WORK AND CHARACTER.

27

say within easy reach, but within the reach of the best endeavors of which he is capable. Endeavor to reach such an ideal will stimulate growth. Contentment will result, not from the fact of attaining the ideal, but from the fact of satisfactory progress toward it. With growth will come the power to view a larger sphere of action. Before the ideal originally established is attained a clearer vision will look beyond it and establish another objective point far superior to the first. The strength acquired in attaining the first ideal becomes the motive force that inspires the desire and effort to attain the second. Acquiring the strength of difficulties overcome, the movement of life is ever from a lower to a higher state. The acquisitions of to-day create the opportunity of to-morrow. The tide of time flows ceaselessly on forever. Use to-day to the best possible advantage and the past will be thickly sown with seeds of contentment, the future will hold no opportunity that will not be fully utilized. This is the law of progress.

WORK AND CHARACTER.

The conception of life which permits the necessity to labor to be regarded as a curse is responsible for more vice and degradation than any other single cause. Work performed as a penalty is a disgrace, but a greater disgrace is involved in living upon the products of others' labor, by those able to work, without giving to the laborer that which is to him a

28

RESOURCES OF NATURE.

satisfactory return for the service he has rendered. Honor is due only to those who honestly earn or consistently give an equivalent for all they use or enjoy. The person who works for his living stands nearest to the source of honor. For him, his work is the true gospel of life. It matters not what his vocation may be, when, where or how long employed, there is not one element of efficiency that will tend to develop good character that will not in an equal degree tend to make him a better workman. Ability as a workman, backed by good character, is the most efficient equipment any person can acquire with which to make a success of his life. If religion is rightdoing, then work, rightly and efficiently done, is applied religion. The reward for such work is inseparable from the work. Character is the body of the soul

now.

CAN THE RESOURCES OF NATURE BE

EXHAUSTED?

Over ten years ago we made the statement that the economic value of electrical power was ten thousand times that of steam power and one million times that of water power. We know, of course, as generated to-day, that electrical power is dependent upon water, steam or wind as a prime mover. The factors that give such enormous value to electrical power are its divisibility and the facility with which it can be transmitted. These qualities will bring water

RESOURCES OF NATURE.

29

power which was fast falling into disuse, to the relief of coal mines as a primal source of power. This will check the consumption of coal without pressing to exhaustion any other resource of nature. The use of water for generating power has no effect upon nature's water supply. This tendency to relieve the exhaustion of one resource by the substitution of another, with which the same object can be better accomplished, has a very marked illustration in the substitution of iron and steel in shipbuilding and other structural work. The growth of timber is a shorttime process in comparison with any known process for producing iron ore. Should timber again be required it may be found to have grown while the demand for it was relieved by the use of some other material. The use of nature's resources to supply the wants of human life can never exceed the demand. The supplying of the demand is governed by economic conditions. The skill, the energy and the genius of all persons engaged in guiding the course of industry are devoted to the task of developing greatest economic efficiency. This demand for economic efficiency changes the wants of mankind and thus changes the character of the natural resources drawn upon to supply man's wants. It changed the demand from wind power to steam, or, rather, coal power for propelling ships; from wood to iron for structural purposes; from water to coal power for manufacturing purposes. Such changes will undoubtedly occur in many

30

INSPIRING BUT NOT ACCURATE.

other wants, either eliminating the want from the demands that must be supplied by substituting some new want, or changing the natural resource from which the want can be supplied most economically.

The world is old, very old, and many millions, unknown myriads, of human beings have lived upon its surface, have supplied their wants by drawing upon the resources of nature, but have never suffered from the exhaustion of any natural resource by reason of such use. The exhaustion of a single resource may force a change in the material by which a want is supplied, but this does not prevent the satisfaction of the want. The exhaustion of the supply of black walnut timber did not stop the manufacture of furniture. As it has been in the past we may safely conclude it will be for so much of the future as lies within the possible range of our calculations. For the uses of mankind the resources of nature are inexhaustible.

INSPIRING BUT NOT COMPLETELY ACCU

RATE.

Success won by merit cannot be won without persistent purpose, but the article in Success, under the title of "Persistent Purpose," is written on too narrow lines. One may size up to the full measure of all that article requires and still fall short of success. Neglecting the factor of opportunity entirely, we wish to direct attention to the fact that conditions far beyond the control of any man may make or break his fortune.

INSPIRING BUT NOT ACCURATE.

31

Every step of progress made in increasing or improving facilities for the transportation of commodities binds the affairs of men and nations together and increases the power of public opinion for evil or good. The panics of 1873 and 1893 were caused by unsound public policy. During the recent campaign the successful party predicted that a terrible panic would follow the election of their opponents. Such panics destroy for life the prospects of thousands who have no voice whatever in causing them, and have, in fact, done all in their power to prevent them. Vital as a persistent purpose unquestionably is to the winning of success, it cannot give protection from the destructive results of others' doings nor protect an individual business from the effects of a wrong public policy. Insurance against such catastrophes can be secured only through a correct education of all the people who are entrusted with the power of the ballot. There are many shrewd business men who flatter themselves upon the sagacity with which they protect their interests against losses from every cause, but they fail to include in their list of causes mistaken public policies advocated by those mentally or morally defective. A correct public opinion must come from those who are correctly taught. Money paid for this purpose is an insurance premium against losses caused by a wrong public policy.