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。