1。Hekeepsongoingonsouthandgrowinggreater。
2。Heovercomeshisobstaclesanddevelopshispower。
3。Heblessesthevalley,butthevalleydoesnotblesshim。
GoOnSouthandGrowGreaterYounevermeettheMississippiafterhestartssouth,butwhatheisgoingonsouthandgrowinggreater。Younevermeethimbutwhathesays,"Excuseme,butImustgoonsouth。"
TheMississippigetstoSt。PaulandMinneapolis。Heisagreatrivernow——themostsuccessfulriverinthestate。Buthedoesnotretireuponhislaurels。Hegoesonsouthandgrowsgreater。HegoesonsouthtoSt。Louis。Heisawonderfulrivernow。Buthedoesnotstop。Hegoesonsouthandgrowsgreater。
Everywhereyoumeethimheisgoingonsouthandgrowinggreater。
DoyouknowwhytheMississippigoesonsouth?TocontinuetobetheMississippi。Ifheshouldstopandstagnate,hewouldnotbetheMississippi,river。hewouldbecomeastagnant,poisonouspond。
Aslongaspeoplekeepongoingsouth,theykeeponliving。Whentheystopandstagnate,theydie。
ThatiswhyIammakingitthesloganofmylife——GOONSOUTHAND
GROWGREATER!IhopeIcanmakeyourememberthatandsayitovereachday。IwishIcouldwriteitoverthepulpits,overtheschoolrooms,overthebusinesshousesandhomes——GOONSOUTHAND
GROWGREATER。Forthisislife,andthereisnoother。Thisiseducation——andreligion。Andtheonlybusinessoflife。
YouandIstartwell。Wegoonsouthalittleways,andthenweretire。Evenyoungpeopleastheystartsouthandmakesomelittleknee-pantsachievement,somekindergartentouchdown,succumbtotheirpressnotices。Theirfriendscrowdaroundthemtocongratulatethem。"Imustcongratulateyouuponyoursuccess。Youhavearrived。"
Somanyofthoseyounggoslingsbelievethat。Theyquitandgetcanned。TheythinktheyhavegottentotheGulfofMexicowhentheyhavenotgottenoutofthewoodsofMinnesota。Goonsouth!
Wecanprotectourselvesfairlywellfromourenemies,butheavendeliverusfromourfoolfriends。
Successissohardtoendure。Wecanenduretendefeatsbetterthanonevictory。Successgoestotheheadanddefeatgoesto"defeet。"
Itmakesthemworkharder。
ThePlagueofIncompetentsCivilizationismostlyaconspiracytokeepusfromgoingveryfarsouth。
Theonewhokeepsongoingsouthdefiescustomandbecomesunorthodox。
Butcontentmentwithpresentachievementisthedamnationoftherace。
Themassofthehumanfamilynevergoonsouthfarenoughtobecomegoodservants,workmenorartists。Theyoungpeoplegetasmatteringandsqueezeintothebottompositionandnevergoonsouthtoefficiencyandpromotion。Theywonderwhytheirgeniusisnotrecognized。Theydonotmakeitvisible。
Nineoutoftenstenographerswhoapplyforpositionscanwriteafewshorthandcharactersandirritateatypewriterkeyboard。Theythinkthatisbeingastenographer,whenitismerelyasymptomofastenographer。Theymanglethelanguage,grammar,spelling,capitalizationandpunctuation。Theireyesareontheclock,theirmindsonthemovies。
Nineoutoftenworkmencannotbetrustedtodowhattheyadvertisetodo,becausetheyhavenevergonesouthfarenoughtobecomeefficient。Manyaprofessionalmanisinthesameclass。
Halfofourlifeisspentingettingcompetentstorepairthebotchworkofincompetents。
Nomatterhowwellequippedyouare,youareneversafeinyourjobifyouarecontentedtodotodayjustwhatyoudidyesterday。
Contentedtothinktodaywhatyouthoughtyesterday。
Youmustgoonsouthtobesafe。
Iusedtoknowaviolinistwhowouldsay,"IfIwerenotagenius,Icouldnotplaysowellwithsuchlittlepractice。"Thepoorfellowdidnotknowhowpoorafiddlerhereallywas。WelldidStricklandGillilan,America’sgreatpoet-humorist,say,"EgotismistheopiatethatNatureadministerstodeadenthepainsofmediocrity。
ThisIsOurBestDayJustbecauseourhairgetsfrostyorbeginstoruboffinspots,wearesopronetosay,"Iamagingrapidly。"Itpaystoadvertise。Wealwaysgetresults。Seetheoneshrivelwhogoesaroundfront-paginghisage。Ageisnotyears;ageisgrunts。
Wesay,"I’veseenmybestdays。"Andtheundertakergoesandgreaseshisbuggy。Hebelievesin"preparedness。"
Goonsouth!Wehavenotseenourbestdays。Thisisthebestdaysofar,andtomorrowisgoingtobebetteronsouth。
WeareonlychildreninGod’sgreatkindergarten,playingwithourA-B-C’s。Idonotutterthatasabitofsentiment,butasthegreatfundamentalofourlife。Ihopetheoldestinyearsseesthatbest。Ihopehesays,"Iamjustbeginning。Justbeginningtounderstand。Justbeginningtoknowaboutlife。"
Wearenotgoingonsouthtooldage,wearegoingonsouthtoeternalyouth。Itistheonewhostopswho"agesrapidly。"Eachdaybringsusalargervision。Infinity,Eternity,Omnipotence,Omniscienceareallonsouth。
Wehaveleftnothingbehindbutthehusks。Iwouldnottradethismomentforalltheyearsbeforeit。Ihavetheirfootingsatcompoundinterest!Theyaredead。Thisislife。
BirthdaysandHeadmarksYesterdayIhadabirthday。Ilookedintheglassandcommunedwithmyfeatures。Isawsomegrayhairscoming。Hurrah!
Youknowwhatgrayhairsare?Didyouevergetaheadmarkinschool?
Grayhairsaresilverheadmarksinoureducationaswegoonsouth。
Youchildrencheerup。Yourblackhairandauburnhairandtheotherfirstreaderhairwillpassandyou’llgetpromotedasyougoonsouth。
Don’tworryaboutgrayhairorbaldness。Onlyworryaboutthelocationofyourgrayhairorbaldness。Iftheygetontheinsideofthehead,worry。Doyouknowwhycorporationssometimessaytheydonotwanttoemploygray-headedmen?Theyhavefoundthatsomanyofthemhavequitgoingonsouthandhavegottengrayontheinside——orbald。
ThesesamecorporationssendoutPinkertonsandpayanypriceforgray-headedmen——grayontheoutsideandgreenontheinside。Theyarethemostvaluable,fortheyhavethevisionandwisdomofmanyyearsandtheenthusiasmand"pep"andcourageofyouth。
Thepreacher,theteacher——everyonewhogetsputontheretiredlist,retireshimself。Hequitsgoingonsouth。
Themostwonderfulpersonintheworldistheonewhohaslivedyearsandyearsonearthandhasperhapsgottengrayontheoutside,buthaskeptyoungandfreshontheinside。Putthatpersoninthepulpit,intheschoolroom,intheoffice,behindtheticket-windoworonthebench——orunderthehod——andyoufindthewholeworldgoingtothatpersonfordirection,advice,vision,help,sympathy,love。
IamhappytodayasIlookbackovermylife。Ihavebeentryingtolectureagoodwhile。Iamalmostashamedtotellyouhowlong,forIoughttoknowmoreaboutitbythistime。Butwhenanybodysays,"Iheardyoulecturetwentyyearsagooverat————"Istophim。
"Pleasedon’tthrowituptomenow。Iamjustasashamedofitasyouare。Iamtryingtodobetternow。"
O,Iwanttoforgetallthepast,saveitslessons。Iamjustbeginningtolive。Ifanybodywantstobemybestfriend,lethimcometomeandtellmehowtoimprove——whattodoandwhatnottodo。Tellmehowtogiveabetterlecture。
Yearsagoabureaurepresentativewhobookedmetoldmemylecturesweregoodenough。ItoldhimIwantedtogetbetterlectures,forIwassodissatisfiedwithwhatlittleIknew。HetoldmeIcouldnevergetanybetter。Ihadreachedmylimit。Thoselectureswerethe"limit。"IshiverasIthinkwhatIwassayingthen。Iwanttogoonsouthshiveringaboutyesterday。TheseyearsIhavenoticedthepeopleontheplatformwhowerecontentedwiththeirofferings,werenottryingtoimprovethem,andwerelostinadmirationofwhattheyweredoing,didnotstaylongontheplatform。Ihavewatchedthemcomeandgo,comeandgo。Ihaveheardtheirfierceinvectivesagainstthebureausandungratefulaudiencesthatwere"prejudiced"againstthem。
Birthdaysarenotannualaffairs。Birthdaysarethedayswhenwehaveanewbirth。Thedayswhenwegoonsouthtolargervisions。
IwishIcouldhaveabirthdayeveryminute!
Somepeopleseemtostringouttonearahundredyearswithmightyfewbirthdays。SomepeoplespinuptoMethuselahsinafewyears。
FromwhatIcanlearnofMethuselah,henevergrewpastcopper-toedboots。Hejusthibernatedand"chawedon。"
Themorebirthdayswehave,thenearerweapproacheternalyouth!
Bernhardt,DavisandEdisonThespectacleofSarahBernhardt,pastseventy,thrillingandgrippingaudienceswiththefireandbrilliancyofyouth,isinspiring。Noobstaclecandaunther。Losingalegdoesnotendheracting,forsheremainsthe"DivineSarah"withnocripplingofherwork。Shelooksyoungerthanmanywomenofhalfheryears。"Theyearsarenothingtome。"
SenatorHenryGassawayDavis,WestVirginia’sGrandOldMan,atninety-twowasworkingashardandhopefullyasanymanofthemultitudesinhisemploy。HewasanardentOddFellow,andonedayatninety-two——justashorttimebeforehispassing——hewentouttotheOddFellows’HomenearElkins,wherehelived。Ontheporchofthehomewasarowofoldmeninmates。Thesenatorshookhandswiththesemenandonebyonetheyrosefromthebenchtoreturnhisheartygreetings。
Thelastmanonthebenchdidnotrise。Hehelplesslylookedupatthesenatorandsaid,"Senator,you’llhavetoexcusemefromgettingup。I’mtooold。WhenyougetasoldasIam,you’llnotgetup,either。"
"That’sallright。But,myman,howoldareyou?"
"Senator,I’moldinbodyandoldinspirit。I’mpastsixty。"
"Myboy,"laughedSenatorDavis,"IwasanOddFellowbeforeyouwereborn。"
Thesenatoratninety-twowasyoungerthantheman"pastsixty,"
becausehewasgoingonsouth。
WhenIwasalittleboyIsawthembringthefirstphonographthatMr。EdisoninventedintothemeetingatLakeside,Ohio。Thepeoplecheeredwhentheyheardittalk。
Youwouldlaughatittoday。Ithadatinfoilcylinder,itscreechedandstuttered。Youwouldnothaveitinyourbarntodaytoplaytoyourford!
Butthepeoplesaid,"Mr。Edisonhassucceeded。"TherewasonemanwhodidnotbelievethatMr。Edisonhadsucceeded。HisnamewasThomasAlvaEdison。HehadgottentoSt。Paul,andhewentonsouth。Amillionpeoplewouldhavestoppedthereandsaid,"Ihavearrived。"Theywouldhaveputintheirtimelitigatingfortheirrightswithotherpeoplewhowouldhavegoneonsouthwiththephonographidea。
Mr。Edisonhassaidthathisgeniusismainlyhisabilitytokeeponsouth。Ayoungladysucceededingettingintohislaboratorytheotherday,andshewrotemethatthegreatinventorshowedheroneinvention。"ImadeoverseventhousandexperimentsandfailedbeforeIhituponthat。"
"Whymakesomanyexperiments?"
"Iknowmorethanseventhousandwaysnowthatwon’twork。"
IdoubtiftherearetenmeninAmericawhocouldgoonsouthinthefaceofseventhousandfailures。Todayhebringsforthadiamond-pointedphonograph。IamsureifwecouldbringMr。Edisontothisplatformandaskhim,"Haveyousucceeded?"hewouldsaywhathehassaidtoreportersandwhathesaidtotheyounglady,"Ihavenotsucceeded。Iamsucceeding。AllIhavedoneonlyshowsmehowmuchthereisyettodo。"
Thatissuccesssupreme。Not"succeeded"but"succeeding。"
Whatadifferencebetween"ed"and"ing"!Thedifferencebetweendeathandlife。Areyou"ed-ing"or"ing-ing"?
MosesBeginsatEightyMoses,thegreatHebrewlaw-giver,waseightyyearsoldbeforehestartedsouth。Ittookhimeightyyearstogetready。MosesdidnotevengetonthebackpageoftheEgyptiannewspaperstillhewaseighty。Hewentonsouthintotheextraeditionsafterthat!
IfMoseshadretiredatseventy-nine,we’dneverhaveheardofhim。
IfMoseshadretiredtoacheckerboardinthegrocerystoreortopitchinghorseshoesupthealleyandtalkingabout"therwinteroffifty-four,"hewouldhavebecometheseventeenthmummyonthethirty-ninthrowinthegreenpickle-jar!
ImagineMoseslivingtodayamidstthedinofthehighschoolorationson"TheAgeoftheYoungMan"andtheOstlerideathatyouaregoingdownhillatfifty。ImagineMoseslivingon"borrowedtime"whenhebecomestheleaderoftheIsraelitehost。
Iwouldseehisscandalizedfriendsgatheraroundhim。"Moses!Moses!
whatisthiswehear?YougoingtoleadtheIsraelitestothePromisedLand?
Why,Moses,youareanoldman。Whydon’tyouactlikeanoldman?
Youareliabletodropoffanyminute。Hereisapairofslippers。
Andkeepoutofthenightair。Itissohardonoldfolks。"
IthinkIwouldhearMosessay,"No,no,Iamjustbeginningtoseewhattodo。Watchthingshappenfromnowon。ChildrenofIsrael,forward,march!"
IseeMosesateightystartingfortheWildernesssofastAaroncanhardlykeepup。Mosesiseighty-fiveandbusierandmoreenthusiasticthanever。Thepeoplesay,"Isn’tMosesdead?""No。"
"Well,heoughttobedead,forheisoldenough。"
TheyappointacommitteetoburyMoses。YoucannotdoanythinginAmericawithoutacommittee。ThecommitteegetsouttheinvitationsandmakesallthearrangementsforagorgeousfuneralnextThursday。Theygetreadytheresolutionsofrespect——
"Whereas,——Whereas,——Resolved,——Resolved。"
ThenIseethecommitteewaitingonMoses。Thatiswhatacommitteedoes——it"waits"onsomethingorother。AndthiscommitteegoesuptoGeneralMoses’privateoffice。Itishisbusyday。Theyhavetostandinlineandwaittheirturn。WhentheygetuptoMoses’desk,thegreatprophetsays,"Boys,whatisit?Cutitshort,I’mbusy。"
Thecommitteebeginstoweep。"GeneralMoses,youareaveryoldman。Youareeighty-fiveyearsoldandfullofhonors。Wearethecommitteedulyauthorizedtogiveyougorgeousburial。ThefuneralistobenextThursday。Kindlydie。"
IseeMoseslookoverhisappointments。"NextThursday?
Why,boys,everyhouristakennextThursday。IsimplycannotattendmyfuneralnextThursday。"
TheycannotburyMoses。Hecannotattend。Youcannotburyanybodywhoistoobusytoattendhisownfuneral!Youcannotburyanybodyuntilheconsents。Itisbadmanners!Thecommitteeissomortified,foralltheinvitationsareout。Itwaits。
Mosesiseighty-sixandthecommittee’phonesover,"Moses,canyouattendnextThursday?"AndMosessays,"No,boys,you’lljusthavetoholdthatfuneraluntilIgetthisworkpushedoffsoIcanattendit。Ihaven’teventimetothinkaboutgettingold。"
Thecommitteewaits。Mosesisninetyandrushedmorethanever。
Heisdoingtenmen’sworkandhisfriendsallsayheiskillinghimself。Buthemakesthecommitteewait。
Mosesisninety-fiveandburningthecandleatbothends。
Heisahundred。Andthecommitteedies!
Mosesgoesrightonshouting,"Onward!"Heisahundredandten。Heisahundredandtwenty。EventhenIread,"Hiseyewasnotdim,norhisnaturalforceabated。"Hehadnottimetostopandabate。
SoGodburiedhim。Thecommitteewasdead。O,friends,thisisnotirreverence。Itisjoyfulreverence。Itisthemessagetoallofus,Goonsouthtothegreaterthings,andgetsoenthusedandabsorbedinourgoingthatwe’llfoolthe"committee。"
AllthemultitudesoftheChildrenofIsraeldiedintheWilderness。
Theywereafraidtogoonsouth。Onlytwoofthemwentonsouth——
JoshuaandCaleb。Theyputthegiantsoutofbusiness。
TheIndiansonceownedAmerica。Buttheyfailedtogoonsouth。
SoanothercropofAmericanscameintothelimelight。IfwemodernAmericansdonotgoonsouthwewilljointheIndians,theaukandthedodo。
The"SobSquad"
Iamsosorryforthefolkswhoquit,retire,"getontheshelf"orliveon"borrowedtime。"
Theygenerallyjointhe"sobsquad。"
Theygenerallydiscovertheworldis"goingtothedogs。"Theycryonmyshoulder,nomatterhowgoodclothesIwear。
Theytellmenobodyusesthemright。Thepersongoingonsouthhasnottimetolookbackandseehowanybodyuseshim。
Theysaynobodylovesthem。Whichisoftenafact。Nobodylovestheclockthatrunsdown。
Theysay,"Onlyafewmoredaysoftrouble,onlyafewmoretribulations,andI’llbeinthatbrightandhappyland。"Whatwilltheydowiththemwhentheygetthemthere?Theywouldbedillpicklesintheheavenlypreserve-jar。
Theysay,"IwishIwereachildagain。IwashappywhenIwasachildandI’mnothappynow。Themwasthebestdaysofmylifechildhood’spalmydays。"
Wakeup!Yourclockhasrundown。Anybodywhowantstobeachildagainisconfessinghehaslosthismemory。Anybodywhocanrememberthehorrorsofchildhoodcouldnotbehiredtoliveitoveragain。
Ifthereisanybodywhodoesnothaveagoodtime,ifthereisanybodywhogetsshortchangedregularly,itisachild。Iamsosorryforachild。Hurryupandgoonsouth。Itisbetteronsouth。
Waitingtillthe"SecondTable"
IwishIcouldforgetmanyofmychildhoodmemories。Irememberthepalmydays。Andthepalm!
IoftenwonderhowIeverlivedthrumychildhood。Iwouldnottakemychanceslivingitthruagain。Iamnotungratefultomyparents。
Ihadadvantages。IwasborninaparsonageandwasrearedinthenurtureandadmirationoftheLord。IamnotjustsureIquotedthatcorrectly,butIknowIwasrearedinaparsonage。AboutallIinheritedwasaGodlyexampleandalargeappetite。Thatwasaboutalltherewastoinherit。IcannotrememberwhenIwasnothungry。IusedtogoaroundfeelingliketheMammothCave,neverthorolyexplored。
Ineversitdownas"company"atadinnerandseesomelittlechildrengoingsadlyintothenextroomto"waittillthesecondtable"
thatmyheartdoesnotgoouttothem。IrememberwhenIdidthat。
Icanonlyrememberaboutfourbigmealsinayear。Thatwas"quart’lymeetingday。"Wealwayshadabigdinneron"quart’lymeetingday。"ElderBerrywouldstayfordinner。HisnamewasBerry,butbeing"presidingelder,"wecalledhimElderBerry。
ElderBerryalwaysstayedfordinner。HewasoneoftheeasiestmentogettostayfordinnerIeversaw。
Motherwouldstayhomefrom"quart’lymeeting"togetthebigdinnerready。Shewouldcookupaboutallthe"brethren"broughtinatthelastdonation。Wehadoneofthosestretchabletables,andmotherwouldstretchitclearacrosstheroomandputontwotable-cloths。Shewouldlapthemoverinthemiddle,wheretheholewas。
Iwouldwatchhergetthebigdinnerready。Iwouldlookoverthelongtableandviewthe"promisedland。"Iwouldseehersetonthejelly。Wehadsomuchjelly——redjelly,andwhitejelly,andbluejelly。Idon’tjustrememberiftheyhadbluejelly,butiftheyhaditwehaditonthattable。Allthejellythatever"jelled"
wasrepresented。Ididn’tknowwehadsomuchjellytill"quart’lymeeting"day。Iwouldwatchthejellytremble。Didyoueverseejellytremble?Iusedtothinkitoughttotremble,forElderBerrywascomingfordinner。
Iwouldseemotherputonthetallestpileofmashedpotatoesyoueversaw。Shewouldmakeahollowinthetopandfillitwithbutter。Iwouldseethebuttermeltandrundownthesides,andI
wouldsay,"Hurry,mother,itisgoingtospill!"O,howIwantedtospillit!Icouldhardlyholdoutfaithful。
AndthenElderBerrywouldsitdownatthetable,attheendnearestthefriedchicken。The"company"wouldsitdown。Iusedtowonderwhywenevercouldhaveabigdinnerbutwhatalotof"company"hadtocomeandgobbleitup。Theywouldfillthetableandfatherwouldsitdowninthelastseat。Therewasnoplaceformetosit。Fatherwouldsay,"Yougointothenextroom,myboy,andwait。There’snoroomforyouatthetable。"
Thehungriestoneofthatassemblagewouldhavetogointhenextroomandhearthebigdinner。DidyoueverhearabigdinnerwhenyoufeltliketheMammothCave?IusedtothinkasIwouldsitinthenextroomthatheavenwouldbeaplacewhereeverybodywouldeatatthefirsttable。
Iwouldwatchthemthruthekey-hole。Itwasgoingsofast。Therewasonlyonepieceofchickenleft。Itwastheneck。O,Lord,sparetheneck!AndIwouldhearthemsay,"ElderBerry,maywehelpyoutoanotherpieceofthechicken?"
AndElderBerrywouldtaketheneck!
Manyatimeafterthat,ElderBerrywouldcomeintotheroomwhereIwasstarving。Hewouldsay,"BrotherParlette,isthisyourboy?"HewouldcomeovertotheremainsofBrotherParlette’sboy。
Hewouldoftenputhishandinbenedictionuponmyhead。
Myheadwasnottheplacethatneededthebenediction。
Hewouldsay,"Myboy,Iwantyoutohaveagoodtimenow。"Now!
Whenallthechickenwasgoneandhehadtakentheneck!"Myboy,youareseeingthebestdaysofyourliferightnowasachild。"
Thedearoldliar!Iwasseeingtheworstdaysofmylife。Ifthereisanybodyshortchanged——ifthereisanybodywhodoesn’thaveagoodtime,it’sachild。Lifehasbeengettingbettereversince,andtodayisthebestdayofall。Goonsouth!
It’sBetteronSouthSeeingyourbestdaysasachild?No!Youareseeingyourworstdays。Ofcourse,youcanbehappyasachild。Aboycanbehappywithfuzzonhisupperlip,buthe’llbehappierwhenhislipfeelsmorelikeminelikeapieceofsandpaper。Therearechaptersofhappinessundreamedofinhisphilosophy。
Achildcanbefullofhappinessandonlyholdapint。Butafterwhilethesamechildwillholdaquart。
IthinkIholdagallonnow。AndIseepeopleintheaudiencewhomustholdabarrel!Goonsouth。Ofcourse,Idonotmeancircumference。Buteveryyearwegosouthincreasesourcapacityforjoy。Ourlifeisonecontinualunfoldingaswegosouth。
Afterwhilethisoldworldgetstoosmallforusandwegoonsouthintoalargerone。
Sowecannotgrowold。Ourlifeneverstops。Itgoesonandonforever。Anythingthatdoesnotstopcannotgrowoldorhaveage。
Materialthingswillgrowold。Thisstagewillgrowoldandstop。
Thishallwillgrowoldandstop。Thishouseweliveinwillgrowoldandstop。Thisfleshandbloodhouseweliveinwillgrowoldandstop。Thislectureevenwillgrowold——andstop!ButyouandI
willnevergrowold,forGodcannotgrowold。YouandIwillgoonlivingaslongasGodlives。
IamnotworriedtodayoverwhatIdonotknow。Iusedtobeworried。Iusedtosay,"Ihavenottimetoansweryounow!"Buttodayitissucharelieftolookpeopleinthefaceandsay,"Idonotknow。"
AndIhavetosaythattomanyquestions,"Idonotknow。"IoftenthinkifpeopleinanaudienceonlyknewhowlittleIknow,theywouldnotstaytohearme。
ButsomedayIshallknow!Ipatientlywaitfortheanswer。EverydaybringstheanswertosomethingIcouldnotansweryesterday。
Itwilltakeaneternitytoknowaninfinity!
Whatawonderfulhappinesstogoonsouthtoit!
OvercomingObstaclesDevelopsPowerAstheMississippiRivergoesonsouthhefindsobstaclesalongtheway。YouandIfindobstaclesalongourwaysouth。Whatshallwedo?
GotoKeokuk,Iowa,foryouranswer。
Theyhavebuiltagreatconcreteobstacleclearacrossthepathoftheriver。Itismanyfeethigh,andmany,manyfeetlong。Therivercannotgoonsouth。Watchhim。Heriseshigherthantheobstacleandsweepsoveritonsouth。
OverthegreatpowerdamatKeokuksweepstheMississippi。Andthenyouseethestruggleofovercomingtheobstacledevelopslightandpowertovitalizethevalley。Ahundredtownsandcitiesradiatethelightandpowerfromthestruggle。ThegreatcityofSt。Louis,manymilesaway,throbswiththevictory。
Sothatiswhytheyspentthemillionstobuildtheobstacle——togetthelightandthepower。Thelightandthepowerwerelatentintheriver,butittooktheobstacleandtheovercomingtodevelopitandmakeituseful。
ThatisexactlywhathappenswhenyouandIovercomeourobstacles。
Wedevelopourlightandpower。Weareriversoflightandpower,butitisalllatentanddoesnogooduntilweovercomeobstaclesaswegoonsouth。
Obstaclesarethepowerstationsonourwaysouth!
Andwherethemostobstaclesare,thereyoufindthemostpowertobedeveloped。Somanyofusdonotunderstandthat。Welooksouthwardandweseetheobstaclesintheroad。"Iamsounfortunate。Icoulddothesegreatthings,butalas!Ihavesomanyobstaclesintheway。"
ThankGod!YouareblessedofProvidence。Theydonotwastetheobstacles。Thepresenceoftheobstaclesmeansthatthereisalotoflightandpowerinyoutobedeveloped。Ifyouseenoobstacles,youareconfessingtoblindness。
Ihearpeoplesaying,"IhopethetimemayspeedilycomewhenI
shallhavenomoreobstaclestoovercome!"Whenthattimecomes,ringupthehearse,foryouwillbea"deadone。"
Lifeisgoingonsouth,andovercomingtheobstacles。Deathismerelyquitting。
Thefactthatwearenotburiedisnoproofthatwearealive。Goalongthestreetinalmostanytownandseethedeadones。Theretheyaredecoratingthehitching-racksandfestooningthestoreboxes。Theretheyareblockingtrafficatthepostofficeanddepot。Theretheyareinthehotelwarmingthechairsandmakingtheguestsstandup。Theretheyare——rowsofretiredfarmerswhohavequitworkandmovedtotowntoblockimprovementsanddie。Buttheywillneverneedanythingmorethanburying。
Fortheyaredeadfromtheearsup。Theyhavenotthoughtanewthoughtthepastmonth。Sometimestheysitandthink,butgenerallytheyjustsit。Theyhavenotgonesouthaninchthepastyear。
Usuallythedeadestloaferismarriedtothelivestwoman。Naturetriestomaintainanequilibrium。
Theyblockthewheelsofprogressandgetinthewayofthepeopletryingtogoonsouth。Theysayofthepeopletryingtodothings。
"Aw,he’salwaystryin’torunthings。"
Theydonotjoinintopromotethechurchesandschoolsandbigbrothermovements。Theygrowlatthelyceumcoursesandchautauquas,becausethey"takemoneyoutatown。"Theydonottakeanyoftheirmoney"outatown。"RinglingandBarnum&Baileygettheirs。
IdonotsmileasIrefertothedead。Iweep。IwishIcouldsquirtsome"pep"intothemandstartthemonsouth。
Butallthislecturehasbeendiscussingthis,soIhurryontothelastglimpseofthebookintherunningbrook。
GoonSouthFromPrincipleHerewecometothemostwonderfulanddifficultthinginlife。Itisthesupremetestofcharacter。Thatis,Whygoonsouth?Notforblessingnorcursing,notforpopularitynorforselfishends,notforanythingoutside,butforthehappinessthatcomesfromwithin。
TheMississippiblessesthevalleyeverydayashegoesonsouthandovercomes。Butthevalleydoesnotblesstheriverinreturn。
Thevalleythrowsitsjunkbackupontheriver。Thevalleypoursitsfoul,muddy,poisonousstreamsbackupontheMississippitodefilehim。TheMississippimakesSt。PaulandMinneapolisaboutalltheprosperitytheyhave,givesthempowertoturntheirmills。
ButtheTwinCitiesmerelythrowtheirwastebackupontheirbenefactor。
TheMississippidoesnotresign。Hedoesnottellataleofwoe。Hedoesnotsay,"Iamnotappreciated。Mygeniusisnotunderstood。
Iamnotgoingastepfarthersouth。IamgoingrightbacktoLakeItasca。"No,hedoesnotevengotolivewithhisfather-in-law。
Hesays,"Thankyou。Everylittlehelps,senditallalong。"GoafewmilesbelowtheTwinCitiesandseehow,bysomemysteriousalchemyofNature,theMississippihastakenoverallthepoisonandthedefilement,hehaspurifieditandclarifiedit,andhasmadeitapartofhimself。Andheisgreaterandfarthersouth!
Hefattensuponbumps。Kickhim,andyoupushhimfarthersouth。
"Handhimalemon,"andhemakeslemonade。
CivilizationconspirestodefeattheMississippi。Chicago’sdrainagecanalpolluteshim。Theflat,lazyPlatte,threemileswideandthreeinchesdeep;thepeevish,destructiveKaw,andallthosestreamsthatunitetoformthetreacherous,sinful,irresponsiblelowerMissouri;thebig,muddyOhio,theArkansas,theRed,theblackandthebluefloods——allthesepourintotheMississippi。
DaybydaytheFatherofWatersgoesonsouth,takingthemoverandpurifyingthemandmakingthemapartofhimself。Nothingcandiscourage,divertnordefilehim。Nomatterhowpoisonoushebecomes,hegoesafewmilesonsouthandheisallpureagain。
Wonderfulthebookintherunningbrook!Weletourlifestreambecomepoisonedbybittermemoriesandbitterregrets。Wecarryalongsuchaheartfulloftheinjuriesthatotherpeoplehavedoneus,thatsometimeswearebanktobankfullofpoisonandamenacetothosearoundus。Wesay,"Icanforgive,butIcannotforget。"
Oh,forgetit!Dropitall。Purifyyourlifeandgoonsouthallsweetagain。Weforgetwhatweoughttorememberandrememberwhatweoughttoforget。Weneedschoolsofmemory,butweneedschoolsofforgettery,evenmore。
Asyougoonsouthandblessyourvalley,doyounoticethevalleydoesnotblessyouverymuch?Haveyousadlynotedthatthepeopleyouhelpthemostoftenaretheleastgratefulinreturn?
Don’twaittobethanked。Hurryontoavoidthekick!Dogoodtoothersbecausethatisthewaytobehappy,butdonotwaitforareceiptforyourgoodness;youwillneedapoulticeeverytimeyouwait。Iknow,forIhavewaited!
Wegetsodiscouraged。Wesay,"Ihavegonefarenoughsouth。"
Thereisnobodywhodoesnothavethattomeet。Thepreacher,theteacher,theeditor,themaninoffice,thebusinessman,thefatherandmother——everyonewhotriestocarryontheworkofthechurch,theschool,thelyceumandchautauqua,theworkthatmakesforabettercommunity,getsdiscouragedattimes。
Wefailtoseewhatwearedoingorwhywearedoingit。Sometimeswesitdowncompletelydiscouragedandsay,"I’mdone。I’mgoingtoquit。Ihavedonemyshare。NobodyappreciateswhatIdo。Letsomebodyelsedoitawhile。"
Stop!Youarenotsayingthat。Theeviloneiswhisperingthatintoyourheart。Hisbusinessistostopyoufromgoingsouth。Hismostsuccessfultoolisdiscouragement,whichisawedge,andifhecangetthesharpedgestartedintoyourthought,heisgoingtodriveitdeeper。
Youdonotgosouthandovercomeyourobstaclesandblessthevalleyforpraiseorblame,forappreciationorlackofit。Youdoittolive。Youdoittoremainalivingriverandnotastagnant,unhappypondorswamp。
YOUARESAVINGYOURSELFBYSAVINGOTHERS。GOONSOUTH!
Almosteverybodyisdeceived。Weworkfrommixedmotives。Wefoolourselvesthatweareworkingtodogood,whenaswedothegood,ifwearenotpraisedorthankedforit,ifpeopledonotpresentusamedalorresolutions,wewanttoquit。Thatiswhytherearesomanydisappointedanddisgruntledpeopleintheworld。Theyworkedforoutsidethanksinsteadofinsidethanks。Theyweretryingtobepersonalsaviours。Theysaythisisanungratefulworld。
O,howeasyitistosaythesethings,andhowharditistodothem!
ReachingtheGulfButbecausetheMississippidoesthesethings,onedaythetrainI
wasridingstoppedinLouisiana。Wehadcometoariversogreatsciencehasnotyetbeenabletoputabridgeacrossit。
Iwatchedthempilethesteeltrainuponaferry-boat。Iwatchedtheboatcrossingarivermorethanamilewide。Standingupontheferry-boat,IcouldlookdownintothelordlyriverandthenfarnorthperhapsfifteenhundredmilestothelittlestrugglingstreamletstartingsouthwardthrutheforestsofMinnesota,therewritingthefirstchapterofthiswonderfulbookintherunningbrook。
IthankGodthatIhadgonealittlefarthersouthwardinmyownlife。FatherofWaters,youhavefoughtagoodfight。Youareconqueringgloriously。Youbearuponyourbosomthecommerceofmanynations。Iknowwhy。Isawyouborn,sawyourstruggles,sawyougetintherightchannel,sawyoulearnthelessonsofyourknocks,andsawthatyouneverstoppedgoingsouthward。
Andmaywereaditintoourownlives。Maywegetthevisionofwhichwaytogo,andthenkeepongoingsouth——onandon,overcoming,gettingthelessonsofthebumps,thestrengthfromthestruggleandthusmakingitapartofourselves,andthusgrowinggreater。
GoonSouthForever!
Whereshallwestopgoingsouth?AttheGulfofMexico?
TheMississippiknowsnothingaboutthegulf。Hegoesonsouthuntilhereachesthegulf。Thenhepushesrightonintothegulfasthonothinghadhappened。Sohepusheshisphysicalbanksonsouthmanymilesrightoutintothegulf。
Andwhenhecomestotheendofhisphysicalbanks,hepushesonsouthintothegulf,andgoesonsouthroundandroundtheglobe。
WhenyouandIcometoourGulfofMexico,wemustpushrightonsouth。Sowepushourphysicalbanksyearsfartherintothegulf。
Andwhenphysicalbanksfail,wegoonsouthbeyondthismerehusk,intothegreatGulfoftheBeyond,togoonsouthunfoldingthrueternity。
WENEVERSTOPGOINGSOUTH。
ChapterX
GoingUpLife’sMountainTheDefeatsthatareVictoriesHOWoftenwesay,"IwishIhadamillion!"Perhapsitisablessingthatwehavenotthemillion。Perhapsitwouldmakeuslazy,selfishandunhappy。Perhapswewouldgoaroundgivingittootherpeopletomakethemlazy,selfishandunhappy。
O,theproblemisnothowtogetmoney,buthowtogetridofmoneywiththeleastinjurytotherace!
Perhapsgettingthemillionwouldcompletelyspoilus。Lookatthewildcatandthenlookatthetabbycat。Thewildcatsupportsitselfandthetabbycathasitsmillion。Sothetabbycathastobedoctoredbyspecialists。
Iftheburdenwereliftedfrommostofuswewouldgotowreck。
Necessityistheballastinourlifevoyage。
Whenyouheartheoratorspeakandyounotetheeaseandpowerofhiswork,doyouthinkoftheyearsofstrugglehespentinpreparing?Doyoueverthinkofthetimesthatoratortriedtospeakwhenhefailedandwentbacktohisroomindisgrace,mortifiedandbroken-hearted?Thruitalltherecamethediscipline,experienceandgrimresolvethatmadehimsucceed。
Whenyouhearthemusicianandnotetheeaseandgraceoftheperformance,doyouthinkoftheyearsofstruggleandovercomingnecessarytoproducethatfinishandgrace?Thatisthestoryoftheactor,theauthorandeveryotheroneofattainment。
Doyounotethatthetropics,thecountrieswiththebalmiestclimates,producetheweakestpeoples?Doyounotethattheconqueringracesarethosethatstrugglewithbothheatandcold?
ThetropicsarethegeographicalGussielands。
Doyounotethatpeoplegrowmoreinleanyearsthaninfatyears?
Cropfailuresandbusinessstringenciesarenotcalamities,butblessingsindisguise。Peoplegotothedevilwithfullpockets;
theyturntoGodwhenhungerhitsthem。"IsnotthisBabylonthatIhavebuilded?"saystheBelshazzarofmaterialprosperityashedrinkstohisgods。ThenmustcometheNeedfulandNeedlessKnockshandwritinguponthewalltosavehim。
Youhavetoshootmanymen’seyesoutbeforetheycansee。Youhavetocracktheirheadsbeforetheycanthink,knockthemdownbeforetheycanstand,breaktheirheartsbeforetheycansing,andbankruptthembeforetheycanberich。
DoyourememberthattheyhadtolockJohnBunyaninBedfordjailbeforehewouldwritehisimmortal"Pilgrim’sProgress"?Itmaybethatsomeofuswillhavetogotojailtodoourbestwork。
Doyourememberthatonemusicianbecamedeafbeforehewrotemusictheworldwillalwayshear?Doyourememberthatoneauthorbecameblindbeforewriting"ParadiseLost"theworldwillalwaysread?
DoyourememberthatSaulofTarsuswouldhaveneverbeenrememberedhadhelivedthelifeofluxuryplannedforhim?Hehadtobeblindedbeforehecouldseethewaytorealsuccess。HehadtobescourgedandfetteredtobecometheApostletotheGentiles。
He,too,hadtobesenttoprisontowritehisimmortalmessagestohumanity。Whatthrone-roomsaresomeprisons!Andwhatprisonsaresomethrone-rooms!
Doyounotseeallaroundyouthatsuccessiseverthephoenixrisingfromtheashesofdefeat?
Then,children,whenyoustandintherowofgraduatesoncommencementdaywithyourdiplomasinyourhands,andwhenyourrelativesandfriendssay,"Successtoyou!"Ishalltakeyourhandandsay,"Defeattoyou!Andstrugglestoyou!Andbumpstoyou!"
Forthatistheonlywaytosay,"Successtoyou!"
GoUptheMountainOUNIVERSITYOFHARDKNOCKS,welearntoloveyoumorewitheachpassingyear。Welearnthatyouarecruelonlytobekind。Welearnthatyouaresavingusfromourselves。ButO,howmostofusmustbebumpedtoseethis!
IknownobetterwaytoclosethislecturethantotellyouofagreatbumpthatstruckmeonemorninginLosAngeles。Itseemedasthotwelveyearsofmylifehaddroppedoutofit,andhadbeenlost。
Wereyoueverbumpedsohardyouwerenumb?Iwasnumb。IwonderedwhyIwasliving。IthoughtIhadnothingmoretolivefor。Whenadogiswoundedhecrawlsawayalonetolickhiswounds。Ifeltlikethewoundeddog。Iwantedtocrawlawaytolickmywounds。
ThatiswhyIclimbedMountLowethatday。Iwantedtogetalone。
ItisawonderfulexperiencetoclimbMountLowe。ThetouristsgouphalfamileintoRubioCanyon,totheengineeringmiracle,thetriangularcarthathoiststhemoutofthehungrychasmthirty-fivehundredfeetupthesideofagranitecliff,tothetopofEchoMountain。
HeretheyfindthatEchoMountainisbutashelfonthesideofMountLowe。Heretheytakeanelectriccarthatwindsfivemilesontowardsthesky。Thereishardlyastraightrailinthetrack。
Everyminuteanewthrill,andnotwothrillsalike。Fivemilesofwindingandsquirming,twistingandducking,dodgingandsummersaulting。
Thereareplaceswherethetouristwantstograsphisseatandlift。Thereisawoodenshelfnailedtothesideoftheperpendicularrockwallwherehislifedependsuponthehonestyofthemanwhodrovethenails。Hemaywonderifthemanwasworkingbythedayorbythejob!
Helooksovertheedgeoftheshelfdownward,andthenturnstotheothersidetolookatthefaceoftheclifftheyarehugging,anddiscoversthereisnoplacetoresign!
Thecarisfivethousandfeethighwhereitstopsonthatlastshelf,AlpineTavern。Onecannotridefartherupward。Thisisnotthesummit,butjustwheresciencesurrenders。ThereisalittletrailthatwindsupwardfromAlpineTaverntothesummit。Itisthreemileslongandriseselevenhundredfeet。
TogoupthatlastelevenhundredfeetandstandupontheflatrockatthesummitofMountLoweistogetapicturesowonderfulitcannotbedescribedwiththispoorhumanvocabulary。Itmustbelived。Onapure,cleardayonelooksdownthissixty-onehundredfeet,morethanamile,intotheorangebeltofSouthernCalifornia。
Itspreadsoutbelowinonegreatmosaicofturquoiseandamberandemerald,wherethemilesseemlikeinches,andwherehisfield-glasssweepsonepanoramicpictureofahundredmilesormore。
JustbelowisPasadenaandLosAngeles。TothewestwardperhapsfortymilesisthebluestretchofthePacificOcean,onwestwardthefaintoutlinesofCatalinaIslands。Theoceanseemssocloseonecouldthrowapebbleoverintoit。Howamountaindoesreducedistances。Youthrowthepebbleanditfallsuponyourtoes!
AndMountLoweisbutashelfonthesideofthehigherSierras。
Thegranitemountainsrisehighertothenorthward,andtotheeastrises"OldBaldy,"twelvethousandfeethighandsnoweternallyonhishead。
Thisisoneoftheworkshopsoftheinfinite!
AllaloneIscrambledupthatthree-miletrailtothesummit。AllaloneIstoodupontheflatrockatthesummitandlookeddownintotheswimmingdistances。IdidnotknowwhyIhadstruggledupintothatmountainsanctuary,forIwasnotsearchingforsublimity。I
wassearchingforrelief。Iwasheartsick。
Isawcloudsdowninthevalleybelowme。Ihadneverbeforelookeddownuponclouds。Ithoughtofthecloudthathadcoveredmeinthevalleybelow,anddullywatchedthecloudsspreadwiderandblacker。
Afterwhilethevalleywasallhiddenbytheclouds。Iknewrainmustbefallingdownthere。Thepeoplemustbesaying,"Thesundoesn’tshine。Theskyisallgone。"ButIsawthetruth——thesunwasshining。Theskywasinplace。Acloudhadcovereddownoverthatfirstmile。Thesunwasshininguponme,theskywasallblueoverme,andthereweremillionsofmilesofsunshineaboveme。I
couldseeallthisbecauseIhadgoneabovethevalley。Icouldseeabovetheclouds。
Agreatlightseemedtobreakovermystormsweptsoul。Iamunderthecloudsoftroubletoday,BUTTHESUNISSHINING!
Imustgoonupthemountaintoseeit。
Theyearshavebeenpassing,thestormcloudshavemanytimeshiddenmysun。ButIhavealwaysfoundthesunshiningabovethem。Nomatterhowblackandsunlesstoday,whenIhavestruggledonupthemountainpath,IhavegottenabovethecloudsandfoundthesunforevershiningandGodforeverinHisheavens。
EachdayasIgoupthemountainIgetalargervision。Themilesthatseemsogreatdowninthevalley,seemsosmallasIlookdownuponthemfromhigherup。EachdayasIlookbackIseemoreclearlytheplanofahumanlife。Therocks,thecurvesandthestrugglesfitintoadivineengineeringplantosoftenthesteepnessoftheascent。Thebumpsarelifts。Thethingsthatseemsoimportantdowninthesmudgy,stormsweptvalley,seemsounimportantaswegohigherupthemountaintomoreimportantthings。
TodayIlookbacktothebumpthatsentmeupMountLowe。IdidnotseehowIcouldlivepastthatbump。TheyearshavepassedandInowknowitwasoneofthegreatestblessingsofmylife。Itclosedonegate,butitopenedanothergatetoabetterpathwayupthemountain。
LatethatdayIwasclamberingdownthesideofMountLowe。DowninthevalleybelowmeIsawshadows。ThenIlookedoverintothesouthwestandIcouldseethesungoingdown。IcouldseehimsinklowerandloweruntilhisredlipskissedthecheekofthePacific。
Thegloryofthesunsetfilledseaandskywithflamesofgoldandfountainsofrainbows。Suchasunsetfromthemountain-sideisapromiseofheaven。
Theshadowsofsunsetwidenedoverthevalley。Presentlyallthevalleywasblackwiththeshadow。Itwasnightdownthere。Thepeopleweresaying,"Thesundoesn’tshine。"ButitwasnotnightwhereIstood。Iwasfartherupthemountain。Iturnedandlookeduptothesummit。ThebeamsofthesettingsunwereyetgildingMountLowe’ssummit。Itwasnightdowninthevalley,butitwasdayonthemountaintop!
Goonsouth!
Thatmeans,goonup!
Childofhumanity,areyouinthestorm?Goonupward。Areyouinthenight?Goonupward。
Forthepeaceandthelightarealwaysabovethestormandthenight,andalwaysinourreach。
Iamgoingonupward。Takemyhandandletusgotogether。MountLoweshowedthewaythatdarkday。ThereIheardthe"sermonsinstones。"
Somedaymynightwillcome。Itwillspreadoverallthisvalleyofmaterialthingswherethestormshaveraged。
ButIshallbeonthemountaintop。Ishalllookdownuponthenight,asIamlearningtoclimbandlookdownuponthestorms。I
shallbeinthenewdayofthemountain-top,foreverabovethenight。
Ishallfindthismountain-topjustanothershelfonthesideoftheMountainofInfiniteUnfolding。Ishallhaverisenperhapsonlythefirstmile。Ishallhavemillionsofmilesyettorise。
ThiswillbeanotherCommencementDayandMaster’sDegree。Infinitethenumberonup。"Eyehathnotseennorearheard,neitherhaveenteredintotheheartofman,thethingswhichGodhathpreparedforthemthatloveHim。"
Wearenotgrowingold。WearegoinguptoEternalLife。
RejoiceandGoUpward!
ANOTHERBEGINNING
TheBigBusinessofLifeTurningworkIntoPlayByRalphParletteThisbookprovesthattherealbigbusinessisthatofgettingourhappinessnowinourwork,andnottomorrowforourwork。
JudgeBenB。Lindsey,thekids’Judge,says:
"Itisagreatbigboostforeverybodywhowillreadit。Peopleoughttobuythembythegrossandsendthemtotheirfriends。"
Dr。J。G。Crabbe,PresidentoftheStateTeachersCollege,Greeley,Colo。,says:
"TheBigBusinessofLifeisarealjoytoread。Itisbigandoughttobereadtodayandtomorrowandforevermoreeverywhere。Itistruly`ABookofRejoicing’。"
TheAugsbergTeacher,aMagazineforTeachers,says:
"InTheBigBusinessofLifewehavethepracticalphilosophythatitiseveryone’sbusinesstoabolishworkandturnthisworldintoaplayground。Whowillnotconfessthatmanymortalstaketheirworktooseriously,andthattothemitisajoyless,cheerlessthing?Tobeabletofindhappiness,andtofinditwhenwearebendingtoourdutiesistopossessthesecretoflivingtothefull。Andhappinessistobesoughtwithin,andnotamongthethingsthatlieatourfeet。Thebookbeforeusiswholesomeandvivacious。Itprovokesmanyasmile,andbeneatheachoneisabitofwisdomitwoulddousaworldofgoodtolearn。Itrecallsthesayingofthewiseman`Amerryheartdoethgoodlikeamedicine’。"
ManywhohavereadTheBigBusinessofLifewriteusthattheythinkitisevenbetterthan"TheUniversityofHardKnocks,"which,theyadd,ismightyhardtobeat。
It’sUpToYou!
AreYouShakingUporRattlingDown?
GoOnSouth!
TheBestisYettoComeTheSalvationofaSuckerYouCan’tGetSomethingforNothingThesebookletsbyRalphParletteareshortstoriesadaptedfromchaptersin"TheUniversityofHardKnocks。"
JohnC。Carroll,PresidentoftheHydeParkStateBankofChicago,bought1000copiesofthebooklet"It’sUptoYou!"andofithesays。"Parlette’sBeansandNutsisjustasgoodastheMessagetoGarciaandwillbehandedaroundjustusmuch。Ihavehandedthebooktobusinessmen,toyoungfellows,bondsalesmenandsuch,toourownvicepresident,andtheyallwantanothercopytosendtosomefriend。Iwouldratherbeauthorofitthanpresidentofthebank。"
Employersineverylineofbusinessarebuyingquantitiesof"It’sUptoYou!"fortheirworkers。
WilliamJenningsBryansaysofthebooklet"GoOnSouth":"Itisoneofthegreatstoriesoftheday。"
CharlesGrilkofDavenport,says:"MytwochildrenandIreadtheMississippiRiverstorytogetherandwewerethorolydelighted。"
Instructustosendoneofthesebookletstoyourfriends。Itwilldelightthemmorethananysmallpresentyoucanmake。