We know how brief all fame must be, We know how crude the game must be, We know how soon the cheering turns to jeering down the block; But there"s a deeper feeling here That Fate can"t scatter reeling here, In knowing we have battled with the final ounce in stock.
We sing of no wild glory now, Emblazoning some story now Of mighty charges down the field beyond some guarded pit; But humbler tasks befalling us, Set duties that are calling us, Where nothing left from h.e.l.l to sky shall ever make us quit.
_Grantland Rice._
From "The Sportlight."
POLONIUS"S ADVICE TO LAERTES
A father"s advice to his son how to conduct himself in the world: Don"t tell all you think, or put into action thoughts out of harmony or proportion with the occasion. Be friendly, but not common; don"t dull your palm by effusively shaking hands with every chance newcomer. Avoid quarrels if you can, but if they are forced on you, give a good account of yourself. Hear every man"s censure (opinion), but express your own ideas to few. Dress well, but not ostentatiously. Neither borrow nor lend. And guarantee yourself against being false to others by setting up the high moral principle of being true to yourself.
Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportion"d thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar; The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel; But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new-hatch"d, unfledg"d comrade. Beware Of entrance to a quarrel, but, being in, Bear "t that th" opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; Take each man"s censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not express"d in fancy; rich, not gaudy; For the apparel oft proclaims the man.
Neither a borrower, nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.
_William Shakespeare._
HOW DO YOU TACKLE YOUR WORK?
It would be foolish to begin digging a tunnel through a mountain with a mere pick and spade. We must a.s.semble for the task great mechanical contrivances. And so with our energies of will; a slight tool means a slight achievement; a huge, aggressive engine, driving on at full blast, means corresponding bigness of results.
How do you tackle your work each day?
Are you scared of the job you find?
Do you grapple the task that comes your way With a confident, easy mind?
Do you stand right up to the work ahead Or fearfully pause to view it?
Do you start to toil with a sense of dread Or feel that you"re going to do it?
You can do as much as you think you can, But you"ll never accomplish more; If you"re afraid of yourself, young man, There"s little for you in store.
For failure comes from the inside first, It"s there if we only knew it, And you can win, though you face the worst, If you feel that you"re going to do it.
Success! It"s found in the soul of you, And not in the realm of luck!
The world will furnish the work to do, But you must provide the pluck.
You can do whatever you think you can, It"s all in the way you view it.
It"s all in the start you make, young man: You must feel that you"re going to do it.
How do you tackle your work each day?
With confidence clear, or dread?
What to yourself do you stop and say When a new task lies ahead?
What is the thought that is in your mind?
Is fear ever running through it?
If so, just tackle the next you find By thinking you"re going to do it.
_Edgar A. Guest._
From "A Heap o" Livin"."
MAN OR MANIKIN
The world does not always distinguish between appearance and true merit.
Pretence often gets the plaudits, but desert is above them--it has rewards of its own.
No matter whence you came, from a palace or a ditch, You"re a man, man, man, if you square yourself to life; And no matter what they say, hermit-poor or Midas-rich, You are nothing but a husk if you sidestep strife.
For it"s do, do, do, with a purpose all your own, That makes a man a man, whether born a serf or king; And it"s loaf, loaf, loaf, lolling on a bench or throne That makes a being thewed to act a limp and useless thing!
No matter what you do, miracles or fruitless deeds, You"re a man, man, man, if you do them with a will; And no matter how you loaf, cursing wealth or mumbling creeds, You are nothing but a noise, and its weight is nil.
For it"s be, be, be, champion of your heart and soul, That makes a man a man, whether reared in silk or rags; And it"s talk, talk, talk, from a tattered shirt or stole, That makes the image of a G.o.d a manikin that brags.
_Richard Butler Glaenzer._
From "Munsey"s Magazine."
HAVING DONE AND DOING
(ADAPTED FROM "TROILUS AND CRESSIDA")
A member of Parliament, having succeeded notably in his maiden effort at speech-making, remained silent through the rest of his career lest he should not duplicate his triumph. This course was stupid; in time the address which had brought him fame became a theme for disparagement and mockery. A man cannot rest upon his laurels, else he will soon lack the laurels to rest on. If he has true ability, he must from time to time show it, instead of asking us to recall what he did in the past. There is a natural instinct which makes the whole world kin. It is distrust of a mere reputation. It is a hankering to be shown. Unless the evidence to set us right is forthcoming, we will praise dust which is gilded over rather than gold which is dusty from disuse.