to walk without it; without it a boy cannot learn to swim; a farmer would not sow the seed nor reap the harvest. Confidence is a mighty force. Let us have more of it in our individual lives. Success and happiness in this world and the world to come is won by confidence. Paul fought the good fight of faith because he was confident. Ninety-five per cent. of all the business done in America is done on confidence. In oratorical contests, in athletic contests, in business contests, and in the future success of the individual, it is largely a matter of confidence. Confidence in one and the lack of it in the other, makes the battle unequal, and gives the victory to him who has the most faith.

This is true in every walk of life, even in the disreputable prize-fight; there is no exception. It is said that John L. Sullivan in his time fought more battles and won more victories, such as they were, than any other man that ever entered the prize-ring; and he said, in commenting upon the many men he fought, that "most of them were beaten before they raised a hand." The name of John L. Sullivan struck terror to the heart of every prize-fighter, and they no sooner stepped into the ring to meet that cham

pion than their nerve left them. Had it not been for the wonderful confidence of Sullivan and the lack of it in many of his victims, he wouldn't have been champion of the world so long. "Once upon a time this Sullivan had arranged to meet an enormous athlete, greatly his superior in mere physical strength. This man, who was a professor of gymnastic training and who had taken first prize at Vienna-one of the most perfectly developed men in the world-might easily have defeated John L. Sullivan if he had had the courage behind his muscle. Sullivan had not trained. On the contrary, he had been dissipating badly, and it was with great difficulty that his friends got him sufficiently sober to enter the ring. There was never a moment in Sullivan's life when he wasn't ready to meet any man living, and supremely confident of victory. Through the mist of alcohol he looked with his usual savage expression at the man opposed to him, and when the fight should have begun, that huge athlete, perfectly sober and perfectly trained, actually dropped to his knees, with his hands lifted in supplication. Merely looking at Sullivan had frightened all the fight out of him, and the thing was a fiasco."

Cultivate confidence, courage, hope. "The young man with an unquenchable hope, high aspiration, a pure and undefiled ambition, who knows how to work, who is optimistic and enthusiastic, whose determination cannot be downed by temporary reverses, will sooner or later have the world at his feet."

Sometimes a man loses confidence by getting in beyond his depth. It doesn't do for a man to try to revolutionize himself in a day. Simply start in by trying to do a little more or a little better than usual. Increase your efforts little by little, and little by little your confidence will increase until you will eventually do what at first would have been impossible. Don't take two steps at a time, but carefully and systematically reach out, and by putting yourself in a proper mental attitude you can double your capacity in a very few months.

There is scarcely any limit to a man's mental possibilities. In business all things are possible if a man is patient and doesn't try to revolutionize the whole thing in a day. Have a high ideal; otherwise it will be hard to keep from getting discouraged at times. Keep in close touch with men who have gone before. Read-select some

man that has met more than his share of grief and has conquered it and reached the top. When you come to a hard place and feel like giving up, think "what would he do if he were here?" This will help to carry you through.

The glorious thing about this striving for success and supremacy is that it's the only way to be happy. It's real life; it's worth ten times more than the prize itself, and the prize is worth all it costs.

Think how pleasant it will be in after-life to look back upon your struggles and realize that you went right through without a whimper, and think how much confidence it will give you and how much strength for the next difficulty.

Meeting obstacles and overcoming them is one of the greatest things in the world for developing a man's personality. "Success grows out of the struggle to overcome difficulties;" if there were no obstacles there would be no success. Difficulty is not only a spur that urges men forward, but it's the very making of the man himself. I believe that if a man is anything in the next world it is because he was first something in this world. A man who has overcome difficulties and mastered himself, has

increased his knowledge and capacity for enjoyment a thousand fold, and in the process has developed a magnificent soul.

Lack of confidence isn't a failing common only to those who are not successful. All people are successful more or less, and it is to successful people that this subject will appeal. A successful man who has acquired his success easily is the one most likely to succumb for lack of confidence. The man who has honestly and sincerely worked every inch of the way, and is there because he deserves to be there, isn't very easily disappointed in himself, and he isn't going to lose confidence without a pretty severe jolt. The young man who tries to avoid the hard places and gets ahead on someone's wild throw or on the strength of his father's income, or some other kind of a pull, is the man who is likely to lose confidence at the supreme moment.