Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1917-11-01
THE TRAGEDY OF
THE UNPREPARED

An address delivered by DR..
Thomas Brooks Fletcher last Thurs
day night as the second number OF
the lyceum course was most interest
ing and we'll appreciated by all his
hearers. 1t was filled with pathos
humor and satire from the beginning
to the end. From the beginning the
audience became interested and at
all times were continually swayed
and controlled by his voice. His
personality commended utmost re-
spect and attention-peasing yet
firm, kind yet authoritative.
The lecture is a one for the young
folks of youthful age rather than
those of advanced years. The life
stories he painted were of two ma
tures-those of success and those
that were tragedies-''The Tragedies
of the Unprepared." AS the subject
of the prepared life, he used for his
example the biblical story of the high
Schaal lad who had a purpose in life
those round and about the lad, the
Doctor termed as community dead
heads of the new as well as OF olden
times. The young people have their
life to live and his speech was direct
ed from the standpoint of the labor
ing man. Not the satisfied type OF
laboring man but the man with a
trained mind, trained body, a train
ed character, one who needs no boss
to keep him going and find things
worth while to do. For the untrain-
ed man is a slave to the world and
there are millions of his class. The
average man gets but about sixty
percent of his himself out of himself
because he has not a trained brain
to mix with the soil if he be far
mer or to mix with his work IL he
be engaged in other pursuits of Ia
Dor.
II the arm or foot or both arms
and both feet be out from the body
of a boy or girl and send him or her
forth to make their way in the world
Is handicapped for good service. But
such a one is not nearly so much
as the one who goes forth to make
the world better tho has not train
ed mind, body and character. There
are thousands CT boys and girls jus,
as deficient with an unframed and
physically wrecked body and STUMP
of mind and stunted character as
the lad who has been dismembered
A striking truth was driven home
to the audience when he stated thai
statistics show that eight out Of ter
children in the United States never
finish their high school education
The child of today must have bet
ter brain, better mind, a better
character than his grandfather had
before him. Great physical strength
was the ambition of the men in those
days. 1t had to be possessed In
order that they might live. In those
early days it was physical strength
now it is physical vitality with men,
tai strength.
More is done now by the strength
of mind by thousands of times than
is done by the physical ability OF
mankind What would the world be
but for the mental strength of Morse,
Edison and the host of inventors.
statesmen and men in every walk of
life? Theirs was mental strength
entertwined with physical vitality.
Battles are not wen on the field
but in the mental attitude of the
officers and men. They have visions
of minute thought regarding every
ARRAY. They drill and practice to
that end which denotes efficiency.
mental efficiency as we'll as physical
efficiency brain strength as well as
body strength.