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。