第4章

1。Hekeepsongoingonsouthandgrowinggreater。

2。Heovercomeshisobstaclesanddevelopshispower。

3。Heblessesthevalley,butthevalleydoesnotblesshim。

GoOnSouthandGrowGreaterYounevermeettheMississippiafterhestartssouth,butwhatheisgoingonsouthandgrowinggreater。Younevermeethimbutwhathesays,\"Excuseme,butImustgoonsouth。\"

TheMississippigetstoSt。PaulandMinneapolis。Heisagreatrivernow——themostsuccessfulriverinthestate。Buthedoesnotretireuponhislaurels。Hegoesonsouthandgrowsgreater。HegoesonsouthtoSt。Louis。Heisawonderfulrivernow。Buthedoesnotstop。Hegoesonsouthandgrowsgreater。

Everywhereyoumeethimheisgoingonsouthandgrowinggreater。

DoyouknowwhytheMississippigoesonsouth?TocontinuetobetheMississippi。Ifheshouldstopandstagnate,hewouldnotbetheMississippi,river。hewouldbecomeastagnant,poisonouspond。

Aslongaspeoplekeepongoingsouth,theykeeponliving。Whentheystopandstagnate,theydie。

ThatiswhyIammakingitthesloganofmylife——GOONSOUTHAND

GROWGREATER!IhopeIcanmakeyourememberthatandsayitovereachday。IwishIcouldwriteitoverthepulpits,overtheschoolrooms,overthebusinesshousesandhomes——GOONSOUTHAND

GROWGREATER。Forthisislife,andthereisnoother。Thisiseducation——andreligion。Andtheonlybusinessoflife。

YouandIstartwell。Wegoonsouthalittleways,andthenweretire。Evenyoungpeopleastheystartsouthandmakesomelittleknee-pantsachievement,somekindergartentouchdown,succumbtotheirpressnotices。Theirfriendscrowdaroundthemtocongratulatethem。\"Imustcongratulateyouuponyoursuccess。Youhavearrived。\"

Somanyofthoseyounggoslingsbelievethat。Theyquitandgetcanned。TheythinktheyhavegottentotheGulfofMexicowhentheyhavenotgottenoutofthewoodsofMinnesota。Goonsouth!

Wecanprotectourselvesfairlywellfromourenemies,butheavendeliverusfromourfoolfriends。

Successissohardtoendure。Wecanenduretendefeatsbetterthanonevictory。Successgoestotheheadanddefeatgoesto\"defeet。\"

Itmakesthemworkharder。

ThePlagueofIncompetentsCivilizationismostlyaconspiracytokeepusfromgoingveryfarsouth。

Theonewhokeepsongoingsouthdefiescustomandbecomesunorthodox。

Butcontentmentwithpresentachievementisthedamnationoftherace。

Themassofthehumanfamilynevergoonsouthfarenoughtobecomegoodservants,workmenorartists。Theyoungpeoplegetasmatteringandsqueezeintothebottompositionandnevergoonsouthtoefficiencyandpromotion。Theywonderwhytheirgeniusisnotrecognized。Theydonotmakeitvisible。

Nineoutoftenstenographerswhoapplyforpositionscanwriteafewshorthandcharactersandirritateatypewriterkeyboard。Theythinkthatisbeingastenographer,whenitismerelyasymptomofastenographer。Theymanglethelanguage,grammar,spelling,capitalizationandpunctuation。Theireyesareontheclock,theirmindsonthemovies。

Nineoutoftenworkmencannotbetrustedtodowhattheyadvertisetodo,becausetheyhavenevergonesouthfarenoughtobecomeefficient。Manyaprofessionalmanisinthesameclass。

Halfofourlifeisspentingettingcompetentstorepairthebotchworkofincompetents。

Nomatterhowwellequippedyouare,youareneversafeinyourjobifyouarecontentedtodotodayjustwhatyoudidyesterday。

Contentedtothinktodaywhatyouthoughtyesterday。

Youmustgoonsouthtobesafe。

Iusedtoknowaviolinistwhowouldsay,\"IfIwerenotagenius,Icouldnotplaysowellwithsuchlittlepractice。\"Thepoorfellowdidnotknowhowpoorafiddlerhereallywas。WelldidStricklandGillilan,America’sgreatpoet-humorist,say,\"EgotismistheopiatethatNatureadministerstodeadenthepainsofmediocrity。

ThisIsOurBestDayJustbecauseourhairgetsfrostyorbeginstoruboffinspots,wearesopronetosay,\"Iamagingrapidly。\"Itpaystoadvertise。Wealwaysgetresults。Seetheoneshrivelwhogoesaroundfront-paginghisage。Ageisnotyears;ageisgrunts。

Wesay,\"I’veseenmybestdays。\"Andtheundertakergoesandgreaseshisbuggy。Hebelievesin\"preparedness。\"

Goonsouth!Wehavenotseenourbestdays。Thisisthebestdaysofar,andtomorrowisgoingtobebetteronsouth。

WeareonlychildreninGod’sgreatkindergarten,playingwithourA-B-C’s。Idonotutterthatasabitofsentiment,butasthegreatfundamentalofourlife。Ihopetheoldestinyearsseesthatbest。Ihopehesays,\"Iamjustbeginning。Justbeginningtounderstand。Justbeginningtoknowaboutlife。\"

Wearenotgoingonsouthtooldage,wearegoingonsouthtoeternalyouth。Itistheonewhostopswho\"agesrapidly。\"Eachdaybringsusalargervision。Infinity,Eternity,Omnipotence,Omniscienceareallonsouth。

Wehaveleftnothingbehindbutthehusks。Iwouldnottradethismomentforalltheyearsbeforeit。Ihavetheirfootingsatcompoundinterest!Theyaredead。Thisislife。

BirthdaysandHeadmarksYesterdayIhadabirthday。Ilookedintheglassandcommunedwithmyfeatures。Isawsomegrayhairscoming。Hurrah!

Youknowwhatgrayhairsare?Didyouevergetaheadmarkinschool?

Grayhairsaresilverheadmarksinoureducationaswegoonsouth。

Youchildrencheerup。Yourblackhairandauburnhairandtheotherfirstreaderhairwillpassandyou’llgetpromotedasyougoonsouth。

Don’tworryaboutgrayhairorbaldness。Onlyworryaboutthelocationofyourgrayhairorbaldness。Iftheygetontheinsideofthehead,worry。Doyouknowwhycorporationssometimessaytheydonotwanttoemploygray-headedmen?Theyhavefoundthatsomanyofthemhavequitgoingonsouthandhavegottengrayontheinside——orbald。

ThesesamecorporationssendoutPinkertonsandpayanypriceforgray-headedmen——grayontheoutsideandgreenontheinside。Theyarethemostvaluable,fortheyhavethevisionandwisdomofmanyyearsandtheenthusiasmand\"pep\"andcourageofyouth。

Thepreacher,theteacher——everyonewhogetsputontheretiredlist,retireshimself。Hequitsgoingonsouth。

Themostwonderfulpersonintheworldistheonewhohaslivedyearsandyearsonearthandhasperhapsgottengrayontheoutside,buthaskeptyoungandfreshontheinside。Putthatpersoninthepulpit,intheschoolroom,intheoffice,behindtheticket-windoworonthebench——orunderthehod——andyoufindthewholeworldgoingtothatpersonfordirection,advice,vision,help,sympathy,love。

IamhappytodayasIlookbackovermylife。Ihavebeentryingtolectureagoodwhile。Iamalmostashamedtotellyouhowlong,forIoughttoknowmoreaboutitbythistime。Butwhenanybodysays,\"Iheardyoulecturetwentyyearsagooverat————\"Istophim。

\"Pleasedon’tthrowituptomenow。Iamjustasashamedofitasyouare。Iamtryingtodobetternow。\"

O,Iwanttoforgetallthepast,saveitslessons。Iamjustbeginningtolive。Ifanybodywantstobemybestfriend,lethimcometomeandtellmehowtoimprove——whattodoandwhatnottodo。Tellmehowtogiveabetterlecture。

Yearsagoabureaurepresentativewhobookedmetoldmemylecturesweregoodenough。ItoldhimIwantedtogetbetterlectures,forIwassodissatisfiedwithwhatlittleIknew。HetoldmeIcouldnevergetanybetter。Ihadreachedmylimit。Thoselectureswerethe\"limit。\"IshiverasIthinkwhatIwassayingthen。Iwanttogoonsouthshiveringaboutyesterday。TheseyearsIhavenoticedthepeopleontheplatformwhowerecontentedwiththeirofferings,werenottryingtoimprovethem,andwerelostinadmirationofwhattheyweredoing,didnotstaylongontheplatform。Ihavewatchedthemcomeandgo,comeandgo。Ihaveheardtheirfierceinvectivesagainstthebureausandungratefulaudiencesthatwere\"prejudiced\"againstthem。

Birthdaysarenotannualaffairs。Birthdaysarethedayswhenwehaveanewbirth。Thedayswhenwegoonsouthtolargervisions。

IwishIcouldhaveabirthdayeveryminute!

Somepeopleseemtostringouttonearahundredyearswithmightyfewbirthdays。SomepeoplespinuptoMethuselahsinafewyears。

FromwhatIcanlearnofMethuselah,henevergrewpastcopper-toedboots。Hejusthibernatedand\"chawedon。\"

Themorebirthdayswehave,thenearerweapproacheternalyouth!

Bernhardt,DavisandEdisonThespectacleofSarahBernhardt,pastseventy,thrillingandgrippingaudienceswiththefireandbrilliancyofyouth,isinspiring。Noobstaclecandaunther。Losingalegdoesnotendheracting,forsheremainsthe\"DivineSarah\"withnocripplingofherwork。Shelooksyoungerthanmanywomenofhalfheryears。\"Theyearsarenothingtome。\"

SenatorHenryGassawayDavis,WestVirginia’sGrandOldMan,atninety-twowasworkingashardandhopefullyasanymanofthemultitudesinhisemploy。HewasanardentOddFellow,andonedayatninety-two——justashorttimebeforehispassing——hewentouttotheOddFellows’HomenearElkins,wherehelived。Ontheporchofthehomewasarowofoldmeninmates。Thesenatorshookhandswiththesemenandonebyonetheyrosefromthebenchtoreturnhisheartygreetings。

Thelastmanonthebenchdidnotrise。Hehelplesslylookedupatthesenatorandsaid,\"Senator,you’llhavetoexcusemefromgettingup。I’mtooold。WhenyougetasoldasIam,you’llnotgetup,either。\"

\"That’sallright。But,myman,howoldareyou?\"

\"Senator,I’moldinbodyandoldinspirit。I’mpastsixty。\"

\"Myboy,\"laughedSenatorDavis,\"IwasanOddFellowbeforeyouwereborn。\"

Thesenatoratninety-twowasyoungerthantheman\"pastsixty,\"

becausehewasgoingonsouth。

WhenIwasalittleboyIsawthembringthefirstphonographthatMr。EdisoninventedintothemeetingatLakeside,Ohio。Thepeoplecheeredwhentheyheardittalk。

Youwouldlaughatittoday。Ithadatinfoilcylinder,itscreechedandstuttered。Youwouldnothaveitinyourbarntodaytoplaytoyourford!

Butthepeoplesaid,\"Mr。Edisonhassucceeded。\"TherewasonemanwhodidnotbelievethatMr。Edisonhadsucceeded。HisnamewasThomasAlvaEdison。HehadgottentoSt。Paul,andhewentonsouth。Amillionpeoplewouldhavestoppedthereandsaid,\"Ihavearrived。\"Theywouldhaveputintheirtimelitigatingfortheirrightswithotherpeoplewhowouldhavegoneonsouthwiththephonographidea。

Mr。Edisonhassaidthathisgeniusismainlyhisabilitytokeeponsouth。Ayoungladysucceededingettingintohislaboratorytheotherday,andshewrotemethatthegreatinventorshowedheroneinvention。\"ImadeoverseventhousandexperimentsandfailedbeforeIhituponthat。\"

\"Whymakesomanyexperiments?\"

\"Iknowmorethanseventhousandwaysnowthatwon’twork。\"

IdoubtiftherearetenmeninAmericawhocouldgoonsouthinthefaceofseventhousandfailures。Todayhebringsforthadiamond-pointedphonograph。IamsureifwecouldbringMr。Edisontothisplatformandaskhim,\"Haveyousucceeded?\"hewouldsaywhathehassaidtoreportersandwhathesaidtotheyounglady,\"Ihavenotsucceeded。Iamsucceeding。AllIhavedoneonlyshowsmehowmuchthereisyettodo。\"

Thatissuccesssupreme。Not\"succeeded\"but\"succeeding。\"

Whatadifferencebetween\"ed\"and\"ing\"!Thedifferencebetweendeathandlife。Areyou\"ed-ing\"or\"ing-ing\"?

MosesBeginsatEightyMoses,thegreatHebrewlaw-giver,waseightyyearsoldbeforehestartedsouth。Ittookhimeightyyearstogetready。MosesdidnotevengetonthebackpageoftheEgyptiannewspaperstillhewaseighty。Hewentonsouthintotheextraeditionsafterthat!

IfMoseshadretiredatseventy-nine,we’dneverhaveheardofhim。

IfMoseshadretiredtoacheckerboardinthegrocerystoreortopitchinghorseshoesupthealleyandtalkingabout\"therwinteroffifty-four,\"hewouldhavebecometheseventeenthmummyonthethirty-ninthrowinthegreenpickle-jar!

ImagineMoseslivingtodayamidstthedinofthehighschoolorationson\"TheAgeoftheYoungMan\"andtheOstlerideathatyouaregoingdownhillatfifty。ImagineMoseslivingon\"borrowedtime\"whenhebecomestheleaderoftheIsraelitehost。

Iwouldseehisscandalizedfriendsgatheraroundhim。\"Moses!Moses!

whatisthiswehear?YougoingtoleadtheIsraelitestothePromisedLand?

Why,Moses,youareanoldman。Whydon’tyouactlikeanoldman?

Youareliabletodropoffanyminute。Hereisapairofslippers。

Andkeepoutofthenightair。Itissohardonoldfolks。\"

IthinkIwouldhearMosessay,\"No,no,Iamjustbeginningtoseewhattodo。Watchthingshappenfromnowon。ChildrenofIsrael,forward,march!\"

IseeMosesateightystartingfortheWildernesssofastAaroncanhardlykeepup。Mosesiseighty-fiveandbusierandmoreenthusiasticthanever。Thepeoplesay,\"Isn’tMosesdead?\"\"No。\"

\"Well,heoughttobedead,forheisoldenough。\"

TheyappointacommitteetoburyMoses。YoucannotdoanythinginAmericawithoutacommittee。ThecommitteegetsouttheinvitationsandmakesallthearrangementsforagorgeousfuneralnextThursday。Theygetreadytheresolutionsofrespect——

\"Whereas,——Whereas,——Resolved,——Resolved。\"

ThenIseethecommitteewaitingonMoses。Thatiswhatacommitteedoes——it\"waits\"onsomethingorother。AndthiscommitteegoesuptoGeneralMoses’privateoffice。Itishisbusyday。Theyhavetostandinlineandwaittheirturn。WhentheygetuptoMoses’desk,thegreatprophetsays,\"Boys,whatisit?Cutitshort,I’mbusy。\"

Thecommitteebeginstoweep。\"GeneralMoses,youareaveryoldman。Youareeighty-fiveyearsoldandfullofhonors。Wearethecommitteedulyauthorizedtogiveyougorgeousburial。ThefuneralistobenextThursday。Kindlydie。\"

IseeMoseslookoverhisappointments。\"NextThursday?

Why,boys,everyhouristakennextThursday。IsimplycannotattendmyfuneralnextThursday。\"

TheycannotburyMoses。Hecannotattend。Youcannotburyanybodywhoistoobusytoattendhisownfuneral!Youcannotburyanybodyuntilheconsents。Itisbadmanners!Thecommitteeissomortified,foralltheinvitationsareout。Itwaits。

Mosesiseighty-sixandthecommittee’phonesover,\"Moses,canyouattendnextThursday?\"AndMosessays,\"No,boys,you’lljusthavetoholdthatfuneraluntilIgetthisworkpushedoffsoIcanattendit。Ihaven’teventimetothinkaboutgettingold。\"

Thecommitteewaits。Mosesisninetyandrushedmorethanever。

Heisdoingtenmen’sworkandhisfriendsallsayheiskillinghimself。Buthemakesthecommitteewait。

Mosesisninety-fiveandburningthecandleatbothends。

Heisahundred。Andthecommitteedies!

Mosesgoesrightonshouting,\"Onward!\"Heisahundredandten。Heisahundredandtwenty。EventhenIread,\"Hiseyewasnotdim,norhisnaturalforceabated。\"Hehadnottimetostopandabate。

SoGodburiedhim。Thecommitteewasdead。O,friends,thisisnotirreverence。Itisjoyfulreverence。Itisthemessagetoallofus,Goonsouthtothegreaterthings,andgetsoenthusedandabsorbedinourgoingthatwe’llfoolthe\"committee。\"

AllthemultitudesoftheChildrenofIsraeldiedintheWilderness。

Theywereafraidtogoonsouth。Onlytwoofthemwentonsouth——

JoshuaandCaleb。Theyputthegiantsoutofbusiness。

TheIndiansonceownedAmerica。Buttheyfailedtogoonsouth。

SoanothercropofAmericanscameintothelimelight。IfwemodernAmericansdonotgoonsouthwewilljointheIndians,theaukandthedodo。

The\"SobSquad\"

Iamsosorryforthefolkswhoquit,retire,\"getontheshelf\"orliveon\"borrowedtime。\"

Theygenerallyjointhe\"sobsquad。\"

Theygenerallydiscovertheworldis\"goingtothedogs。\"Theycryonmyshoulder,nomatterhowgoodclothesIwear。

Theytellmenobodyusesthemright。Thepersongoingonsouthhasnottimetolookbackandseehowanybodyuseshim。

Theysaynobodylovesthem。Whichisoftenafact。Nobodylovestheclockthatrunsdown。

Theysay,\"Onlyafewmoredaysoftrouble,onlyafewmoretribulations,andI’llbeinthatbrightandhappyland。\"Whatwilltheydowiththemwhentheygetthemthere?Theywouldbedillpicklesintheheavenlypreserve-jar。

Theysay,\"IwishIwereachildagain。IwashappywhenIwasachildandI’mnothappynow。Themwasthebestdaysofmylifechildhood’spalmydays。\"

Wakeup!Yourclockhasrundown。Anybodywhowantstobeachildagainisconfessinghehaslosthismemory。Anybodywhocanrememberthehorrorsofchildhoodcouldnotbehiredtoliveitoveragain。

Ifthereisanybodywhodoesnothaveagoodtime,ifthereisanybodywhogetsshortchangedregularly,itisachild。Iamsosorryforachild。Hurryupandgoonsouth。Itisbetteronsouth。

Waitingtillthe\"SecondTable\"

IwishIcouldforgetmanyofmychildhoodmemories。Irememberthepalmydays。Andthepalm!

IoftenwonderhowIeverlivedthrumychildhood。Iwouldnottakemychanceslivingitthruagain。Iamnotungratefultomyparents。

Ihadadvantages。IwasborninaparsonageandwasrearedinthenurtureandadmirationoftheLord。IamnotjustsureIquotedthatcorrectly,butIknowIwasrearedinaparsonage。AboutallIinheritedwasaGodlyexampleandalargeappetite。Thatwasaboutalltherewastoinherit。IcannotrememberwhenIwasnothungry。IusedtogoaroundfeelingliketheMammothCave,neverthorolyexplored。

Ineversitdownas\"company\"atadinnerandseesomelittlechildrengoingsadlyintothenextroomto\"waittillthesecondtable\"

thatmyheartdoesnotgoouttothem。IrememberwhenIdidthat。

Icanonlyrememberaboutfourbigmealsinayear。Thatwas\"quart’lymeetingday。\"Wealwayshadabigdinneron\"quart’lymeetingday。\"ElderBerrywouldstayfordinner。HisnamewasBerry,butbeing\"presidingelder,\"wecalledhimElderBerry。

ElderBerryalwaysstayedfordinner。HewasoneoftheeasiestmentogettostayfordinnerIeversaw。

Motherwouldstayhomefrom\"quart’lymeeting\"togetthebigdinnerready。Shewouldcookupaboutallthe\"brethren\"broughtinatthelastdonation。Wehadoneofthosestretchabletables,andmotherwouldstretchitclearacrosstheroomandputontwotable-cloths。Shewouldlapthemoverinthemiddle,wheretheholewas。

Iwouldwatchhergetthebigdinnerready。Iwouldlookoverthelongtableandviewthe\"promisedland。\"Iwouldseehersetonthejelly。Wehadsomuchjelly——redjelly,andwhitejelly,andbluejelly。Idon’tjustrememberiftheyhadbluejelly,butiftheyhaditwehaditonthattable。Allthejellythatever\"jelled\"

wasrepresented。Ididn’tknowwehadsomuchjellytill\"quart’lymeeting\"day。Iwouldwatchthejellytremble。Didyoueverseejellytremble?Iusedtothinkitoughttotremble,forElderBerrywascomingfordinner。

Iwouldseemotherputonthetallestpileofmashedpotatoesyoueversaw。Shewouldmakeahollowinthetopandfillitwithbutter。Iwouldseethebuttermeltandrundownthesides,andI

wouldsay,\"Hurry,mother,itisgoingtospill!\"O,howIwantedtospillit!Icouldhardlyholdoutfaithful。

AndthenElderBerrywouldsitdownatthetable,attheendnearestthefriedchicken。The\"company\"wouldsitdown。Iusedtowonderwhywenevercouldhaveabigdinnerbutwhatalotof\"company\"hadtocomeandgobbleitup。Theywouldfillthetableandfatherwouldsitdowninthelastseat。Therewasnoplaceformetosit。Fatherwouldsay,\"Yougointothenextroom,myboy,andwait。There’snoroomforyouatthetable。\"

Thehungriestoneofthatassemblagewouldhavetogointhenextroomandhearthebigdinner。DidyoueverhearabigdinnerwhenyoufeltliketheMammothCave?IusedtothinkasIwouldsitinthenextroomthatheavenwouldbeaplacewhereeverybodywouldeatatthefirsttable。

Iwouldwatchthemthruthekey-hole。Itwasgoingsofast。Therewasonlyonepieceofchickenleft。Itwastheneck。O,Lord,sparetheneck!AndIwouldhearthemsay,\"ElderBerry,maywehelpyoutoanotherpieceofthechicken?\"

AndElderBerrywouldtaketheneck!

Manyatimeafterthat,ElderBerrywouldcomeintotheroomwhereIwasstarving。Hewouldsay,\"BrotherParlette,isthisyourboy?\"HewouldcomeovertotheremainsofBrotherParlette’sboy。

Hewouldoftenputhishandinbenedictionuponmyhead。

Myheadwasnottheplacethatneededthebenediction。

Hewouldsay,\"Myboy,Iwantyoutohaveagoodtimenow。\"Now!

Whenallthechickenwasgoneandhehadtakentheneck!\"Myboy,youareseeingthebestdaysofyourliferightnowasachild。\"

Thedearoldliar!Iwasseeingtheworstdaysofmylife。Ifthereisanybodyshortchanged——ifthereisanybodywhodoesn’thaveagoodtime,it’sachild。Lifehasbeengettingbettereversince,andtodayisthebestdayofall。Goonsouth!

It’sBetteronSouthSeeingyourbestdaysasachild?No!Youareseeingyourworstdays。Ofcourse,youcanbehappyasachild。Aboycanbehappywithfuzzonhisupperlip,buthe’llbehappierwhenhislipfeelsmorelikeminelikeapieceofsandpaper。Therearechaptersofhappinessundreamedofinhisphilosophy。

Achildcanbefullofhappinessandonlyholdapint。Butafterwhilethesamechildwillholdaquart。

IthinkIholdagallonnow。AndIseepeopleintheaudiencewhomustholdabarrel!Goonsouth。Ofcourse,Idonotmeancircumference。Buteveryyearwegosouthincreasesourcapacityforjoy。Ourlifeisonecontinualunfoldingaswegosouth。

Afterwhilethisoldworldgetstoosmallforusandwegoonsouthintoalargerone。

Sowecannotgrowold。Ourlifeneverstops。Itgoesonandonforever。Anythingthatdoesnotstopcannotgrowoldorhaveage。

Materialthingswillgrowold。Thisstagewillgrowoldandstop。

Thishallwillgrowoldandstop。Thishouseweliveinwillgrowoldandstop。Thisfleshandbloodhouseweliveinwillgrowoldandstop。Thislectureevenwillgrowold——andstop!ButyouandI

willnevergrowold,forGodcannotgrowold。YouandIwillgoonlivingaslongasGodlives。

IamnotworriedtodayoverwhatIdonotknow。Iusedtobeworried。Iusedtosay,\"Ihavenottimetoansweryounow!\"Buttodayitissucharelieftolookpeopleinthefaceandsay,\"Idonotknow。\"

AndIhavetosaythattomanyquestions,\"Idonotknow。\"IoftenthinkifpeopleinanaudienceonlyknewhowlittleIknow,theywouldnotstaytohearme。

ButsomedayIshallknow!Ipatientlywaitfortheanswer。EverydaybringstheanswertosomethingIcouldnotansweryesterday。

Itwilltakeaneternitytoknowaninfinity!

Whatawonderfulhappinesstogoonsouthtoit!

OvercomingObstaclesDevelopsPowerAstheMississippiRivergoesonsouthhefindsobstaclesalongtheway。YouandIfindobstaclesalongourwaysouth。Whatshallwedo?

GotoKeokuk,Iowa,foryouranswer。

Theyhavebuiltagreatconcreteobstacleclearacrossthepathoftheriver。Itismanyfeethigh,andmany,manyfeetlong。Therivercannotgoonsouth。Watchhim。Heriseshigherthantheobstacleandsweepsoveritonsouth。

OverthegreatpowerdamatKeokuksweepstheMississippi。Andthenyouseethestruggleofovercomingtheobstacledevelopslightandpowertovitalizethevalley。Ahundredtownsandcitiesradiatethelightandpowerfromthestruggle。ThegreatcityofSt。Louis,manymilesaway,throbswiththevictory。

Sothatiswhytheyspentthemillionstobuildtheobstacle——togetthelightandthepower。Thelightandthepowerwerelatentintheriver,butittooktheobstacleandtheovercomingtodevelopitandmakeituseful。

ThatisexactlywhathappenswhenyouandIovercomeourobstacles。

Wedevelopourlightandpower。Weareriversoflightandpower,butitisalllatentanddoesnogooduntilweovercomeobstaclesaswegoonsouth。

Obstaclesarethepowerstationsonourwaysouth!

Andwherethemostobstaclesare,thereyoufindthemostpowertobedeveloped。Somanyofusdonotunderstandthat。Welooksouthwardandweseetheobstaclesintheroad。\"Iamsounfortunate。Icoulddothesegreatthings,butalas!Ihavesomanyobstaclesintheway。\"

ThankGod!YouareblessedofProvidence。Theydonotwastetheobstacles。Thepresenceoftheobstaclesmeansthatthereisalotoflightandpowerinyoutobedeveloped。Ifyouseenoobstacles,youareconfessingtoblindness。

Ihearpeoplesaying,\"IhopethetimemayspeedilycomewhenI

shallhavenomoreobstaclestoovercome!\"Whenthattimecomes,ringupthehearse,foryouwillbea\"deadone。\"

Lifeisgoingonsouth,andovercomingtheobstacles。Deathismerelyquitting。

Thefactthatwearenotburiedisnoproofthatwearealive。Goalongthestreetinalmostanytownandseethedeadones。Theretheyaredecoratingthehitching-racksandfestooningthestoreboxes。Theretheyareblockingtrafficatthepostofficeanddepot。Theretheyareinthehotelwarmingthechairsandmakingtheguestsstandup。Theretheyare——rowsofretiredfarmerswhohavequitworkandmovedtotowntoblockimprovementsanddie。Buttheywillneverneedanythingmorethanburying。

Fortheyaredeadfromtheearsup。Theyhavenotthoughtanewthoughtthepastmonth。Sometimestheysitandthink,butgenerallytheyjustsit。Theyhavenotgonesouthaninchthepastyear。

Usuallythedeadestloaferismarriedtothelivestwoman。Naturetriestomaintainanequilibrium。

Theyblockthewheelsofprogressandgetinthewayofthepeopletryingtogoonsouth。Theysayofthepeopletryingtodothings。

\"Aw,he’salwaystryin’torunthings。\"

Theydonotjoinintopromotethechurchesandschoolsandbigbrothermovements。Theygrowlatthelyceumcoursesandchautauquas,becausethey\"takemoneyoutatown。\"Theydonottakeanyoftheirmoney\"outatown。\"RinglingandBarnum&Baileygettheirs。

IdonotsmileasIrefertothedead。Iweep。IwishIcouldsquirtsome\"pep\"intothemandstartthemonsouth。

Butallthislecturehasbeendiscussingthis,soIhurryontothelastglimpseofthebookintherunningbrook。

GoonSouthFromPrincipleHerewecometothemostwonderfulanddifficultthinginlife。Itisthesupremetestofcharacter。Thatis,Whygoonsouth?Notforblessingnorcursing,notforpopularitynorforselfishends,notforanythingoutside,butforthehappinessthatcomesfromwithin。

TheMississippiblessesthevalleyeverydayashegoesonsouthandovercomes。Butthevalleydoesnotblesstheriverinreturn。

Thevalleythrowsitsjunkbackupontheriver。Thevalleypoursitsfoul,muddy,poisonousstreamsbackupontheMississippitodefilehim。TheMississippimakesSt。PaulandMinneapolisaboutalltheprosperitytheyhave,givesthempowertoturntheirmills。

ButtheTwinCitiesmerelythrowtheirwastebackupontheirbenefactor。

TheMississippidoesnotresign。Hedoesnottellataleofwoe。Hedoesnotsay,\"Iamnotappreciated。Mygeniusisnotunderstood。

Iamnotgoingastepfarthersouth。IamgoingrightbacktoLakeItasca。\"No,hedoesnotevengotolivewithhisfather-in-law。

Hesays,\"Thankyou。Everylittlehelps,senditallalong。\"GoafewmilesbelowtheTwinCitiesandseehow,bysomemysteriousalchemyofNature,theMississippihastakenoverallthepoisonandthedefilement,hehaspurifieditandclarifiedit,andhasmadeitapartofhimself。Andheisgreaterandfarthersouth!

Hefattensuponbumps。Kickhim,andyoupushhimfarthersouth。

\"Handhimalemon,\"andhemakeslemonade。

CivilizationconspirestodefeattheMississippi。Chicago’sdrainagecanalpolluteshim。Theflat,lazyPlatte,threemileswideandthreeinchesdeep;thepeevish,destructiveKaw,andallthosestreamsthatunitetoformthetreacherous,sinful,irresponsiblelowerMissouri;thebig,muddyOhio,theArkansas,theRed,theblackandthebluefloods——allthesepourintotheMississippi。

DaybydaytheFatherofWatersgoesonsouth,takingthemoverandpurifyingthemandmakingthemapartofhimself。Nothingcandiscourage,divertnordefilehim。Nomatterhowpoisonoushebecomes,hegoesafewmilesonsouthandheisallpureagain。

Wonderfulthebookintherunningbrook!Weletourlifestreambecomepoisonedbybittermemoriesandbitterregrets。Wecarryalongsuchaheartfulloftheinjuriesthatotherpeoplehavedoneus,thatsometimeswearebanktobankfullofpoisonandamenacetothosearoundus。Wesay,\"Icanforgive,butIcannotforget。\"

Oh,forgetit!Dropitall。Purifyyourlifeandgoonsouthallsweetagain。Weforgetwhatweoughttorememberandrememberwhatweoughttoforget。Weneedschoolsofmemory,butweneedschoolsofforgettery,evenmore。

Asyougoonsouthandblessyourvalley,doyounoticethevalleydoesnotblessyouverymuch?Haveyousadlynotedthatthepeopleyouhelpthemostoftenaretheleastgratefulinreturn?

Don’twaittobethanked。Hurryontoavoidthekick!Dogoodtoothersbecausethatisthewaytobehappy,butdonotwaitforareceiptforyourgoodness;youwillneedapoulticeeverytimeyouwait。Iknow,forIhavewaited!

Wegetsodiscouraged。Wesay,\"Ihavegonefarenoughsouth。\"

Thereisnobodywhodoesnothavethattomeet。Thepreacher,theteacher,theeditor,themaninoffice,thebusinessman,thefatherandmother——everyonewhotriestocarryontheworkofthechurch,theschool,thelyceumandchautauqua,theworkthatmakesforabettercommunity,getsdiscouragedattimes。

Wefailtoseewhatwearedoingorwhywearedoingit。Sometimeswesitdowncompletelydiscouragedandsay,\"I’mdone。I’mgoingtoquit。Ihavedonemyshare。NobodyappreciateswhatIdo。Letsomebodyelsedoitawhile。\"

Stop!Youarenotsayingthat。Theeviloneiswhisperingthatintoyourheart。Hisbusinessistostopyoufromgoingsouth。Hismostsuccessfultoolisdiscouragement,whichisawedge,andifhecangetthesharpedgestartedintoyourthought,heisgoingtodriveitdeeper。

Youdonotgosouthandovercomeyourobstaclesandblessthevalleyforpraiseorblame,forappreciationorlackofit。Youdoittolive。Youdoittoremainalivingriverandnotastagnant,unhappypondorswamp。

YOUARESAVINGYOURSELFBYSAVINGOTHERS。GOONSOUTH!

Almosteverybodyisdeceived。Weworkfrommixedmotives。Wefoolourselvesthatweareworkingtodogood,whenaswedothegood,ifwearenotpraisedorthankedforit,ifpeopledonotpresentusamedalorresolutions,wewanttoquit。Thatiswhytherearesomanydisappointedanddisgruntledpeopleintheworld。Theyworkedforoutsidethanksinsteadofinsidethanks。Theyweretryingtobepersonalsaviours。Theysaythisisanungratefulworld。

O,howeasyitistosaythesethings,andhowharditistodothem!

ReachingtheGulfButbecausetheMississippidoesthesethings,onedaythetrainI

wasridingstoppedinLouisiana。Wehadcometoariversogreatsciencehasnotyetbeenabletoputabridgeacrossit。

Iwatchedthempilethesteeltrainuponaferry-boat。Iwatchedtheboatcrossingarivermorethanamilewide。Standingupontheferry-boat,IcouldlookdownintothelordlyriverandthenfarnorthperhapsfifteenhundredmilestothelittlestrugglingstreamletstartingsouthwardthrutheforestsofMinnesota,therewritingthefirstchapterofthiswonderfulbookintherunningbrook。

IthankGodthatIhadgonealittlefarthersouthwardinmyownlife。FatherofWaters,youhavefoughtagoodfight。Youareconqueringgloriously。Youbearuponyourbosomthecommerceofmanynations。Iknowwhy。Isawyouborn,sawyourstruggles,sawyougetintherightchannel,sawyoulearnthelessonsofyourknocks,andsawthatyouneverstoppedgoingsouthward。

Andmaywereaditintoourownlives。Maywegetthevisionofwhichwaytogo,andthenkeepongoingsouth——onandon,overcoming,gettingthelessonsofthebumps,thestrengthfromthestruggleandthusmakingitapartofourselves,andthusgrowinggreater。

GoonSouthForever!

Whereshallwestopgoingsouth?AttheGulfofMexico?

TheMississippiknowsnothingaboutthegulf。Hegoesonsouthuntilhereachesthegulf。Thenhepushesrightonintothegulfasthonothinghadhappened。Sohepusheshisphysicalbanksonsouthmanymilesrightoutintothegulf。

Andwhenhecomestotheendofhisphysicalbanks,hepushesonsouthintothegulf,andgoesonsouthroundandroundtheglobe。

WhenyouandIcometoourGulfofMexico,wemustpushrightonsouth。Sowepushourphysicalbanksyearsfartherintothegulf。

Andwhenphysicalbanksfail,wegoonsouthbeyondthismerehusk,intothegreatGulfoftheBeyond,togoonsouthunfoldingthrueternity。

WENEVERSTOPGOINGSOUTH。

ChapterX

GoingUpLife’sMountainTheDefeatsthatareVictoriesHOWoftenwesay,\"IwishIhadamillion!\"Perhapsitisablessingthatwehavenotthemillion。Perhapsitwouldmakeuslazy,selfishandunhappy。Perhapswewouldgoaroundgivingittootherpeopletomakethemlazy,selfishandunhappy。

O,theproblemisnothowtogetmoney,buthowtogetridofmoneywiththeleastinjurytotherace!

Perhapsgettingthemillionwouldcompletelyspoilus。Lookatthewildcatandthenlookatthetabbycat。Thewildcatsupportsitselfandthetabbycathasitsmillion。Sothetabbycathastobedoctoredbyspecialists。

Iftheburdenwereliftedfrommostofuswewouldgotowreck。

Necessityistheballastinourlifevoyage。

Whenyouheartheoratorspeakandyounotetheeaseandpowerofhiswork,doyouthinkoftheyearsofstrugglehespentinpreparing?Doyoueverthinkofthetimesthatoratortriedtospeakwhenhefailedandwentbacktohisroomindisgrace,mortifiedandbroken-hearted?Thruitalltherecamethediscipline,experienceandgrimresolvethatmadehimsucceed。

Whenyouhearthemusicianandnotetheeaseandgraceoftheperformance,doyouthinkoftheyearsofstruggleandovercomingnecessarytoproducethatfinishandgrace?Thatisthestoryoftheactor,theauthorandeveryotheroneofattainment。

Doyounotethatthetropics,thecountrieswiththebalmiestclimates,producetheweakestpeoples?Doyounotethattheconqueringracesarethosethatstrugglewithbothheatandcold?

ThetropicsarethegeographicalGussielands。

Doyounotethatpeoplegrowmoreinleanyearsthaninfatyears?

Cropfailuresandbusinessstringenciesarenotcalamities,butblessingsindisguise。Peoplegotothedevilwithfullpockets;

theyturntoGodwhenhungerhitsthem。\"IsnotthisBabylonthatIhavebuilded?\"saystheBelshazzarofmaterialprosperityashedrinkstohisgods。ThenmustcometheNeedfulandNeedlessKnockshandwritinguponthewalltosavehim。

Youhavetoshootmanymen’seyesoutbeforetheycansee。Youhavetocracktheirheadsbeforetheycanthink,knockthemdownbeforetheycanstand,breaktheirheartsbeforetheycansing,andbankruptthembeforetheycanberich。

DoyourememberthattheyhadtolockJohnBunyaninBedfordjailbeforehewouldwritehisimmortal\"Pilgrim’sProgress\"?Itmaybethatsomeofuswillhavetogotojailtodoourbestwork。

Doyourememberthatonemusicianbecamedeafbeforehewrotemusictheworldwillalwayshear?Doyourememberthatoneauthorbecameblindbeforewriting\"ParadiseLost\"theworldwillalwaysread?

DoyourememberthatSaulofTarsuswouldhaveneverbeenrememberedhadhelivedthelifeofluxuryplannedforhim?Hehadtobeblindedbeforehecouldseethewaytorealsuccess。HehadtobescourgedandfetteredtobecometheApostletotheGentiles。

He,too,hadtobesenttoprisontowritehisimmortalmessagestohumanity。Whatthrone-roomsaresomeprisons!Andwhatprisonsaresomethrone-rooms!

Doyounotseeallaroundyouthatsuccessiseverthephoenixrisingfromtheashesofdefeat?

Then,children,whenyoustandintherowofgraduatesoncommencementdaywithyourdiplomasinyourhands,andwhenyourrelativesandfriendssay,\"Successtoyou!\"Ishalltakeyourhandandsay,\"Defeattoyou!Andstrugglestoyou!Andbumpstoyou!\"

Forthatistheonlywaytosay,\"Successtoyou!\"

GoUptheMountainOUNIVERSITYOFHARDKNOCKS,welearntoloveyoumorewitheachpassingyear。Welearnthatyouarecruelonlytobekind。Welearnthatyouaresavingusfromourselves。ButO,howmostofusmustbebumpedtoseethis!

IknownobetterwaytoclosethislecturethantotellyouofagreatbumpthatstruckmeonemorninginLosAngeles。Itseemedasthotwelveyearsofmylifehaddroppedoutofit,andhadbeenlost。

Wereyoueverbumpedsohardyouwerenumb?Iwasnumb。IwonderedwhyIwasliving。IthoughtIhadnothingmoretolivefor。Whenadogiswoundedhecrawlsawayalonetolickhiswounds。Ifeltlikethewoundeddog。Iwantedtocrawlawaytolickmywounds。

ThatiswhyIclimbedMountLowethatday。Iwantedtogetalone。

ItisawonderfulexperiencetoclimbMountLowe。ThetouristsgouphalfamileintoRubioCanyon,totheengineeringmiracle,thetriangularcarthathoiststhemoutofthehungrychasmthirty-fivehundredfeetupthesideofagranitecliff,tothetopofEchoMountain。

HeretheyfindthatEchoMountainisbutashelfonthesideofMountLowe。Heretheytakeanelectriccarthatwindsfivemilesontowardsthesky。Thereishardlyastraightrailinthetrack。

Everyminuteanewthrill,andnotwothrillsalike。Fivemilesofwindingandsquirming,twistingandducking,dodgingandsummersaulting。

Thereareplaceswherethetouristwantstograsphisseatandlift。Thereisawoodenshelfnailedtothesideoftheperpendicularrockwallwherehislifedependsuponthehonestyofthemanwhodrovethenails。Hemaywonderifthemanwasworkingbythedayorbythejob!

Helooksovertheedgeoftheshelfdownward,andthenturnstotheothersidetolookatthefaceoftheclifftheyarehugging,anddiscoversthereisnoplacetoresign!

Thecarisfivethousandfeethighwhereitstopsonthatlastshelf,AlpineTavern。Onecannotridefartherupward。Thisisnotthesummit,butjustwheresciencesurrenders。ThereisalittletrailthatwindsupwardfromAlpineTaverntothesummit。Itisthreemileslongandriseselevenhundredfeet。

TogoupthatlastelevenhundredfeetandstandupontheflatrockatthesummitofMountLoweistogetapicturesowonderfulitcannotbedescribedwiththispoorhumanvocabulary。Itmustbelived。Onapure,cleardayonelooksdownthissixty-onehundredfeet,morethanamile,intotheorangebeltofSouthernCalifornia。

Itspreadsoutbelowinonegreatmosaicofturquoiseandamberandemerald,wherethemilesseemlikeinches,andwherehisfield-glasssweepsonepanoramicpictureofahundredmilesormore。

JustbelowisPasadenaandLosAngeles。TothewestwardperhapsfortymilesisthebluestretchofthePacificOcean,onwestwardthefaintoutlinesofCatalinaIslands。Theoceanseemssocloseonecouldthrowapebbleoverintoit。Howamountaindoesreducedistances。Youthrowthepebbleanditfallsuponyourtoes!

AndMountLoweisbutashelfonthesideofthehigherSierras。

Thegranitemountainsrisehighertothenorthward,andtotheeastrises\"OldBaldy,\"twelvethousandfeethighandsnoweternallyonhishead。

Thisisoneoftheworkshopsoftheinfinite!

AllaloneIscrambledupthatthree-miletrailtothesummit。AllaloneIstoodupontheflatrockatthesummitandlookeddownintotheswimmingdistances。IdidnotknowwhyIhadstruggledupintothatmountainsanctuary,forIwasnotsearchingforsublimity。I

wassearchingforrelief。Iwasheartsick。

Isawcloudsdowninthevalleybelowme。Ihadneverbeforelookeddownuponclouds。Ithoughtofthecloudthathadcoveredmeinthevalleybelow,anddullywatchedthecloudsspreadwiderandblacker。

Afterwhilethevalleywasallhiddenbytheclouds。Iknewrainmustbefallingdownthere。Thepeoplemustbesaying,\"Thesundoesn’tshine。Theskyisallgone。\"ButIsawthetruth——thesunwasshining。Theskywasinplace。Acloudhadcovereddownoverthatfirstmile。Thesunwasshininguponme,theskywasallblueoverme,andthereweremillionsofmilesofsunshineaboveme。I

couldseeallthisbecauseIhadgoneabovethevalley。Icouldseeabovetheclouds。

Agreatlightseemedtobreakovermystormsweptsoul。Iamunderthecloudsoftroubletoday,BUTTHESUNISSHINING!

Imustgoonupthemountaintoseeit。

Theyearshavebeenpassing,thestormcloudshavemanytimeshiddenmysun。ButIhavealwaysfoundthesunshiningabovethem。Nomatterhowblackandsunlesstoday,whenIhavestruggledonupthemountainpath,IhavegottenabovethecloudsandfoundthesunforevershiningandGodforeverinHisheavens。

EachdayasIgoupthemountainIgetalargervision。Themilesthatseemsogreatdowninthevalley,seemsosmallasIlookdownuponthemfromhigherup。EachdayasIlookbackIseemoreclearlytheplanofahumanlife。Therocks,thecurvesandthestrugglesfitintoadivineengineeringplantosoftenthesteepnessoftheascent。Thebumpsarelifts。Thethingsthatseemsoimportantdowninthesmudgy,stormsweptvalley,seemsounimportantaswegohigherupthemountaintomoreimportantthings。

TodayIlookbacktothebumpthatsentmeupMountLowe。IdidnotseehowIcouldlivepastthatbump。TheyearshavepassedandInowknowitwasoneofthegreatestblessingsofmylife。Itclosedonegate,butitopenedanothergatetoabetterpathwayupthemountain。

LatethatdayIwasclamberingdownthesideofMountLowe。DowninthevalleybelowmeIsawshadows。ThenIlookedoverintothesouthwestandIcouldseethesungoingdown。IcouldseehimsinklowerandloweruntilhisredlipskissedthecheekofthePacific。

Thegloryofthesunsetfilledseaandskywithflamesofgoldandfountainsofrainbows。Suchasunsetfromthemountain-sideisapromiseofheaven。

Theshadowsofsunsetwidenedoverthevalley。Presentlyallthevalleywasblackwiththeshadow。Itwasnightdownthere。Thepeopleweresaying,\"Thesundoesn’tshine。\"ButitwasnotnightwhereIstood。Iwasfartherupthemountain。Iturnedandlookeduptothesummit。ThebeamsofthesettingsunwereyetgildingMountLowe’ssummit。Itwasnightdowninthevalley,butitwasdayonthemountaintop!

Goonsouth!

Thatmeans,goonup!

Childofhumanity,areyouinthestorm?Goonupward。Areyouinthenight?Goonupward。

Forthepeaceandthelightarealwaysabovethestormandthenight,andalwaysinourreach。

Iamgoingonupward。Takemyhandandletusgotogether。MountLoweshowedthewaythatdarkday。ThereIheardthe\"sermonsinstones。\"

Somedaymynightwillcome。Itwillspreadoverallthisvalleyofmaterialthingswherethestormshaveraged。

ButIshallbeonthemountaintop。Ishalllookdownuponthenight,asIamlearningtoclimbandlookdownuponthestorms。I

shallbeinthenewdayofthemountain-top,foreverabovethenight。

Ishallfindthismountain-topjustanothershelfonthesideoftheMountainofInfiniteUnfolding。Ishallhaverisenperhapsonlythefirstmile。Ishallhavemillionsofmilesyettorise。

ThiswillbeanotherCommencementDayandMaster’sDegree。Infinitethenumberonup。\"Eyehathnotseennorearheard,neitherhaveenteredintotheheartofman,thethingswhichGodhathpreparedforthemthatloveHim。\"

Wearenotgrowingold。WearegoinguptoEternalLife。

RejoiceandGoUpward!

ANOTHERBEGINNING

TheBigBusinessofLifeTurningworkIntoPlayByRalphParletteThisbookprovesthattherealbigbusinessisthatofgettingourhappinessnowinourwork,andnottomorrowforourwork。

JudgeBenB。Lindsey,thekids’Judge,says:

\"Itisagreatbigboostforeverybodywhowillreadit。Peopleoughttobuythembythegrossandsendthemtotheirfriends。\"

Dr。J。G。Crabbe,PresidentoftheStateTeachersCollege,Greeley,Colo。,says:

\"TheBigBusinessofLifeisarealjoytoread。Itisbigandoughttobereadtodayandtomorrowandforevermoreeverywhere。Itistruly`ABookofRejoicing’。\"

TheAugsbergTeacher,aMagazineforTeachers,says:

\"InTheBigBusinessofLifewehavethepracticalphilosophythatitiseveryone’sbusinesstoabolishworkandturnthisworldintoaplayground。Whowillnotconfessthatmanymortalstaketheirworktooseriously,andthattothemitisajoyless,cheerlessthing?Tobeabletofindhappiness,andtofinditwhenwearebendingtoourdutiesistopossessthesecretoflivingtothefull。Andhappinessistobesoughtwithin,andnotamongthethingsthatlieatourfeet。Thebookbeforeusiswholesomeandvivacious。Itprovokesmanyasmile,andbeneatheachoneisabitofwisdomitwoulddousaworldofgoodtolearn。Itrecallsthesayingofthewiseman`Amerryheartdoethgoodlikeamedicine’。\"

ManywhohavereadTheBigBusinessofLifewriteusthattheythinkitisevenbetterthan\"TheUniversityofHardKnocks,\"which,theyadd,ismightyhardtobeat。

It’sUpToYou!

AreYouShakingUporRattlingDown?

GoOnSouth!

TheBestisYettoComeTheSalvationofaSuckerYouCan’tGetSomethingforNothingThesebookletsbyRalphParletteareshortstoriesadaptedfromchaptersin\"TheUniversityofHardKnocks。\"

JohnC。Carroll,PresidentoftheHydeParkStateBankofChicago,bought1000copiesofthebooklet\"It’sUptoYou!\"andofithesays。\"Parlette’sBeansandNutsisjustasgoodastheMessagetoGarciaandwillbehandedaroundjustusmuch。Ihavehandedthebooktobusinessmen,toyoungfellows,bondsalesmenandsuch,toourownvicepresident,andtheyallwantanothercopytosendtosomefriend。Iwouldratherbeauthorofitthanpresidentofthebank。\"

Employersineverylineofbusinessarebuyingquantitiesof\"It’sUptoYou!\"fortheirworkers。

WilliamJenningsBryansaysofthebooklet\"GoOnSouth\":\"Itisoneofthegreatstoriesoftheday。\"

CharlesGrilkofDavenport,says:\"MytwochildrenandIreadtheMississippiRiverstorytogetherandwewerethorolydelighted。\"

Instructustosendoneofthesebookletstoyourfriends。Itwilldelightthemmorethananysmallpresentyoucanmake。