The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-05-26

Is not bigger tasks but bigger souls.
All around us talents are going to
waste in waiting for big opportuni-
ties. The soul grows ever smaller
that thinks Of its task as beneath It..
On one occasion General Stonewall
Jackson wanted a bridge over the
Shenandoah River over which his
army could pass. He ordered his en-
gineers TO build a bridge. He also
called his wagonmaster and black
smith and gave them orders to get
the wagon train across. At day
break the blacksmith came and called
General Jackson and said, General,
we've got the wagon and artillery
across" jackson was greatly as
tonished. He said, How did you do
il 2" well" said the blacksmith,
I'VE had some men to pile rocks in
the middle of the stream and put
some logs from the banks to the
stones, put rails across and drove
over" General Jackson said, Where
are the engineers ?" They're up in
the tents making diagrams OF
bridge This blacksmith and wag-
onmaster had a homely task which
they accomplished in a homely way
There are a great many people today
who spend too much time in making
blue prints and diagrams. Too many
people think more of the method by
which a thing is accomplished than
they do Of the accomplishment itself.
This comes because they want the
homely common tasks to appear big
and difficult. We talk about the
science of this and the science OF
that. Let us do away with some
Of this nonsense and get back to the
GOOD common sense of General Jack
sons blacksmith and wagonmaster.
The needs Of the world are too great
today to waste time on non-essentiais.
The object of life should be 10
achieve something that will help hu-
mainly to higher level. when
John Frederic Oberlin Of Strassburg
thought of a life work, he wrote, Il
do not wish to labor in some comfort
able charge where can be at ease.
The question is, Where can l be
most useful?~ This ought to be the
spirit Of our young people today VINO
want to make their lives count Tor
most in life.
In our consideration this evening
we have in mind those things that
will lead to achievement Of the high
est character. Concerning these dy-
manic forces in life, there is neither
doubt nor uncertainty. Gather to-
gether one hundred biographies OF
the worlds greatest patriots, philos-
ophers, missionaries and heroes
men and women who have built
states and kingdoms and helped the
world on its way to influence, hap
piness, and success, and we find GER
tain great forces common TO all
celebrations, and tributes
show the worlds indebtedness tol
these men. We mark the birth place
of Shakespeare and Emerson. The
portraits of Lincoln and Webster
adorn the walls Of the young lawyer.
We are all helped by the knowledge
Of Lincoln's achievement, of Crom-
wells endurance, of Paul's zeal and
Of Jobs patience. The biographies
Of these men tell US precisely where
were the hidings of their poweL
These secrets are the. lessons of his
tory and a contribution of the past
10 the wisdom Of the future.
In these great men we see THE
POWER OF AN IDEAL in deter
mining the outcome Of life. Last
year the baccalaureate sermons
preached before Harvard. Yale, and
Princeton Universities emphasized the
power of an ideal. President Low
ELL preached on the Triumphs OF
Faith from the eleventh Chapter OF
Hebrews, showing that faith was that