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VOL. LVI. N o . 6. Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman BUI at 373 Fourth Ave., New York, Feb. 8,1913
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HE real test of a man's ability is shown in the manner in which he receives hard blows.
When everything is moving along pleasantly—when the sun is shining—when condi-
tions are favorable—no special test of'strength is necessary.
But wait until the skies are overcast—wait until the storm comes and breakers roar
on the beach, where the ribs of many a wrecked business craft protrude from the sand; see then what
courage is displayed—see then what ability is shown in getting away from the dangerous spot!
At such times the best that is in a man comes to the surface, and at such times despair means
certain defeat.
The ancient philosophers held that no man could be defeated until he had lost faith in himself.
Despair is fatal to every ambition, and pessimism is the philosophy of despair.
To be successful one must necessarily be confident, for when a man gives up hope he is getting
dangerously close to the breakers!
Presumably there are times in the life of every man when he feels that a strong current is sweep-
ing him upon the shoals of danger and disaster, and that, perhaps, he is receiving a little more than
he considers belongs to him in the way of reverses.
The battles of life are not so easily won that we can afford to handicap ourselves by getting pes-
simistic or discouraged over conditions.
The story is told of a man who, returning home from a trip abroad, found that an old-time
farmer friend of his, who was noted for his infinite patience, had been having a siege of bad luck.
Desiring to condole with his friend he immediately sought him out to express his sympathy.
After he had greeted the farmer he said: "I hear that you have lost all your timber through forest fires."
His friend nodded assent.
"And," continued his visitor, "the people say that the river cut off your best bottom land; that
your hogs all died of cholera; that your wife and children have been sick, and that they have now
foreclosed the mortgage on your other place."
His friend nodded again. "Yes, it's all true," he said, looking about him at what had once been
his prosperous farm; "all true. Why, sometimes I get almost discouraged."
There was a man who had the real fiber in him.
No matter what a man's vocation may be, and no matter how many times adversity has knocked
at his door and has forced an entrance, the years that have passed cannot be lived over again.
All that one is called upon to consider is what effect the present is to have upon the days that
are to come.
Many have wasted opportunities in the past, perhaps. That is all the more reason why they
should make the most of the present.
The future should be faced with courage. The pessimist never makes a conspicuous success of
life, and to make anything—even to realize a possibility—one must have the right kind of material.
The only soil in which a successful future can be cultivated is a healthy mind. When I hear a man who
can talk about nothing but his own misfortune and ill-luck I think that
until he gets such thoughts out of his mind he is misdirecting his entire
forces. He is developing his character in the wrong direction, and he is
letting his mental and moral muscles grow soft and flabby for the want
of exercise!
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