Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-10-25
Miss Florence Minis Extols
Virtue Of Unassuming
Greatness.
Dear Advertiser:

Greatness.
Dear Advertiser:
AS I sit to write many thoughts
come to me, and if I were clever
enough, would put them in few
words, like quotation. In losing my
self in a wilderness Of sentences,
also lose the inspiration I would
bring to you. That is so surely illus
trated every day, the thought of qual
ity rather than quantity, for we al
ways say that the richest gifts are
put up in the smallest parcels.
You remember the story of the
students who were competing for a
prize. Each was writing an account
of the incident in the Bible of Christ
turning the water to wine. Many
men wrote things, papers full of fine
and minute description. One amongst
them all, who dared 10 be direct and
sincere wrote, "the conscious water
saw the Lord and blushed." And that
quotation will never be forgotten.
That idea is what I would like to
express-how it is that the honest,
unassuming person or act or piece of
literature, or what not, has the
greatest value.
How humble and really child-like
are the few really great men I have
known, how willing to teach and to
be taught themselves. How ready
they are to be put in the background.
Watch the stern, over dignified man
or woman and see if he or she does
not keep you at distance for fear
you may see, close at hand, some
ill-concealed imperfections. Perhaps
some over-estimated success has
made them feel ga little lower. than
the angels" How much lower than
mediocrity is the egotistic person.
"Conceit in weakest bodies, strongest
lies"
However, am thinking more par
ticularly of the other side of the
question, the unassuming kindness of
true greatness. The higher person
goes in any line, it matters not what,
the more surely must he contrast
himself with the incarnation of all
real perfection-God. Consequently,
therein must he see his own little
ness. The great men I have known
have been artists, and real art is so
closely allied with religion, that I
cannot mention one without the 9th
er.
1t is my rare privilege daily to
watch artists at their work of re-
hearsing plays. The company are not
all artists, but at least two of their
number are, and I would have a
blunted sense of excellence did | not
discriminate between those who are
still travelling the road to artistry.
Their director is man of wide rep
utation, himself an artist in acting
as well as in directing.
I have seen students who thought
they had all knowledge because they
had been applauded by one or two
enthusiastic audiences, but never
the men who have played before
many thousands.
There is a pathos in watching
them, eager to take directions, anx-
ious to learn more, these two who
know so much. And sometimes a
poignant sense of thankfulness
comes over me that have seen the
artist nature at its best, a thing
that cannot leave me unmoved be-
cause of its very eloquence. This is
their attitude always, 81 know moth
ing. Teach me-" And when they play,
a sort of glory that passes under
standing comes over the audience,
for these players have forgotten
themselves. They hold themselves be-
fore you only as mirrors of beauty
and truth, willing to be only the
means through which great inspira-
tions may go over the footlights to
their fellow man.
The great man does not call at
tention to himself, but he makes him
self sign pointing to something
sublime.
Small incidents often affect me
more than great ones and I often
draw truth from an everyday occur
renee. I stood in theatre one af-