The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-11-03
Howe About:
Wordsworth
Success Easier Than Failure
How Time Passes
BY ED HOWE
@. 1888. Bell syndicate.-wNU Service.

ten. Wordsworth WrOte OF 'Cne mighty
sum of things forever speaking"
Here is sufficient brevity, originality
and common sense, but as rule poets
color their product too highly. and
prose suits me better than the jum-
| bled way In which versifiers arrange
their lines The sentiment ! quote
from Wordsworth appeals to me be-
cause 1t is my natural way to pay
constant attention to the mighty sum
of things forever speaking. There are
so many of these mighty voices clam
oring to be heard. can give each one
only few lines.
William Feather published this
paragraph: "No man can 60 complete
ly to the devil without a great deal of
determination" Ted Robinson,
the newspaper columnist. retorted:
THAT'S wrong. Some can go to the
devil just by standing STILL"
do not intend TO let Mr.. Robinson
dismiss in few words the most i'm
pOrtant practical philosophy ever for.
mulated. e. w. Howe, of Kansas, says
success is easier than failure, and
has written much on this theme. I.
Consider the man who stands still
on a sidewalk. He Is jostled and
cursed by those who are moving. and
who want him to get out Of the way
The most comfortable way to spend
time on the sidewalk is to be going
somewhere. Overwhelming, or over
indulgence of any kind, is followed by
headache. Over spending or over
speculation is followed by the barking
of creditors Violation of the criminal
law is followed by arrest and sentence
to the workhouse. Every man who
goes completely to the devil gets there
by easy stages. At every turn he suf.
fers more than the man who behaves
himself. Never does he rise in the
morning without a warning that un-
less he reforms. his troubles will In
crease. His wife scolds him, his en-
ployer threatens him, and his friends
avoid him. 1t takes the strongest
kind of will to ignore the signs on
the road to hell. and to bear the cross
of self-imposed failure. Think
about this and you'll admit it is true.
For several years, an hour before
eating my one considerable meal of
the day, have had the habit of TAX
ing swallow of tasteless mineral oil.
in connection with pinch of seaweed
called agar. suppose some one in
duced me to try it. and. as it did me
no harm and some good, continued
II Once | was at table with quite
noted doctor and health specialist. and
said to him:
every noted man is pestered some
what by those to whom he is intro
duced. shall bother you with only
simple question" Then l outlined my
habit, and asked:
as it a good idea?"
SWELL" the great man replied Che
is upwards of eighty, 81 do it." | pur-
sued the inquiry no further; but what
I started out to say is that time passes
so rapidly when one is old that 1t
seems to me now I take mineral oil
every hour instead of every twenty
four.
AS impressive reading as may be
found in our American books con-
Germs the firing on Fort Sumter, which
started the Civil war. The battle last
ed four days, and the exchange of
shots from big guns between North
erners In the fort and Southerners on
shore was tremendously noisy. impress
sive and smoky, yet not man on
either side was injured during the en-
tire exhibition.
However, when the Yankees sur
rendered and retired from the fort,
the Southerners, being brave men
themselves, wished to honor the gal
lantry of their defeated foes q have
long observed that opposing fighters
usually commend the bravery of each
other).
So the Southerners attempted to
fire a salute in honor of their foes,
big gun burst. and four gallant fell
lows were wounded.
Had the participants on both sides
been engaged In their usual callings,
should not be laughing at them more
than seventy years later.
When | go on the streets during the
present depression. the people seem
sufficiently sensible and efficient, but
when read of the doing of statesmen
at Washington and state capitals.
bow my head and burst into tears.
Surely | am right In saying our great
est plumbers, our greatest cruelties.
have been in war and craftsmanship.
I don't know much; can only mud
die along, and make the best of my
mistakes About the best that may
be said of any man is that he has done
better than the average with his mis-
takes.