第3章

Iamanxiouslyawaitingtheresults。Iamhopingthattheboysandgirlswhocomeoutincase-lotsfromthesehugeschoolplantswillnotberowsoflithographedcansontheshelvesoflife。Iamhopingtheywillnotbeshornoftheirindividuality,butwillhaveitstimulatedandunfettered。Iamanxiousthattheybenotveneeredbutinspired,notdenaturedbutdiscovered。

Allthisschoolmachineryisonlymachinery。Backofitmustbemen——greatmen。Iamanxiousthatthemodernschoolhavethemodernequipmentdemandedtoservethepresentage。ButIammoreanxiousthateachstudentcomeinvitaltouchwithgreatmen。Wegetlifefromlife,notfromlaboratories,andwehavelifemoreabundantlyasourlivestouchgreaterlives。

Aschoolisvastlymorethanmachinery,methods,microscopesandmillions。

Manyasmallschoolstrugglingtolivethinksthatallitneedsisendowment,whenthefactisthatitsstruggleforexistenceandthespiritofitsteachersareitsgreatestendowment。Andsometimeswhenthemoneyendowmentcomesthespiritualendowmentgoesinfattydegeneration。Someschoolsseemtohavebeenvisitedbycalamitiesinthefinancialprosperitythathasengulfedthem。

Canwekeepmenbeforemillions,andkeepouridealsuntaintedbyfoundations?Thatisthequestiontheageisasking。

YouandIareverymuchinterestedintheanswer。

ChapterVII

TheSalvationofa\"Sucker\"

TheFiddleandtheTuningHOWlongittakestolearnthings!IthinkIwasthirty-fouryearslearningonesentence,\"Youcan’tgetsomethingfornothing。\"I

havenotyetlearnedit。EveryfewdaysIstumbleoveritsomewhere。

Forthatsentenceuttersoneofthefundamentalsoflifethatunderlieseveryfieldofactivity。

Whatisknowing?

Onedayamanufacturertookmethruhisfactorywherehemakesfiddles。Notviolins——fiddles。

Aviolinisonlyafiddlewithacollegeeducation。

IhavehadthefeelingeversincethatyouandIcomeintothisworldlikethefiddlecomesfromthefactory。Wehaveabodyandaneck。Thatisaboutallthereiseithertousortothefiddle。Weareempty。Wehavenostrings。Wehavenobow——yet!

Whenthehumanfiddlesareaboutsixyearsoldtheygointotheprimaryschoolsandupthruthegrammargrades,andgetthefirststring——thelittleEstring。Thetroubleissomanyofthesehumanfiddlesthinktheyareanorchestrarightaway。Theywanttoquitschoolandgofiddlingthrulifeonthisonestring!

Wemustshowtheselittlefiddlestheymustgobackintoschoolandgoupthruallthedepartmentsandinstitutionsnecessarytogivethemthefullcomplementofstringsfortheirlifesymphonies。

Afterallthistherecomesthecommencement,andtheviolincomesforthwiththeE,A,DandGstringsallinplace。Educatednow?

Whyisaviolin?Towearstrings?Gussiegotthatfarandgavealotofdiscord。Theviolinistogivemusic。

Sothereismuchyettodoaftergettingthestrings。Allthebookandcollegecandoistogivethestrings——thetools。Afterthattheviolinmustgointothegreattuningschooloflife。Herethepegsareturnedandthestringsareputintune。Themusicistheknowing。Learningistuning。

Youdonotknowwhatyouhavememorized,youknowwhatyouhavevitalized,whatyouhavewritteninthebookofexperience。

Gussiesays,\"Ihavereaditinabook。\"BillWhackemsays,\"I

know!\"

ReadingandKnowingAllofusareChristopherColumbuses,discoveringthesamenew-oldcontinentsofTruth。Thatisthetruehappinessoflife——discoveringTruth。Wereadthingsinabookandhaveahazyideaofthem。Wehearthepreacheruttertruthsandwesaywithlittlefeeling,\"Yes,thatisso。\"Wehearthegreattruthsoflifeoverandoverandwearenotexcited。Truthneverexcites——itisfalsehoodthatexcites——untilwediscoveritinourlives。Untilweseeitwithourowneyes。Thenthereisathrill。Thentheoldtruthbecomesanewblessing。Thentheoldest,driestplatitudecrystallizesintoaflashingjeweltodelightandenrichourconsciousness。Thisjoyofdiscoveryisthejoyofliving。

Thereissuchadifferencebetweenreadingathingandknowingathing。Wecouldreadathousanddescriptionsofthesunandnotknowthesunasinoneglimpseofitwithourowneyes。

Iusedtostandintherowofblessedlittlerascalsinthe\"deestrick\"schoolandreadfromMcGuffey’scelebratedliterature,\"If——I-p-p-play——with——the——f-f-f-i-i-i-i-r-r-e——I——will——g-e-e-et——my-y-y-y-y——f-f-f-f——ingers——bur-r-r-rned——period!\"

Ididnotlearnit。IwishIhadlearnedbyreadingitthatifI

playwiththefireIwillgetmyfingersburned。Ihadtoslapmyhandsuponhotstovesandcoffee-pots,andhadtogetmanykindsofblistersinordertolearnit。

ThenIhadtogoaroundshowingtheblisters,boringmyfriendsandtakingupacollectionofsympathy。\"Lookatmybadluck!\"Fool!

Thisisnotalecture。Itisaconfession!ItseemstomeifyouintheaudienceknewhowlittleIknow,youwouldn’tstay。

\"YouCan’tGetSomethingforNothing\"

Yes,Iwasthirty-fouryearslearningthatonesentence。\"Youcan’tgetsomethingfornothing。\"Thatis,gettingitinpartialtune。IttookmesolongbecauseIwasnaturallybright。Ittakesthatkindlongerthanahumanbeing。Theyaresosmartyoucannotteachthemwithafewbumps。Theyhavetobepulverized。

ThatsentencetakesmebacktothedayswhenIwasa\"hiredman\"onthefarm。YoumightnotthinkIhadeverbeena\"hiredman\"onthefarmattendollarsamonthand\"washed,mendedandfound。\"Youseemehereonthisplatforminmygracefulandculturedmanner,andyoumightnotbelievethatIhadevertrainedanorphancalftodrinkfromacopperkettle。ButIhavefedhimthefingersofthishandmanyatime。YoumightnotthinkthatIhadeverdrivenayokeofoxenandhadsaidthewords。ButIhave!

IrememberthefirstcountyfairIeverattended。Fellowsufferers,youmayrememberthatatthecountyfairallthepeoplesortouttotheirowndepartments。Somepeoplegotothecannedfruitdepartment。Somegotothefancyworkdepartment。Somegototheswinedepartment。Everybodygoestohisowndepartment。Eventhe\"suckers\"!Didyouevernoticewheretheygo?ThatiswhereI

went——tothe\"trimmingdepartment。\"

Iwasinthe\"trimmingdepartment\"infiveminutes。Nobodytoldmewhereitwas。Ididn’tneedtobetold。Igravitatedthere。Thebarrelalwaysshakesallofonesizetooneplace。Younoticethat——inacityallofonesizegettogether。

Rightattheentrancetothe\"localMidway\"Imetagentleman。I

knowhewasagentlemanbecausehesaidhewasagentleman。Hehadalittlelighttablehecouldmovequickly。Whenevertheclimatebecametoosultryhewouldmovetogreenerpastures。Onthattablewerethreelittleshellsinarow,andtherewasalittlepeaunderthemiddleshell。Isawitthere,beingnaturallybright。Iwastheonlynaturallybrightpersonaroundthetable,hencetheonlyonewhoknewunderwhichshellthelittleroundpeawashidden。

Eventhegentlemanrunningthegamewasfooled。Hethoughtitwasundertheendshellandbetmemoneyitwasundertheendshell。

Yousee,thiswasnotgambling,thiswasasurething。(Itwas!)

Ihadsavedupmymoneyforweekstoattendthefair。Ibetitallonthatmiddleshell。Ifeltbad。Itseemedlikerobbingfather。

Andheseemedlikearealniceoldgentleman,andmaybehehadafamilytokeep。ButIwouldteachhimalessonnotto\"monkey\"withpeoplelikeme,naturallybright。

ButIneedn’thavefeltbad。Ididnotrobfather。FathercleanedmeoutofallIhadinaboutfiveseconds。

Iwentovertotheothersideofthefairgroundsandsatdown。ThatwasallIhadtodonow——justgo,sitdown。Icouldn’tseethemermaidnoworgetintothegrandstand。

SadlyIthoughtitallover,butIdidnotgettherightanswer。

Isaidthethingeveryfooldoessaywhenhegetsbumpedandfailstolearnthelessonfromthebump。Isaid,\"NexttimeIshallbemorecareful。\"

Whenanybodysaysthatheisdueforareturndate。

IBoughttheSoapLearn?No!WithinamonthIwasonthestreetaSaturdaynightwhenanothergentlemandroveintotown。Hestoppedonthepublicsquareandstoodupinhisbuggy。\"Lettheprominentcitizensgatheraroundme,forIamgoingtogiveawaydollars。\"

Immediatelyalltheprominent\"suckers\"crowdedaroundthebuggy。

\"Gentlemen,Iamintroducingthisnewmedicinalsoapthatcuresalldiseaseshumanityisheirto。Nowjusttointroduceandadvertise,IamputtingthesecakesofWonderSoapinmyhat。YouseeIamwrappingaten-dollarbillaroundonecakeandthrowingitintothehat。Nowwhowillgivemefivedollarsfortheprivilegeoftakingacakeofthiswonderfulsoapfrommyhat——anycakeyouwant,gentlemen!\"

Andrightontopofthepilewasthecakewiththetenwrappedaroundit!Ijumpedovertheresttoshovemyfive(twoweeks’farmwork)inhishandsandgrabthatbillcake。Butthebilldisappeared。Ineverknewwhereitwent。Themanwhippeduphishorseandalsodisappeared。Ineverknewwherehewent。

My\"FoolDrawer\"

IgrewolderandpeoplebegantonoticethatIwasnaturallybrightandthereforegoodpicking。Theybegantoletmeinonthegroundfloor。Didanybodyeverletyouinonthegroundfloor?Inevercouldstick。WheneveranybodyletmeinonthegroundflooritseemedlikeIwouldalwaysslideonthruandlandinthecellar。

IusedtohaveadrawerinmydeskIcalledmy\"fooldrawer。\"I

keptmyinvestmentsinit。Imean,theinvestmentsIdidnothavetolockup。Yougetthepathosofthat——theinvestmentsnobodywantedtosteal。AndwheneverIwouldgetundulyinflatedIwouldopenthatdrawerand\"viewtheremains。\"

IhadinthatdrawerthedeedtomyOklahomacorner-lots。Thoselotsweregoingtodoublenextweek。ButtheydidnotdoubleI

doubled。TheystillexistontheblueprintandtheOklahomametropolisonpaperisyetawideplaceintheroad。

Ihadinthatdrawermydeedtomyrubberplantation。DidyoueverhearofarubberplantationinCentralAmerica?Thatwasmine。

Ihadtheremyoilpropositions。Whatadifference,Ihavelearned,betweenanoilpropositionandanoilwell!Thelearninghasbeenveryexpensive。

IusedtowonderhowIevercouldspendmyincome。Idonotwondernow。

IwonderhowIwillmakeit。

Ihadinthatdrawermy\"Everglade\"farm。Didyoueverhearofthe\"Everglades\"?Ihaveanalligatorranchthere。Itisbelowthefrost-line,alsobelowthewater-line。Iwillsellitbythegallon。

Ihadalsoabaleofminingstock。Ihadstockingoldminesandsilvermines。NobodyknowshowmuchminingstockIhaveowned。

NobodycouldknowwhileIkeptthatdrawershut。AsIlookedovermygoldandsilverminestock,Ioftennoticedthatitwasprintedingreen。Iusedtowonderwhytheyprinteditingreen——wonderiftheywantedittoharmonizewithme!AndIwouldrealizeIhadsomuchtolivefor——thedividends。IhavebeensonearthedividendsIcouldsmellthem。Onlyonemoreassessment,thenwewillcutthemelon!Ihaveheardthatallmylifeandnevergotapieceoftherind。

Getting\"Selected\"

Whygofarther?Iamnothalfdoneconfessing。Eachbumponlyincreasedmyfaiththatthenextshipwouldbemine。Good,honest,retiredministerswouldcomeperiodicallyandsellmestockinsomenewenterprisethathadmillionsinit——initsprospectus。IwouldbuybecauseIknewtheministerwashonestandbelievedinit。Hewassellingitonhisreputation。Favoritedodgeofthepromotertogettheministerstosellhisshares。

IwasalsogreatlyinterestedincompanieswhereIputinonedollarandgotbackadollarortwoofbondsandadollarortwoofstock。Thatwasdoublingandtreblingmymoneyovernight。Anoldbankeroncesaidtome,\"Whydon’tyouinvestinsomethingthatwillpayyoufiveorsixpercent。andgetit?\"

Ipitiedhislackofvision。Bankersweresuch\"tightwads。\"Theyhadnoimagination!Nothinginterestedmethatdidnotofferfiftyorahundredpercent。——then。Givemethefivepercent。now!

BythetimeIwasthirty-fourIwasarichmaninworthlesspaper。

ItwouldhavebeenbetterformeifIhadthrownaboutallmysavingsintothebottomofthesea。

ThenIgotaconfidentialletterfromafriendofourfamilyIhadnevermet。HisnamewasThomasA。Cleage,andhewasintheRialtoBuilding,St。Louis,Missouri。Hewrotemeinextremeconfidence,\"Youhavebeenselected。\"

Wereyoueverselected?Ifyouwere,thenyouknowthethrillthatrentmymanlybosomasIreadthatletterfromthismanwhosaidhewasafriendofourfamily。\"Youhavebeenselectedbecauseyouareaprominentcitizenandhavealargeinfluenceinyourcommunity。

Youareanaturalleaderandeverybodylooksuptoyou。\"

Heknewme!Hewastheonlymanwhodidknowme。SoItookthecorkclearunder。

\"Becauseofyourtremendousinfluenceyouhavebeenselectedtogoinwithusintheinnercircleandgetathousandpercent。

dividends。\"

Didyougetthat?Ihopeyoudid。Ididnot!ButItookanighttrainforSt。Louis。IwasafraidsomebodymightbeatmethereifIwaitedtillnextday。IsatupallnightinadaycoachtosavemoneyforTom,thefriendofourfamily。ButIseenowIneednothavehurriedso。Theywouldhavewaitedamonthwiththesheep-shearsready。Lambie,lambie,lambie,cometoSt。Louis!

Idon’tgetanysympathyfromthiscrowd。Youlaughatme。Yourespectnotmyfeelings。IamnotgoingtotellyouathingthathappenedinSt。Louis。Itisnoneofyourbusiness!

O,IamsogladIwenttoSt。Louis。Beingnaturallybright,I

couldnotlearnitathome,backinOhio。IhadtogocleardowntoSt。LouistoTomCleage’sbucket-shopandpayhimelevenhundreddollarstocornerthewheatmarketoftheworld。ThatisallIpaidhim。Icouldnotborrowanymore。Ijoinedwhathecalleda\"pool。\"

Ithinkitmusthavebeenapool,forIknowIfellinandgotsoaked!

Thatbumpsetmetothinking。Myfeverbegantoreduce。Igotthethirty-thirddegreeinfinancialsuckerdomforonlyelevenhundreddollars。

IhavealwaysregardedTomasoneofmygreatschoolteachers。I

havealwaysregardedtheelevenhundredasthefinestinvestmentI

hadmadeuptothattime,forIgotthemostoutofit。Idonotfeelhardtowardgoldbrickmenand\"bluesky\"venders。Isometimesfeelthatweshouldendowthem。Howelsecanwesaveasucker?Youcannottellhimanything,becauseheisnaturallybrightandknowsbetter。Yousimplyhavetotrimhimtillhebleeds。

IAmCuredItisworthelevenhundreddollarseverydaytoknowthatonesentence,Youcannotgetsomethingfornothing。Lifejustbeginstogetjuicywhenyouknowit。TodaywhenIopenanewspaperandseeabigad,\"GraspaFortuneNow!\"Iwillnotdoit!Istopmysubscriptiontothatpaper。Isimplywillnottakeapaperwiththatadinit,forIhavegraduatedfromthatclass。

Iwillnotgraspafortunenow。Tryme,Idareyou!Bringafortunerightuponthisplatformandputitdownthereonthefloor。Iwillnotgraspit。Comeaway,itisacoffee-pot!

TodaywhensomebodyoffersmemuchmorethanthelegalrateofinterestIknowheisnofriendofourfamily。

Ifheoffersmeahundredpercent。Icallforthepolice!

TodaywhenIgetaconfidentialletterthatstartsout,\"Youhavebeenselected——\"Ineverreadfartherthantheword\"selected。\"

Meetingisadjourned。Iselectthewaste-basket。Here,getintherejustasquickasyoucan。Iwasselected!

O,Absalom,Absalom,myson,myson!Learnitearlyinlife。Thelawofcompensationisneversuspended。Youonlyownwhatyouearn。

Youcan’tgetsomethingfornothing。Ifyoudonotlearnit,youwillhavetobe\"selected。\"Thereisnootherwayforyou,becauseyouarenaturallybright。Whenyougetaletter,\"Youhavebeenselectedtoreceiveathousandpercent。dividends,\"itmeansyouhavebeenselectedtoreceivethisbunchofblistersbecauseyoulooklikethebiggestsuckeronthelocallandscape。

Theothernightinalittletownofperhapsathousand,abankertookmeupintohisofficeafterthelectureinwhichIhadrelatedsomeoftheaboveexperiences。\"Theaudiencelaughedwithyouandthoughtitveryfunny,\"saidhe。\"Icouldn’tlaugh。Itwastoopathetic。Itwasapictureofwhatisgoingoninourownlittlecommunityyearafteryear。IwishyoucouldseewhatIhavetosee。

Iwishyoucouldseethethousandsofhard-earneddollarsthatgooutofourcommunityeveryyearintojustsuchwildcatenterprisesasyoudescribed。Thesaddestpartofitisthatthemoneynearlyalwaysgoesoutofthepocketsofthepeoplewhocanleastaffordtoloseit。\"

Absalom,wakeup!Thisisbargainnightforyou。Ipaidelevenhundreddollarstotellyouthisonething,andyougetitforadollarortwo。Thisisnocheaplecture。Itcostblood。

Learnthatthegamblerneverownshiswinnings。Themanwhoaccumulatesbysharppracticesorbyundueprofitsneverownsit。

Eventheyoungpersonwhohaslargefortunegivenhimdoesnotownit。Weonlyownwhatwehaverendereddefiniteservicetobound。

Theowningisintheunderstandingofvalues。

Thisistruephysically,mentally,morally。Youonlyownwhatyouhaveearnedandstoredinyourlife,notmerelyinyourpocket,stomachormind。

Ioftenthinkifittakesmethirty-fouryearstobegintolearnonesentence,Iseetheneedofaneternity。

Tomethatisoneofthegreatargumentsforeternallife——howslowlyIlearn,andhowmuchthereistolearn。Itwilltakeaneternity!

ThoseCommencementOrationsTheyoungpersonsays,\"BynextJuneIshallhavefinishedmyeducation。\"

Blessthemall!Theywillhaveputanotherstringontheirfiddle。

Afterthey\"finish\"theyhaveacommencement,notanend-ment,astheythink。Thisisnottosneer,buttocheer。Isn’titgloriousthatlifeisoneinfinitesuccessionofcommencementsandpromotions!

Ilovetoattendcommencements。Thestageissobeautifullydecoratedandthejoyofyouthiseverywhere。Thereisarowofgeraniumsalongthefrontofthestageandabigoleanderontheside。Thereisalong-whiskeredruginthemiddle。Thegraduatessitinasemicircleuponthestageintheirnewpatentleather。I

knowhowithurts。Itisthefirsttimetheyhavewornit。

Thentheymaketheirorations。EverytimeIheartheirorationsI

likethembetter,becauseeveryyearIamgettingyounger。DamselNumberOnecomesforthandbegins:

\"BeyondtheAlps(sweeparmsforwardtotheleft,leftarmleading)

liethItaly!\"(Bringarmsdown,lettingfingersfollowthewrist。

Howembarrassingatacommencementforthefingersnottofollowthewrist!Itisalwaysashocktotheaudiencewhenthewristsweepsdownwardandthefingersremainupintheair。Sobyallmeans,letthefingersfollowthewrist,justastheelocutionteachermarkedonpage69。)

Applause,especiallyfromrelatives。

SweetGirlGraduateNumber2,generallycomessecond。S。G。G。No。

2standsatthesameleadpencilmarkonthefloor,resplendentinafilmycreationcaughtwithsomethingorother。

\"We(handsathalf-mastandseparating)arerowing(businessofpropellingaerialboatwithtwofingersofeachhand,headinclined)。Wearenotdrifting(handsslidedownward)。\"

Children,wearenotlaughingatyou。Wearelaughingatourselves。

Wearelaughingthehappylaughathowwehavelearnedthesegreattruthsthatyouhavememorized,butnotvitalized。

YougetthemostbeautifulandsublimetruthsfromEmerson’sessays。(HowdidtheyeverhavecommencementsbeforeEmerson?)Butthatisnotknowingthem。Youcannotknowthemuntilyouhavelivedthem。Itisagrandthingtosay,\"BeyondtheAlpsliethItaly,\"

butyoucanneverreallysaythatuntilyouknowitbystrugglingupoverAlpsofdifficultyandseeingtheItalyofpromiseandvictorybeyond。Itisfinetosay,\"Wearerowingandnotdrifting,\"

butyoucannotreallysaythatuntilyouhavepulledontheoar。

O,Gussie,getanoar!

MyMaidenSermonDidyoueverhearayoungpreacher,justcaptured,justoutofafactory?

Didyoueverhearhimpreachhis\"maidensermon\"?Iwishyouhadheardmine。Ihadacall。Atleast,IthoughtIhadacall。IthinknowI

was\"short-circuited。\"The\"brethren\"waiteduponmeandtoldmeIhadbeen\"selected\":Maybethiswasalocalcall,notlongdistance。

Theygavemesixweeksinwhichtoloadthegospelgunandgetreadyformytry-out。Icertainlyloadedittothemuzzle。

ButImadethemistakeIamtryingtowarnyouagainst。InsteadofgoingtotheonebookwhereImighthavegottenasermon——thebookofmyexperience,Iwenttothebooksinmyfather’slibrary。\"AsthepoetShakespearehassobeautifullysaid,\"andthenItookachunkofShakespeareandnaileditonpagefiveofmysermon。\"ListtothepoetTennyson。\"Comehere,LordAlfred。SoIsolderedthesefragmentsfromthebookstogetherwithmyownnativegenius。I

workedthatsermonupintothemostbeautifulsplurgesandspasms。

Ibedeckeditwithmetaphorsandsemaphores。Ifilleditwithclimaxes,bothwetanddry。Ihadafinewetclimaxonpagefourteen,whereIhadmadealittlemarkinthemarginwhichmeant\"cryhere。\"Thiswasthespilling-pointofthewetclimax。Iwastocryonthelefthandsideofthepage。

Icommitteditalltomemory,andthenwenttoaladywhotaughtexpression,togetitexpressed。Youhavetogetitexpressed。

Igotthemostbeautifulgesturesnailedintoalmosteverypage。

Youknowaboutgestures——thesethingsyoumakewithyourarmsintheairasyouspeak。Youcannoticeitonmeyet。

Iamnotsneeringatexpression。Expressionisanobleart。Alllifeisexpression。Butyouhavetogetsomethingtoexpress。HereImademymistake。Igotalotoffinegestures。Igotanexpress-wagonandgotnoloadforit。Soitrattled。Igotanecktie,butfailedtogetanymantohangitupon。Igotupbeforeamirrorforsixweeks,daybyday,andsaidthesermontotheglass。Itgotsoitwouldrunitself。Icouldhavegonetosleepandthatsermonwouldnothavehesitated。

Thencamethegrandday。Theboywonderstoodforthandbeforehislargeandenthusiasticconcoursedeliveredthatmaidensermonmoregrandlythanevertoamirror。Everygesturewentoffthebataccordingtotheblueprint。Icriedonpagefourteen!Ineverknewitwasinme。ButIcertainlygotitalloutthatday!

ThenIdidanotherfinething,Isatdown。IwishnowIhaddonethatearlier。IwishnowIhadsatdownbeforeIgotup。Iwasthelastmanoutofthechurch——andIhurried。Buttheybeatmeout——allnineofthem。WhenIwentoutthedoor,theoldsextonsaidashejiggledthekeyinthedoortohurryme,\"Don’tfeelbad,bub,I’veheerdworsethanthat。You’reallright,bub,butyoudon’tknownothin’yet。\"

Icriedallthewaytotown。Ifhehadplungedadaggerintomehewouldnothavehurtmesomuch。Ithastakensomeyearstolearnthattheoldmanwasright。Ihadwonderfultruthinthatsermon。

Nosermoneverhadgreatertruth,butIhadnotlivedit。TheoldmanmeantIdidnotknowmyownsermon。

So,children,whenyouprepareyourcommencementoration,writeaboutwhatyouknowbest,whatyouhavelived。Ifyouknowmoreaboutpeelingpotatoesthanaboutanythingelse,writeabout\"PeelingPotatoes,\"andyouaremostlikelytoheartheapplausepealfromthatpartofyouraudienceunrelatedtoyou。

Outofeverythousandbookspublished,perhapsninehundredofthemdonotsellenoughtopaythecostofprintingthem。Asyoustudythebooksthatdolive,younotethattheyarethebooksthathavebeenlived。Perhapsthebooksthatfailhavejustasmuchoftruthinthemandtheymayevenbebetterwritten,yettheylackthevitalimpulse。Theycomeoutoftheauthor’shead。Thebooksthatlivemustcomeoutofhisheart。Theyarehisownlife。Theycomesurgingandpulsatingfromthebookofhisexperience。

Thebestpartofourschoolingcomesnotfromthebooks,butfromthemenbehindthebooks。

Westudyagriculturefrombooks。Thatdoesnotmakeusanagriculturist。Wemusttakeahoeandgooutandagricult。Thatistheknowinginthedoing。

YouMustLiveYourSong\"Therewasneverapicturepainted,Therewasneverapoemsung,Butthesouloftheartistfainted,Andthepoet’sheartwaswrung。\"

Somanyyoungpeoplethinkbecausetheyhaveagoodvoiceandtheyhavecultivatedit,theyaresingers。Allthiscultivationandirritationandirrigationandgarglingofthethroataremerelysymptomsofasinger——merelyneckties。Singerslookbetterwithneckties。

Theythinkthesongcomesfromthediaphragm。Butitcomesfromtheheart,chaperonedbythediaphragm。Youcannotsingasongyouhavenotlived。

Jessiewassingingtheotherdayatachautauqua。Shehasabeautifulvoice,andshehasbeenawayto\"Ber-leen\"tohaveitattendedto。Shesangthatafternooninthetent,\"TheLastRoseofSummer。\"Shesangitwitheverynotesowellplaced,withthesweetestlittletrillsandtendrils,withthesmileexactlylikeherteacherhadtaughther。Jessieexhibitedallthemachineryandtrimmingsforthesong,butshehadnosteam,nosong。Shesangthenotes。Shemightaswellhavesung,\"Pop,GoestheWeasel。\"

TheaudiencepolitelyenduredJessie。Thatnightawomansanginthesametent\"TheLastRoseofSummer。\"ShehadneverbeentoBerlin,butshehadlivedthatsong。Shedidn’tdressthenoteshalfsobeautifullyasJessiedid,butshesangitwiththetremendousfeelingitdemands。Theaudiencewentwild。ItwasacaseofGussieandBillWhackem。

AllthiswasgallandwormwoodtoJessie。\"Child,\"Isaidtoher,\"thisisthebestsinginglessonyouhaveeverhad。Yourstudyisallrightandyouhaveabettervoicethanthatwoman,butyoucannotsing\"TheLastRoseofSummer\"yet,foryoudonotknowverymuchaboutthefirstroseofsummer。Andreally,Ihopeyou’llneverknowtheacheanddisappointmentyoumustknowbeforeyoucansingthatsong,foritisthesobofabroken-heartedwoman。Learntosingthesongsyouhavelived。\"

Whydosingerstrytoexecutesongsbeyondthehorizonoftheirlives?Thatiswhythey\"execute\"them。

TheSuccessofaSong-WriterTheguestofhonoratadinnerinaChicagoclubwasawomanwhoisoneofthewidelyknownsong-writersofthisland。AsIhadthegoodfortunetobesittingattablewithherIwantedtoaskher,\"Howdidyougetyoursongsknown?Howdidyouknowwhatkindofsongsthepeoplewanttosing?\"

ButinthehourshetalkedwithherfriendsaroundthetableI

foundtheanswertoeveryquestion。\"Isn’titgoodtobehere?

Isn’titgreattohavefriendsandafinehomeandmoney?\"shesaid。\"Ihavehadsuchastruggleinmylife。Ihavelivedononemealadayanddidn’tknowwherethenextmealwascomingfrom。I

knowwhatitistobeleftaloneintheworlduponmyownresources。Ihavehadyearsofstruggle。Ihavebeensickanddiscouragedanddownandout。Itwasinmylittleback-room,theonlyhomeIhad,thatIbegantowritesongs。Iwrotethemformyownrelief。Iwaswritingmyownlife,justwhatwasinmyownheartandwhatthestruggleswereteachingme。Nooneismoresurprisedandgratefulthattheworldseemstolovemysongsandasksformoreofthem。\"

ThewomanwasCarrieJacobs-Bond,whowrote\"ThePerfectDay,\"

\"JustaWearyin’forYou,\"\"HisLullaby\"andmanymoreofthosesimplelittlesongssofullofthepathosandphilosophyoflifethattheytugatyourheartandmoistenyoureyes。

Anybodycouldwritethosesongs——justafewsimplewordsandnotes。

No。Booksoftheoryandharmonyandexpressiononlyteachushowtowritethewordsandwheretoplacethenotes。Thesearenotthesong,butonlytheskeletonintowhichourownlifemustbreathethelifeofthesong。

Thewomanwhosattherecladinblack,withhersweet,expressivefacecrownedwithsilveryhair,hadlearnedtowritehersongsintheUniversityofHardKnocks。Sheherebecamethesongphilosophersheistoday。Herdefeatswerehervictories。IfCarrieJacobs-Bondhadneverstruggledwithdiscouragement,sickness,povertyandloneliness,sheneverwouldhavebeenabletowritethesongsthatappealtothemultitudeswhohavethesamebattles。

Thepopularsongisthesongthatbestvoiceswhatisinthepopularheart。Andwhilewehaveacontinualinundationofpopularsongsthataretrashyandvoicethetawdriesthumanimpulses,yetitisatributetothegoodelementsinhumanitythatthewholesome,upliftingsentimentsinCarrieJacobs-Bond’ssongscontinuetoholdtheirpopularity。

TheoryandPracticeMyfriends,IamnotarguingthatyouandImustdrinkthedregsofdefeat,orthatourlivesmustfillupwithpovertyorsorrow,orbecomewrecks。ButIaminsistinguponwhatIseewrittenallaroundmeintheaffairsofeverydaylife,thatnoneofuswilleverknowrealsuccessinanylineofhumanendeavoruntilthatsuccessflowsfromthefullnessofourexperiencejustasthesongscamefromthelifeofCarrieJacobs-Bond。

Theworldisfulloftheorists,dreamers,uplifters,reformers,whohaveworthyvisionsbutarenotabletotranslatethemintopracticalrealities。Theygoaroundwiththeirheadsintheclouds,lookingupward,andhalfthetimetheirfeetareintheflower-bedsortramplingupontheirfellowmentheydreamofhelping。Theirideasmustbeforgedintousefulnessavailableforthisdayupontheanvilofexperience。

Manyofthemostbrillianttheoristshavebeenthegreatestfailuresinpractice。

Thereareathousandwhocantellyouwhatisthematterwiththingstoonepersonwhocangiveyouapracticalwaytofixthem。

Iusedtohaverespectamountingtoreverenceforgreatreadersandbookmen。Iusedtoknowamanwhocouldtellinwhatbookalmostanythingyoucouldthinkofwasdiscussed,andperhapsthepage。Hewasawalkinglibraryindex。Ithoughthimamostwonderfulman。

Indeed,inmychildhoodIthoughthewasthegreatestmanintheworld。

Hewasaremarkableman——agreatreaderandwithamemorythatretaineditall。Thatmancouldrecitechaptersandvolumes。

Hecouldgiveyoualmostanydate。Hecouldfinishalmostanyquotation。

Hisconversationwaslargelymadeupofclassicalquotations。

ButhewasoneofthemosthelplessmenIhaveeverseeninpracticallife。Heseemedtobeunabletothinkandreasonforhimself。HecouldquoteapageofJohnLocke,butsomehowthepagedidn’tsupplytheonesentenceneededfortheoccasion。Themanwasamisfitonearth。Hewasliabletoputthegravyinhiscoffeeandthegasolineinthefire。Heseemednevertohavedigestedanyofthethingsinhismemory。SinceIhavegrownupIalwaysthinkofthatmanasanintellectualcoldstorageplant。

ThegreatestbookisthetextbookoftheUniversityofHardKnocks,theBookofHumanExperiencethe\"sermonsinstones\"andthe\"booksinrunningbrooks。\"Mostfortunateishewhohaslearnedtoreadunderstandinglyfromit。

Notethesweeping,positivestatementsoftheyoungperson。

Notethecautious,specificstatementsofthepersonwhohaslivedlonginthisworld。

Oureducationisourprogressfromthesweeping,positive,wholesalestatementswehavenotproved,tothecautious,specificstatementswehaveproved。

TuningtheStringsofLifeManyaudiencesaregatheredintothisoneaudience。Eachpersonhereisadifferentaudience,readingadifferentpageintheBookofHumanExperience。Eachhasadifferentfighttomakeandadifferentburdentocarry。Eachoneofushasmoretroublethananybodyelse!

Iknowtherearechaptersofheroisminthelivesofyouolderones。Youhavecriedyourselvestosleep,someofyou,andwalkedthefloorwhenyoucouldnotsleep。Youhavelearnedthat\"beyondtheAlpsliethItaly。\"

Agoodmanyofyouwerebumpedtodayoryesterday,ormaybeyearsago,andthewoundhasnothealed。Youthinkitneverwillheal。

Youcameherethinkingthatperhapsyouwouldforgetyourtroubleforalittlewhile。Iknowtherearepeopleinthisaudienceinpain。

Neverdothismanygatherbutwhattherearesomewithachinghearts。

AndyouyoungpeopleherewithliveslikeJunemornings,arenotmuchinterestedinthislecture。Youarepoliteandattentivebecausethisisapoliteandattentiveneighborhood。Butdowninyourheartsyouareasking,\"Whatisthisallabout?Whatisthatmantalkingabout?Ihaven’thadthesethingsandI’mnotgoingtohavethem,either!\"

Maybesomeofyouarenaturallybright!

Youaregoingtobebumped。Youaregoingtocryyourselvestosleep。Youaregoingtowalkthefloorwhenyoucannotsleep。Someofyouaregoingtoknowthekeensorrowofhavingtheoneyoutrustmostbetrayyou。Maybe,betrayyouwithakiss。YouwillgothroughyourGethsemane。Youwillseeyourdearestplanswrecked。

Youwillseeallthatseemstomakelifelivablelostoutofyourhorizon。Youwillsay,\"God,letmedie。Ihavenothingmoretolivefor。\"

Forallliveshaveaboutthesameelements。Yourlifeisgoingtobeaboutlikeotherlives。

Andyouaregoingtolearnthewonderfullessonthrutheyears,thebumpsandthetears,thatallthesethingssomehowarenecessarytopromoteoureducation。

Thesebumpsandhardknocksdonotbreakthefiddle——theyturnthepegs。

ThesebumpsandtragediesandWaterloosdrawthestringsofthesoultighterandtighter,nearerandnearertoGod’sgreatconcertpitch,wherethediscordsfadefromourlivesandwherethemusicdivineandharmoniescelestialcomefromthesameoldstringsthathadbeensendingforththenoiseanddiscord。

Thusweknowthatoureducationisprogressing,astheevilandunworthygooutofourlivesandaspeace,harmony,happiness,loveandunderstandingcomeintoourlives。

Thatisgettingintune。

Thatisgrowingup。

ChapterVIII

LookingBackwardMemoriesofthePriceWePayWHATapricewepayforwhatweknow!IlaughasIlookbackward——andweepandrejoice。

Iwasnotbornwithasilverspooninmymouth,althoitisquiteevidentthatIcouldhavehandledaprettygood-sizedspoon。Butfatherbeingacountrypreacher,wehadtinspoons。Weneverhadtotiearedstringaroundourspoonswhenweloanedthemfortheladies’aidsocietyoystersupper。Wealwaysgotourspoonsback。

Nobodyevertradedwithusbymistake。

Doyourememberthefirstmoneyyoueverearned?Ido。Iwalkedseveralmilesintothecountrythoseoldreaperdaysandgatheredsheaves。ThatnightIwasproudwhenthatfarmerpattedmeontheheadandsaid,\"Youarethebestboytowork,Ieversaw。\"Thenthecheerfuloldmiserputanickelinmyblisteredhand。ThatnickellookedbiggerthananymoneyIhavesincehandled。

That\"LastDayofSchool\"

YetIwasyearslearningitismucheasiertomakemoneythantohandleit,hencethetalethatfollows。

Iwassixteenyearsoldandaschoolteacher。Sweetsixteen——whichmeansgreensixteen。Butrememberagain,onlygreenthingsgrow。

Thereishopeforgreenthings。Iwassotallandawkwardthen——I

haven’tchangedmuchsince。Ikeptstillaboutmyage。Iwasseveraldollarsthelowestbidder。Theysaidoutthatway,\"Anybodycanteachkids。\"ThatiswhyIwasateacher。

Ihadneverstudiedpedagogy,butIhadwhittledoutthreerulesthatIthoughtwouldmakeitgo。Myfirstrulewas,Make’emstudy。

Mysecond,Make,emrecite。Thatis,fill’emupandthenempty’em。

Mythirdandmostimportantrulewas,Getyourmoney!

Iwalkedthirteenmilesaday,sixandahalfmileseachway,mostofthetime,tosavemoney。IthinkIhadallteachingmethodsinuse。

WiththesmallfryIusedasmallpaddletowintheirconfidenceandarousetheirenthusiasmforaneducation。WiththepupilslargerandmoremuscularthantheirteacherIusedloveandmoralsuasion。

Weendedtheschoolwithan\"exhibition。\"Didyoueverattendtheoldback-country\"lastdayofschoolexhibition\"?Thepeoplethatdaycamefromalloverthetownship。Theyweresogladourschoolwasclosingtheyallturnedouttomakeitasuccess。Theybroughtgreatbasketsofprovenderandwehadafeast。Wecoveredtheschooldeskswithboards,andthencoveredtheboardswithpilesoffriedchicken,doughnutsandfortykindsofpie。

Thenwehada\"doings。\"Everybodydidastunt。Weexecutedalotofliteraturethatday。ExecuteisthewordthattellswhathappenedtoliteratureinDistrictNo。1,JacksonTownship,thatday。Icanshutmyeyesandseeityet。Icanseemypupilscomingforwardtospeaktheir\"pieces。\"Ihardlyknewthemandtheyhardlyknewme,forwewere\"dressedup。\"Manyaheadshowedfatherhadmoweditwiththesheepshears。Motherhadbeenbusywiththewash-rag——clearbackoftheears!Andintothem!Somanyofthemworecollarsthatstuckoutallstiffliketheyhadpushedtheirheadsonthrutheirbigstrawhats。

Icanseethemspeakingtheir\"pieces。\"Icansee\"TheSoldieroftheLegionlaydyinginAlgiers。\"Wehadhimdieagainthatday,andhehadalingeringendasweexecutedhim。Icansee\"Theboystoodontheburningdeck,whenceallbuthehadfled。\"Icansee\"Mary’slittlelamb\"comeslippingoverthestage。Iseethetow-headedpatriotin\"Givemelibertyorgivemedeath。\"IfeelnowthatifPatrickHenryhadbeenpresent,hewouldhavesaid,\"Givemedeath。\"

Therecameabreathlesshushas\"teacher\"cameforwardasthelastactonthebilltosayfarewell。Itwascustomarytocry。Iwantedtoyell。TomorrowIwouldgetmymoney!IhadaspeechIhadbeensayingoverandoveruntilitwouldsayitself。ButsomehowwhenI

gotupbeforethat\"lastdayofschool\"audienceandopenedmymouth,itwasagreatopening,butnothingcameout。Itcameoutofmyeyes。TearsrolleddownmycheeksuntilIcouldhearthemspatteronmysix-dollarsuit。

Andmypupilsweptastheirdearteachersaidfarewell。Parentswept。Itwasatearytime。Ionlysaid,\"Weepnotforme,dearfriends。Iamgoingaway,butIamcomingback。\"Ithoughttocheerthemup,buttheyweptthemore。

NextdayIdrewmymoney。Ihaditallinonejoyouswad——$240。I

wasgoinghomewithheadhighandaircastlesevenhigher。ButI

nevergothomewiththemoney。Talkaboutthefoolandhismoneyandyougetverypersonal。

ForonthewayhomeImetDeaconK,andheborroweditall。DeaconK

was\"suchagoodman\"anda\"pillarofthechurch。\"Iusedtowonder,tho,whyhedidn’ttakeapillowtochurch。Itookhisnotefor$240,\"dueatcorncutting,\"aswetermedthatannualfall-timepayingupseason。Ireallythoughtanotewasnotnecessary,suchwasmyconfidenceinthedeacon。

ForyearsIkeptafaded,tear-spattered,yellownotefor$240,\"dueatcorncutting,\"asasouvenirofmyfirstschoolteaching。

DeaconKhasgonefromearth。Hehasgonetohiseternalreward。I

scarcelyknowwhethertolookupordownasIsaythat。Heneverleftanyforwardingaddress。

Iwaspaidthousandsinexperienceforthatfirstschoolteaching,butIpaidallthemoneyIgotfromit——twohundredandfortythirteen-mile-a-daydollarstolearnonethingIcouldnotlearnfromthebooks,thatittakeslesswisdomtomakemoney,thanitdoestointelligentlyhandleitafterwards。IncidentallyIlearneditmaybesafertodobusinesswithafirst-classsinnerthanwithasecond-classsaint。

Whichisnoslapatthechurch,butatitsworstenemies,thefoesofitsownhousehold。

CallingtheClass-RollAlyceumbureauoncesentmebacktomyhometowntolecture。I

imaginemostlecturershaveahardtimelecturinginthehometown。

Theirschoolmatesandplaymatesareapttobedownthereinthefrontrowswiththeirfamilies,andmaybealltheoldscoreshavenotyetbeensettled。Theboyhefoughtwithmaybedownthere。

Perhapsthegirlwhogavehimthe\"mitten\"isthere。

Andhehasgottenhislectureoutofthathometown。Theheroesandvillainslivetherewithinstrikingdistance。Perhapstheyhavecometohearhim。\"Isnotthisthecarpenter’sson?\"Perhapsthisiswhysomelecturersandauthorsarenotsopopularinthehometownuntilseveralgenerationspass。

Iwentbacktothesamehalltospeak,andstooduponthesameplatformwheretwenty-oneyearsbeforeIhadstoodtodelivermygraduatingoration,wheninimpassionedandwellmodulatedtonesIhadexclaimed,\"GreeceisgoneandRomeisnomore,butfe-e-e-e-earnot,forIwillsa-a-a-a-aveyou!\"orwordstothateffect。

ThenIwentbacktothelittlehotelandsatupaloneinmyroomhalfthenightlivingitover。TimewaswhenIthoughtanybodywhocouldliveinthathotelwasasuperiororderofbeing。ButthetimehadcomewhenIknewthepersonwhocouldgoonlivinginanyhotelhasasuperiororderofvitality。

Iheldthanksgivingservicesthatnight。Icouldseebetter。Ihadapictureoftheschoolinthattownthathadbeentakentwenty-oneyearsbefore,justbeforecommencement。Ihadnotseenthepicturethesetwenty-oneyears,forIcouldnotthenaffordtobuyone。Thepricewasaquarter。

Igotatruerperspectiveoflifethatnight。Didyoueversitalonewithapictureofyourclassmatestakentwenty-oneyearsbefore?Itisamemorableexperience。

Aclassofbrilliantandgiftedyoungpeoplewentouttotakechargeoftheworld。Theyweresogladtheworldhadwaitedsolongonthem。Theyweresowillingtotakechargeoftheworld。Theyweregoingtobepresidentsandsenatorsandauthorsandauthoressesandscientistsandscientist-essesandgeniusesandgenius-essesandthingslikethat。

Therewasoneboyintheclasswhowasnotnaturallybright。Itwasnottheoneyoumaybethinkingof!No,itwasJimLambert。Hehadnobrilliantcareerinview。Hewasdullandseemedtolackintellect。Hewas\"conditioned\"intotheseniorclass。WeallfeltalittlesorryforJim。

Ascommencementdayapproached,thecommitteeoftheclassappointedforthatpurposetookJimbackoftheschoolhouseandbrokethenewstohimthattheyweregoingtolethimgraduate,buttheywerenotgoingtolethimspeak,becausehecouldn’tmakeaspeechthatwoulddocredittosuchabrilliantclass。TheyhidJimonthestagebackoftheoleandercommencementnight。

Shakethebarrel!

Thegirlwhowastobecometheauthoressbecamethehelloessinthehometelephoneexchange,andhadbecomeabsolutelyindispensabletothecommunity。Thegirlwhowastobecomethepoetessbecamethegoddessatthegeneraldeliverywindowandsuperintendentofthestamp-lickingdepartmentofthehomepostoffice。TheboywhowasgoingtoConfesswasraisingthebestcorninthecounty,andhiswifewasspeakerofthehouse。

MostofthemweredoingverywellevenJimLambert。JimhadbecometheheadofoneofthebigmanufacturingplantsoftheSouth,withalotofmenworkingforhim。Thecommitteethattookhimoutbehindtheschoolhousetoinformhimhecouldnotspeakatcommencement,wouldnowhavetowaitinlinebeforeafrosteddoormarked,\"Mr。Lambert,Private。\"Theywouldhavetosenduptheircards,andthewatchdogwhoguardsthedoorwouldtellthem,\"Cutitshort,he’sbusy!\"beforetheycouldbreakanynewstohimtoday。

TheyhungapictureofMr。Lambertinthehighschoolatthelastalumnimeeting。Theyhungitonthewallnearwheretheoleanderstoodthatnight。

Dullboyorgirl——youwithyoureyestear-dimmedsometimesbecauseyoudonotseemtolearnlikesomeinyourclassescanyounotgetabitofcheerfromthestoryofJim?

Hourspass,andstillasIsatinthathotelroomIwaslostinthatschoolpictureandthetwenty-oneyears。Therewerefifty-fouryoungpeopleinthatpicture。Theyhadbeenshakentheseyearsinthebarrel,andnowasIcalledtherollonthem,mostofthemthatIexpectedtogouphadshakendownandsomethatIexpectedtostaydownhadshakenup。

Outofthatfifty-four,onehadgonetoapulpit,onehadgonetoCongressandonehadgonetothepenitentiary。Somehadgonetobrilliantsuccessandsomehadgonedowntosadfailure。Somehadfoundhappinessandsomehadfoundunhappiness。Itseemedasthoalmosteverynoteonthekeyboardofhumanpossibilityhadbeenstruckbytheoneschooloffifty-four。

Whenthatpicturewastakentheoldestwasnotmorethaneighteen,yetmostofthemseemedalreadytohavedecidedtheirdestinies。

Thetwenty-oneyearsthatfollowedhadnotchangedtheircourses。

TheonlychangeshadcomewhereGodhadcomeintoalifetoupliftit,orwhereMammonhadenteredtopullitdown。AndIsawbetterthatthefoolishdreamsofsuccessfadedbeforethenaturalunfoldingoftalents,whichistherealsuccess。Isawbetterthat\"theboyisfathertotheman。\"

Theboywhoskimmedoverhisworkinschoolwasskimmingoverhisworkasaman。Theboywhowenttothebottomofthingsinschoolwasgoingtothebottomofthingsinmanhood。Whichhadhelpedhimtogotothetopofthings!

JimLamberthadmerelyfollowedthecalloftalentsunseeninhimtwenty-oneyearsbefore。

Thelazyboybecamea\"tired\"man。Theindustriousboybecameanindustriousman。Thesportyboybecameasportyman。Thedomineeringegotistboybecamethedomineeringegotistman。

Theboywhotradedkniveswithmeandbeatme——howIusedtoenvyhim!Whywasithecouldalwaysgetthebetterofme?Well,hewentontradingknivesandgettingthebetterofpeople。Now,twenty-oneyearsafterwards,hewasdoingtimeinthestatepenitentiaryforforgery。Hewasnowcalledabadman,whentwenty-oneyearsagowhenhedidthesamethingsonasmallerscaletheycalledhimsmartandbright。

The\"perfectlylovely\"boywhodidn’tmixwiththeotherboys,whodidn’twhisper,whonevergotintotrouble,whoalwayshadhishaircombed,andsaid,\"Ifyouplease,\"usedtohurtme。Hewastheteacher’smodelboy。Allthemothersofthecommunityusedtosaytotheirownreprobateoffspring,\"Whycan’tyoubelikeHarry?

He’llbePresidentoftheUnitedStatessomeday,andyou’llbeinjail。\"ButModelHarrysataroundallhislifebeingamodel。I

believeMr。Websterdefinesamodelasasmallimitationoftherealthing。Harrycertainlywasasuccessfulmodel。Hebecameaseedy,sleepy,helplessrelicatforty。Hewas\"perfectlylovely\"

becausehehadn’ttheenergytobeanythingelse。Itwastheboyswhohadthehustleandtheenergy,whooccasionallyneededbumping——andwhogotit——whoreallygrew。

Ihavesaidlittleaboutthegirlsoftheschool。Factwas,atthatageIdidn’tpaymuchattentiontothem。Iregardedthemasintheway。ButInaturallythoughtofClarice,oursocialpetoftheclass——ourrealprettygirlwhowonthevaseinthehomepaperbeautycontest。Claricewentrightonremaininginthesocialspotlight,primpingandflirting。Sheoutshonealltherest。Butitseemedlikeshewasallout-shineandnoin-shine。Shemistookpopularityforsuccess。Theboysvotedforher,butdidnotmarryher。Mostofthegirlswhoshonewithlesssociallusterbecamethehappyhomemakersofthecommunity。

ButasIlookedintothefaceofJimLambertinthepicture,myheartwarmedatthesightofanothergreatsuccess——asweet-facedirishlasswhobecamean\"oldmaid。\"Shehadworkeddaybydayalltheseyearstosupportahomeandcareforherfamily。Shehadkepthergraceandsweetnessthruitall,andtheinfluenceofherwhite,lovingliferadiatedfar。

TheBoyIHadEnviedFrankwastheboyIhadenvied。Hehadeverything——afinehome,alovingfather,plentyofmoney,opportunityandagreatcareerawaitinghim。Andhewasbrightandlovableandtalented。

EverybodysaidFrankwouldmakehismarkintheworldandmakethetownproudofhim。

Iwasthejanitoroftheschoolhouse。Someofmyclassmateswillneverknowhowtheirthoughtlessjeersandjokeswoundedthesensitive,shabbyboywhosweptthefloors,builtthefiresandcarriedinthecoal。AftercommencementmycareerseemedtoendandthecareersofFrankandtherestofthemseemedtobegin。Theyweregoingofftocollegeandgoingtodosomanywonderfulthings。

ButtheweekaftercommencementIhadtogointoaprintingoffice,rollupmysleevesandgotoworkinthe\"devil’scorner\"toearnmydailybread。Seemedlikeittooksomuchbread!

ManyatimeasIpluggedatthe\"case\"IwouldthinkofFrankandwonderwhysomepeoplehadallthegoodthingsandIhadallthehardthings。

Howeasyitistoseeasyoulookbackward。Buthowharditistoseewhenyoulookforward。

Twenty-oneyearsafterwardasIgotoffthetraininthehometown,Iasked,\"Whereishe?\"Wewentouttothecemetery,whereIstoodatagraveandreadontheheadstone,\"Frank。\"

Ihadthestoryofatragedy——thetragedyofmodernunpreparedness。

Itwasthestoryoftheboywhohadeveryopportunity,butwhohadallthestruggletakenoutofhislife。Heneverfollowedhiscareer,neverdevelopedanystrength。Hedisappointedhopes,spentafortune,brokehisfather’sheart,shockedthecommunity,andfinallyendedhiswastedlifewithabulletfiredbyhisownhand。

WhyBenHurWonItrevivedthememoryofthestoryofBenHur。

Doyourememberit?TheJewishboyistornfromhishomeindisgrace。Heishaledintocourtandtriedforacrimehenevercommitted。BenHurdidnotgetafairtrial。Nobodycangetafairtrialatthehandsofthisworld。ThatiswhythegreatJudgehassaid,judgenot,foryouhavenotthefullevidenceinthecase。I

alonehavethat。

Thentheycondemnhim。Theyleadhimawaytothegalleys。Theychainhimtothebenchandtotheoar。Therefollowthedaysandlongyearswhenhepullsontheoarunderthelash。Dayafterdayhepullsontheoar。Dayafterdayhewrithesunderthestingofthelash。Yearsofthecruelinjusticepass。BenHuristhehelplessvictimofamockingfate。

Thatseemstobeyourlifeandmylife。Inthekitchenortheoffice,orwhereverweworkweseemsooftenlikeslavesboundtotheoarandpullingunderthestingofthelashofnecessity。Lifeseemsonefuturelessroundofdrudgery。Wewonderwhy。Weoftenlookacrossthestreetandseesomebodywholivesahappierlife。

Thatoneischainedtonooar。Seewhatafinetimetheyallhave。

Whymustwepullontheoar?

Howblindweare!Wecanonlyseeourownoar。Wecannotseethatthey,too,pullontheoarandfeelthelash。Mostlikelytheyarelookingbackatusandenvyingus。Forwhileweenvyothers,othersareenvyingus。

ButlookatthechariotraceinAntioch。Seethethousandsinthecircus。SeeMessala,thehaughtyRoman,andsee!BenHurfromthegalleysintheotherchariotpittedagainsthim。Downthecoursedashthesetwinthunderbolts。Thethousandsholdtheirbreath。\"Whowillwin?\"\"Themanwiththestrongerforearms,\"theywhisper。

Therecomesthecrucialmomentintherace。Seethemanwiththestrongerforearms。TheyarebandsofsteelthatswellintheforearmsofBenHur。TheyswingthoseflyingArabiansintotheinnerring。BenHurwinstherace!WheregottheJewthosehugeforearms?Fromthegalleys!

HadBenHurneverpulledontheoar,henevercouldhavewonthechariotrace。

SoonerorlateryouandIaretolearnthatProvidencemakesnomistakesinthebookkeeping。Aswepullontheoar,sooftenlashedbygrimnecessity,everyhonesteffortislaidupatcompoundinterestinthebankaccountofstrength。Soonerorlaterthetimecomeswhenweneedeveryounce。Soonerorlaterourchariotraceison——whenwewinthevictory,strikethedecidingblow,standwhilethosearoundusfall——anditiswonwiththeforearmsearnedinthegalleysoflifebypullingontheoar。

ThatiswhyIthankedGodasIstoodatthegraveofmyclassmate。

IthankedGodforparentswhobelievedinthegospelofstruggle,andforthecircumstancesthatcompelledit。

Iamnotanexampleofsuccess。

ButIamaverygratefulpupilinthefirstreaderclassofTheUniversityofHardKnocks。

ChapterIX

GoOnSouth!

TheBookintheRunningBrookTHEREisalittlesilverysheetofwaterinMinnesotacalledLakeItasca。

Thereisaplacewherealittlestreamleapsoutfromthelake。

\"Ole!\"youwillexclaim,\"thelakeisleaking。Whatisthenameofthislittlecreek?\"

\"Creek!Itbanenocreek。ItbaneMississippiriver。\"

SoeventheFatherofWatershastobeginasacreek。Weareatthecradlewherethebabyriverleapsforth。Weallstartaboutalike。

ItwabblesaroundthruthewoodsofMinnesota。Itdoesn’tknowwhereitisgoing,butitis\"ontheway。\"

Itkeepswabblingaround,nevergivingupandquitting,anditgetstotheplacewhereallofusgetsoonerorlater。TheplacewherePaulcameontheroadtoDamascus。Theplaceofthe\"heavenlyvision。\"

Itistheplacewheregravitysays,\"LittleMississippi,doyouwanttogrow?Thenyouwillhavetogosouth。\"

ThelittleMississippistartssouth。Hesaystothepeople,\"Goodbye,folks,Iamgoingsouth。\"ThefolksatItascavillesay,\"Why,Mississippi,youarefoolish。Youhain’tgotwaterenoughtogetoutofthecounty。\"Thatisafact,butheisnottryingtogetoutofthecounty。TheMississippiisonlytryingtogosouth。

TheMississippiknowsnothingabouttheGulfofMexico。Hedoesnotknowthathehastogohundredsofmilessouth。Heisonlytryingtogosouth。Hehasnotmuchwater,buthedoesnotwaitforarelativetodieandbequeathhimsomewater。Thatisabeautifulthought!Hehaswaterenoughtostartsouth,andhedoesthat。

Hegoesafootsouth,thenanotherfootsouth。Hegoesamilesouth。Hepicksupalittlestreamandhehassomemorewater。Hegoesonsouth。Hepicksupanotherstreamandgrowssomemore。Daybydayhepicksupstreamlets,brooklets,rivulets。Businessispickingup!Hegrowsasheflows。Poetry!

Myfriends,hereisoneofthebestpicturesIcanfindinnatureofwhatitseemstomeourlivesshouldbe。Ihearagreatmanyorations,especiallyinhighschoolcommencements,entitled,\"TheValueofaGoalinLife。\"Butthedirectionisvastlymoreimportantthanthegoal。Findthewayyourlifeshouldgo,andthengoandkeepongoingandyou’llreachathousandgoals。

Wedonothavetofigureouthowfarwehavetogo,norhowmanysupplieswewillneedalongtheway。Allwehavetodoistostartandwewillfindtheresourcesallalongtheway。Wewillgrowasweflow。Allofuscanstart!Andthengoonsouth!

Successisnottomorrowornextyear。Successisnow。Successisnotattheendofthejourney,forthereisnoend。Successiseverydayinflowingandgrowing。TheMississippiisasuccessinMinnesotaaswellasonsouth。

YouandIsoonerorlaterhearthecall,\"Goonsouth。\"Ifwehaven’theardit,letuskeepoureartothereceiverandliveamorenaturallife,sothatwecanhearthecall。Weareallcalled。

Itisadivinecall——thecallofourunfoldingtalentstobeused。

Remember,theMississippigoessouth。Ifhehadgoneanyotherdirectionhewouldneverhavebeenheardof。

ThreewonderfulthingsdevelopastheMississippigoesonsouth。