Evening star., 1922-05-28
BY THOMAS n. MARSHALL.
Former Vice PresiAens Of the
Un5teA OAatoAs

i FOEACH VtGG IRG8H08bA Oh tnC
UnsteA Ssatess
T0 DEFINE greatness is
just as diHlcult as to say
what is truth. Despite
Standardization almost the
world around, that which consti-
tutes greatness Is still subject to
Individual measurement.
The nearest approach to ac-
curate definition is. perhaps. that
he is great who. thinks our
thoughts. acts as we act. apes our
virtues and patterns after our
vices. This materially enlarges
the number OF great men. Our
judgment naturally is affected by
the things of particular interest
to US, and we mold our opinions
by the compelling motives of our
lives.
II our supreme desire takes the
form Of an intense longing for the
glory and perpetuity Of the land
of our birth. then human great
ness which does not rise to the
dignity Of self sacrificing patriot
10 but OF minor moment to us. We
during fame for any one who has
not devoted himself to the COM
monwealth. whose nights have
not been troubled by thoughts Of
how he could benefit the home
land and whose days have not
been spent in the contamination
of ennobling and patriotic pur-
poses. A man may tower above
his fellows in innumerable ways.
Israel. yet, il his mission is mot to
minister at his country's altar.
he II worthy only of honorable
mention when we call the roll OF
the illustrious.
Happily, there is disappearing
from the vision of mankind
species of greatness that through
untold ages caught the popular
fancy. The warrior. who with
mailed fist struck his way into
the hearts of countless multitudes,
no longer is the ideal, Just why
there ever should have beeA<ado-
ration for the destroyer rather
than for the builder. l do not
stop to explain, further than to
suggest that hitherto in the up
ward progress of the race the
rights of man were conserved by
force and not by faith in good in
tentions.
The minds of men inevitably
turn to questions Of statecraft. to
written documents which in fair
weather seem to be the guide of
humankind but which. in the
storm of passion. are whisked
away into the sea of strife and
hatred. To these men he alone is
great who deyotes himself to the
formulation of theories for the
government of peoples.
Other men bow down before
mere knowledge. They assume
that to know is far more priceless
than to be. They give gladly and
ungrudgingly of thier love and
loyalty to any man who seeks to
dig from mystic tones the mi
crobe of learning.
A few live through the medium
OF their emotions That which
sounds in syllable sentences upon
their auditory nerves and moves
their passions for good or Ill is
the thing they love best. For those
who thus are made. greatness con-
SlStS oil power 10 move mdhkeS Oh
men by the matchless gift of ora
tory.
Still fewer. SO few as to be
scarcely numbered. are the divine
who believe that all greatness is
marked by the ability to console
the broken-hearted and by the
wish to set the prisoner free. With
them phila anthropy counts more
than crashing cannon or compel
ling oratory. BY them none can
be called great who does not love
and serve his fellow men.
r
The world is wide. Its men and
women are moved by motives as
different as the stars of heaven.
That which one loves. another
hates. For the thing one would
sacrifice to aid. another would not
lift a finger Men come and go
upon the stage of life. Truly. they
have their entrances and their
exits Their passage may be
marked by greatness. temporary,
fieeting-greatness that may be
thrust upon them.
But in the realm of recollection
as in the neld of time. death. the