The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1917-01-18

penter, but you will never become
an architect" was the candid criti-
cism of some of our associates to a
fellow workman who was doing
his best to better his condition in
life.
But he did become an architect,
and the criticism. crude as it was,
was based on truths. No one
knew the truth more clearly than
the man himself, but herein lay
his greatness, he humbly set to
work to replace Deficiencies with
efficiencies. His very failures
stimulated his passion to succeed.
Difficulties drew out their latent
strength. He learned to master
his weapons under the discipline
of repeated failure. till in the end
he acquired a skill so perfect that
failure was forgotten in triumph.
A failure which has brought our
noblest faculties into play is better
than success which has disgraced
them.
1t is truly tragic thought that
probably three-fourths of the
worlds brain-power runs to waste.
Multitudes of men are engaged in
tasks far below the level of their
Inherent capabilities. Nature wastes
a thousand seeds to perfect one,
and men are wasted in the same
fashion. What comfort can pos
sibly be offered to the man who is
the victim of social conditions
which never offer his capacity full
playa 1t is hard thing t. frame
a reply that shall not sound hypo-
critical, but it may be at least re-
membered that failure is TRACE
dy of the spirit rather tnan of
circumstances.
No man, however independent
in solitary strength, can dare to
call himself the sole architect of
his own career. The one is al
ways the product of the many. To
live without the many is to cut
ourselves off from the tap-root of
humanity. There is nothing more
depressing than dwelling upon lost
opportunities or a misspent life.
Whatever our past has been let us
forget it. If it throws a shadow
upon the past, or causes melan-
cholly or dependency, there is
nothing which will help US, there
is not a single reason why we
should retain it in our memory,
and there are thousand reasons
why we should bury it so deeply
that it could never be resurrected.
There is nothing more foolish than
to drag the skeletons of the past,
the hideous images, the foolish
deeds, the unfortunate experiences
of the past into our future life to
mar and spoil it. There are plenty
of people who have been failures
up to the present moment, who
could do great things in the future
if they could only forget the past
and had the ability to close the
door on it forever and start anew.
I do not believe there is any hu-
man being in this world, in prison
or out, that is so depraved, so low,
so bad, but what can do some
good in this bright world of ours.
and that he could be controlled by
love, by kindness and by patience.
And / do think when a man goes
out on the great highway of life,
and does close the door on his past
unfortunate experiences, and not
60 about the streets trying to
sneak and to stink out of sight, has
better prospects for success than
one who thinks only of the past, and
can say to himself, II am a man.
made in the image of Perfection,
and l must be a perfect man, there
fore l am going to do all the good
in this world that my ability
affords me.' 1 believe such man
will transform the hardened lines,