
courage is wonderfully increased, and it is cour-
age that leads the other faculties.