The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1918-05-10

vice ranks the same Win GOu, anu
that If you take out from the mass OF
life, any deed, be it what men call
small or great" there will be a
huge gap. One of the most popular
heresies entertained by men Is that
there is vast interval between our
opportunities and us, that our op-
portunities are where we are not. If
we will only change the circumstances
of our life, take up another task, get
in different climate, we can avail,
ourselves of them. But the trite and
yet amazing thing is that our best
opportunities are where we ourselves
are.
The ordinary gifts of life and the
common opportunities that come to
every man and woman are the lever
age by which this earth is brought
nearer heaven. All progress and en-
lightment are the results Of the eff
forts of the ninety-and nine ordinary
people, and not of the one lone gen
Jus. This is the real Christian de-
mocracy. 1t is the gospel of the
rights of the individual, but that is
but one side of the truth; the other
is the duties that are involved in all
the gifts and endowments Of life. The
main object of democratic educa-
tons is to prepare us to perform our
duties. The freedom that the demo
crat covets is the right to work and
serve. This is the era of the sover-
eighty of the common people; the
death-knell to kingship and titles and
inherited aristocracies is being
sounded in this war. 1t is the aver
age man that is going to win this
war. The average man has come
into his own. This age demands that
each one put everything that he is
and has into the business of living.
To the graduates of the Columbia
Institute, there are few things that
should like to say. Having graduated
three times, know something of how
you feel. 1t is assumed that you feel
important, and that you think that
you have drunk keep at the Pierian
springs.
You should thank God that you
wore born free-souls in this day in
America, and not as e-girls in
days of old. With so much death and
destruction is this world at present,
your life should count with credit to
yourselves and your mothers. The
days of the idler and the parasite are
past. | believe that the time is COM
ing when the girl who loafs on the
job of living will be ostracisei. A
wonderful life opens before you. You
can be anything that you want to be.
You are privileged to start out in life
at the very threshold of now age.
Among the dead there are many that
envy you. The Queen of Sheba would
change places with the humblest girl
OF today. None of you may become
movie-stars, or great writer's, or the
First Lady of the Land but all Of
you can emulate the nobAe nature OF
the slave-girl. You can use the com
mon gifts of life and grasp the cpror-
tunities that lie at your very feet
The women of today are turning the
tables on the men. Take up any
newspaper and you will fini thai the
women get as much press notices as
the men, and they do net write it
themselves. This is Your age
Young ladies, you are commencing
your real life, and your rea, education
too Your contact with life hereto
for has been indirect, through your
parents. Others have to large ax-
teni carried and solved your prob
lens. Now with eyes open, every
faculty alert, you face life your
selves. You stand on your own feet
If you expect to succeed, but pose
as the lilies of the field Which toll not
neither do they spin, you will be
disappointment to yourselves and
those who love you. The tine is past
when girl can be content merely to
look pretty: she must DO PRETTY.
All of us are either working people or
criminals, producers or reducers. Be
fore this war made so many demands
on all of us, there was class Of peo-
pie, chiefly among married women,
whose meal-ticket was insured, who
were miserable because they had
nothing to do. Cultivate a burning
interest in life about YOU FIJI your
lives with deeds of usefulness. Shun
the misery of having nothing to do
=
Mrs. c. F. Gilbert, formerly Miss
Grace Milan, of Savannah, and Miss
Mary McCarty of Columbia, rendered
two beautiful vocal selections.